HOME / technology: The future and what to do about it.

The Anthrax Truth MovementThe Web searches for holes in the FBI's latest lone-gunman theory.

By Farhad ManjooPosted Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008, at 4:50 PM ET

Also in Slate: Timothy Noah compiles Bruce Ivins' Web postings.

(Continued from page 1)

Theory No. 2: It was Syria and Iraq.
Richard Spertzel, a former biological weapons inspector in Iraq, wrote in the Wall Street Journal this week that the anthrax used in the 2001 attacks was "a product of exceptional quality." The particles were extremely small and prepared in such a way as to be easily inhaled. Their lethality, he concludes, is likely beyond the capabilities of what can be produced by a scientist working alone in the United States.

Spertzel, who fervently believed that Saddam Hussein harbored weapons of mass destruction before the U.S. invasion, has outlined a classic international conspiracy theory to explain the attacks. "I now suspect that Syria made the anthrax product with Iraqi Intelligence assistance," he wrote in 2007. Spertzel believes that sometime before the invasion, Iraq sent Syria a "spray dryer" that could have been used to produce the anthrax. Iraq also had access to silica particles, which he says were used to coat the anthrax so they could be more easily dispersed through the air. He says the bacteria themselves could have come from the Pasteur Institute in Paris, which was known to house the strain of anthrax used in the case.

But Spertzel's case has several flaws (even beyond the fact that he has no evidence to support any of it). The FBI's deeper genetic analysis of the anthrax ruled out most international labs as the source of the bacteria. In addition, there is a heated debate about the quality of the anthrax used in the attacks, particularly over whether it was treated with additives like silica. Early in the investigation, officials suggested that such additives were used; later, scientists who examined the spores said they doubted the presence of silica. In its presentation this week, the FBI said little about the anthrax itself, leaving open the possibility, for some, that outside powers were involved.

This theory finds support among conservatives who still believe there were WMD in Iraq. The FBI's pursuit of Hatfill long rankled many on the right, who believed that it should have been looking beyond American borders for the killer. For the same reason, the FBI's new lone-gunman theory will be hard for Iraq-agitators to swallow.

Theory No. 3: Did the White House know about the attack beforehand?
Just after the 9/11 attacks—and weeks before the anthrax letters were found—the White House distributed the antibiotic Cipro to staffers, including those traveling with Vice President Dick Cheney. This has drawn the attention of many on the conspiracy fringe. Why would the White House have handed out an antibiotic used to treat exposure to anthrax—unless, maybe, possibly, our government knew something that we didn't?

That idea reprises the primary argument you see in conspiracy theories about 9/11: Hawks in the White House derived the greatest benefit from the attack (it helped their case for war), so we ought to suspect them of the crime.

The White House has long declined to explain why it handed out the Cipro. In 2002, the conservative group Judicial Watch, which represented postal workers in Washington, sued the White House for documents relating to the case, but the suit went nowhere. Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch, has been quoted as saying, "We believe that the White House knew or had reason to know that an anthrax attack was imminent or underway." (Klayman is no longer with the group, and a spokesman disavowed his comments.)

Share this article on Digg
Share this article on Buzz

Obviously, there's nothing inherently nefarious about the vice president getting Cipro. After 9/11, the White House was a clear target; it didn't take foreknowledge to see that the place could come under biological attack. But what's a modern conspiracy theory if Dick Cheney isn't involved?

Print This ArticlePRINTEmail to a FriendE-MAILShare This ArticleRECOMMEND...Get Slate RSS FeedsRSS
Farhad Manjoo is Slate's technology columnist and the author of True Enough: Learning To Live in a Post-Fact Society.
Photograph of anthrax on Slate's home page by Michael S. Richter.
What did you think of this article?
Join The Fray: Our Reader Discussion Forum
POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES
Everyday life in Mumbai.TODAY'S PICTURES: Everyday life in Mumbai.
Cartoonists' take on George W. Bush.TODAY'S CARTOONS: Cartoonists' take on George W. Bush.
Nobody on Line 1. TODAY'S DOONESBURY: Nobody on Line 1.
Washington Post
The Washington Post
OPINIONS
Closet Centrist
Gerson | With his cabinet picks, Obama disappoints the ideologues.
Marcus: Was Summers Right?Topic A: A Confirmation Battle?
PLUS » Milbank: Do You Smell Something?