The American Connection
Kelly Franklin grew up on Base Gagetown, lost many friends and loved ones to the sprays, and has been a leading researcher on CFB Gagetown for years. He writes:
Although my family had lived in CFB Gagetown from 1958 to 1964, I didn't learn about the spraying until December of 2005. It was Ottawa's best-kept secret. I'm now in my fifth year of researching what happened. Here are some of my findings. In every single case the chemical weapons sprayed on Vietnam were first sprayed on CFB Gagetown. We were the guinea pigs in the largest chemical warfare experiment in history:
- Chemical weapon testing began in CFB Gagetown in 1956 as part of a tripartite (U.S., UK & Canada) effort to win a future war against the USSR. New Brunswick has a similar climate to Eastern Europe and Russia, and crop destruction was seen as an effective munition. 15, 584 acres of the base were sprayed with 26, 565 pounds of Agent Orange and Agent Purple 1956-1958. Agent Purple debuted in Vietnam in 1961.
- By 1960, U.S. interests had turned to Southeast Asia. That year, the NBCW area of CFB Gagetown was sprayed with straight 2,4,5-T. Whatever is sprayed on a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare area earns the right to be called a Chemical Warfare weapon. This weapon, now called Agent Green, debuted in Vietnam in 1961.
- In 1961 Robert McNamara called for the creation of a book on defoliation. The "Information Manual for Vegetation Control in Southeast Asia" was the result. Chemical agent testing in New Brunswick is mentioned on page 42. This manual also reveals that the first airplane to spray Vietnam was specially ordered from de Havilland Canada. It's sitting in a place of honor in Fort Rucker, Alabama right now.
- Between 1959 and 1964 a further 33, 078 acres of Base Gagetown were sprayed with 171, 875 U.S. gallons of Agent Orange. Agent Orange was sprayed extensively in Vietnam from 1965-1970.
- In May 1963 Colonel Carl Castro of the U.S. Chemical Corps was coordinating crop destruction missions in Vietnam. In December of that year, he was promoted to head of Fort Detrick's chemical warfare division—the division coordinating the 1964 spray program at CFB Gagetown. 1964 saw perhaps the "World's Largest Spray Accident" where farms and market gardens over 20 km away from CFB Gagetown were wiped out by chemical weapons. The Crown pays $250,000 (a huge sum for ’64) in damages to the farmers, who still sold many of the contaminated crops, which were of course deemed by officials as "safe to eat." The formulation used was Agent Orange, and many have speculated that the "Accident" was a test of chemical weapons on the food supply, a strategy the U.S. would later apply in Vietnam. Note that it is a war crime to destroy an enemies’ food supply.
- In June 1965 CFB Gagetown began spraying Tordon 101. When the U.S. started spraying it in Vietnam in 1966, it was called Agent White.
- The spray methods used in Vietnam were likely honed and developed in Canada. The ratio of 3 gallons/acre was applied in the Vietnam War after extensive communication with and testing at CFB Gagetown, which has comparable foliage density.
- In 1967 all of Canada's 2,4,5-T was expropriated for Vietnam by order of U.S. President Johnson under the Defense Production Act. Estimates show that about one sixth of the Agent Orange sprayed on Vietnam that year originated in Canada. It's clear that Canada and the USA have some startling treaties when it comes to war.