Richard O. Spertzel facts for kids
Richard Oscar Spertzel (born February 9, 1933 – died March 24, 2016) was a smart scientist. He was a veterinarian, which means he was a doctor for animals. He was also a microbiologist, someone who studies very tiny living things like bacteria and viruses.
Spertzel was an expert in something called biological warfare. This is when germs or other living things are used as weapons. He worked for the U.S. Army at a place called Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. This place is now known as the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, or USAMRIID. At USAMRIID, Spertzel held important jobs like Deputy for Research.
From 1994 to 1998, Spertzel worked for the United Nations Special Commission in Iraq. He was their Senior Biologist. Later, he gave important information to the U.S. Congress. His words helped explain why the U.S. decided to invade Iraq. He talked about Iraq's ability to make weapons of mass destruction (WMD). After the invasion, Spertzel was part of a group called the Iraq Survey Group. This group looked for WMD in Iraq. They found that Iraq was not making or planning to make these weapons when the invasion happened.
Early Life and Studies
Richard Spertzel was born on February 9, 1933, in a place called Huntington Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania. He went to college and studied hard.
In 1955, he earned a special degree called a Bachelor of Arts in microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania. He continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. In 1962, he received a Master's Degree in something called radiation biology. He earned this from the Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester. Finally, in 1970, he earned his highest degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in microbiology from the University of Notre Dame.
Spertzel's Role in the 2003 Iraq War
Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq happened, the U.S. Congress held meetings. They wanted to decide if they should allow the invasion. Richard Spertzel spoke at one of these meetings on September 10, 2002. He shared what he knew about Iraq.
Here are some things Spertzel said:
- "Iraq's biological warfare program started in the 1970s. It was meant for both military use and for terrorist attacks."
- "Iraq said it destroyed its program in 1991. But they did this without the United Nations watching, as they were supposed to. Evidence shows Iraq kept making its biological weapons stronger."
- "Iraq's claim that the program was destroyed in 1991 is simply not true."
- "Documents found by the UN showed Iraq kept building up its biological weapons program."
- "Iraq has had 12 years to improve its ability to make viruses. I believe this almost certainly includes smallpox as a weapon."
- "I am sure that Iraq has a much stronger biological warfare program today than it did in 1990."
After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the U.S. government looked into things more. They reviewed a final report from the Iraq Survey Group on September 30, 2004. The government then decided that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction (WMD) before the invasion.
Also, some people claimed Iraq was connected to terrorist groups like al Qaeda. But a special group called the 9/11 Commission looked into this. They found no real proof of such connections. Much of the information that suggested Iraq had WMD before the invasion was later found to be incorrect.
