The War Bureau of Consultants was a committee of 12 prominent scientists and several government consultants put together in November 1941 to investigate the feasibility of a U.S. bio-weapons program. The bureau's recommendations led to the creation of an official U.S. biological weapons program during World War II.
Background
Despite World War I-era interest in ricin, as World War II erupted the United States Army still maintained the position that biological warfare was, for the most part, impractical. Secretary of WarHenry Stimson was mindful of Imperial Germany's BW attack on the Romanian Cavalry using glanders during World War I and of its saboteurs introducing the disease into the United States among the military horses and mules being shipped to Europe. It was also understood that intelligence reports clearly stated that Nazi Germany had a BW capability. Other nations, notably France, Japan and the United Kingdom, had also begun their own BW programs. However, by the outbreak of World War II the U.S. still had no biological weapons capabilities.
On February 17, 1942, the WBC produced and released its first formal report. The document was over 200 pages long, included 13 appendices, and an 89-page annotated bibliography. The report laid out the results of the WBC's literature search, which showed that there was relatively widespread interest in proposals geared toward BW. The report also made some key recommendations. The WBC recommended that the United States take seriously the threat of biological warfare and take steps to defend itself. Among those steps were the development of vaccines, and protection of the water supplies. The consultants reported that a U.S. bio-weapons program was a feasible goal. Their report also concluded that the United States should take steps to develop its own offensive biological warfare capability.
Response
Stimson forwarded the report, and his summary of its contents, to U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt on April 29, 1942. His summary emphasized the danger of biological weapons as well as the U.S. need for offensive and defensive biological capabilities.
The value of biological warfare will be a debatable question until it has been clearly proven or disproved by experiences. The wide assumption is that any method which appears to offer advantages to a nation at war will be vigorously employed by that nation. There is but one logical course to pursue, namely, to study the possibilities of such warfare from every angle, make every preparation for reducing its effectiveness, and thereby reduce the likelihood of its use.
As a result of the recommendations made by the WBC, Roosevelt ordered Stimson to create the War Research Service to oversee the official, and secret, U.S. biological weapons program.