A Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Chemical and Biological Warfare

The title says it all. It's written very matter-of-fact just as a history book should be. It still keeps your attention as it is not dryly written. The book was printed in the 1980's so keep in mind it's only a short history of the topic.

Why would anyone want to read about this subject? Why would anyone want to write about such a horrible subject? As a military veteran and someone with more than a few hours in a chemical warfare protective suit, I found this book captivating. I first read its original iteration in 1983, and then re-visited it when I found out it was updated following the Gulf War and as our country faces Nuclear, Biological and Chemical threats from terrorist and rogue nation-states in our midst. We might not like knowing stuff like this exists, and might not wish to be made aware that the threat exists, but it is much like the elephant in the room; we can ignore it but sooner or later it can rear its ugly head and we owe it to our nation to be prepared.Robert Harris does an admirable job of capturing an ugly topic and making it palatable enough to read and educate ourselves to the very real threat we face. From World War I to today, the problem exists and our military trains constantly to deal with it. It is a very good book, written clearly and concisely and worth the time to read.Retired USAF Gulf War Veteran

The book was written before the events of 9/11, however the topics are even more poignant today then they were when it was originally written.Not too technical a read and this book exposes a lot of valuable information about the (expected) double-speak of governments regarding secret research projects.This book is a definite read for anyone interested in the history or possible future of biological and chemical weapons.

The authors have done a great job detailing the history of biological and chemical weapons. I was hoping they would also deal with older history such as the use of chemical and biological weapons in the middle ages etc, but that's the only downside to the book; It's really only a modern history of these weapons and their uses.But an entertaining read about a very worrying subject.

All you need to know about germ warfare, very educational book for these troubled times, I recommend this book

Informative review of the history of biological and chemical warfare during the 20th century. The book is from 2002, however, and therefore information about the development and use of such weapons during the "war on terror" is not included. I wish some of the chapters would have gone more in depth, particularly about the development of weapons by the middle east in the 1990s and the development overall in the U.S. But, there is good reference material on Porton Down, the [formerly] secret facility in the UK. It is generally a good read for 20th century weapons development but could have used more illustrations and/or photographs.

An Almost Unbelievable account of the USA's misuse of its biological and chemical weapons research. This may have led to the creation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But after reading: the book from cover to cover, I now believe every word that is written in it. It is a must read for those who want to know why AIDS is so rampant in the world and America and its European allies are doing very little to combat it. See also: AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (or) Antipersonnel Intelligence Disease System, 2007; and, The Skin Color Syndrome Among African-American, 2003.

This is a straight reporting of biological warfare as it was tested on US citizens. It is the claim of this government that poisoning citizens is a valid form of defense. Read it and laugh/weep.

A very detailed analysis of this form of warfare inc!using the use of these weapons for assassination purposes in clandestine activities. Highly informative.

Wow, a riveting tale of man’s brutality against each other and against all living entities and organisms. This book should be on your must read list.

impressionante a fluidez do texto com os eventos narradosdificil parar de ler

Super Buch für alle die sich mit der Materie beschäftigen wollen. Man muss kein Chemiker/Molekularbiologe sein, um es zu verstehen. Vor allem nicht tendenziös geschrieben, man behält sich die Objektivität bzw. ist allen Regierungen gegenüber sehr kritisch - man merkt klar, dass die Autoren generell B und C Waffen ablehnen, unabhängig davon, welche Regierung daran forschte oder sie einsetzte.

A good if a bit dated account of the political machinations around the development and use of chemical and biological weapons. For me the most distressing part of the account was the various accidents that have occurred throughout the history of the development of these weapons and suggestions that binary weapons would make the storage of these safer.