RECENT PRESS ON "BEES AND YELLOW RAIN"

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06158170
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2017
• Case Number: F-2012-01432
• Publication Date: March 29, 1984

Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006158170
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MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
FROM:
Division
SECRET
29 March 1984
Science and Technology
SUBJECT: Recent Press on "Bees and Yellow Rain"
1. Recent newspaper and magazine articles about "Yellow rain" incorrectly
link the position of the Department of State on chemical weapons use in Asia to
refugee reports that confuse spots on the ground to stories about chemical
attacks. Publicity about a recent trip to Thailand by scientists who observed a
"bee defecation flight" is certain to further confuse readers, most of whom
haven't read even the two unclassified State Department White Papers. The State
positions are actually based on over twenty coordinated Intelligence Memoranda,
Assessments. NIDs, and especially three Special National Intelligence Estimates.
2. Refugee reports were used often to target collection, and many physi-
cian's reports on victims were helpful in determining that non-traditional
agents were often being used. But, the Intelligence Community has been
persuaded primarily by other data, and the fact that bees may drop yellow
material and refugees confuse spots is not relevant to that data. Furthermore,
many refugees have reported to us since 1979 that similarities existed between
residues of bee "cleansing" flights in the springtime and yellow rain attacks...
to those who had not seen an attack b AN-2 spray aircraft, helicopters, or who
had not themselves been victims.
3. Also, community judgments that mycotoxins were possibly one of the
ingredients in some chemical mixtures was based originally on
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
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linking,some specitic attacks witn some (b)(1)b )(3)
refugee claims of symptoms and autopsy findings consistent with mycotoxicosis. (
Only later were toxins actually chemically identified in many physical and biol-
ogical samples, autopsy tissues, and gas masks. No toxins have been found in
control samples from unexposed refugees, bee excrement, physical samples of
food, vegetation, water or other material from "non-attack" control sites.
4. �
(b)(3)
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---SECRET
SUBJECT: Recent Press on "Bees and Yellow Rain"
(b)(3)
5. A summary of the intelligence data is attached, taken from the recent
SNIE 11-17-83 on "Implications of Soviet Use of Chemical and Toxin Weapons"(b)(3)
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(b)(3)
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Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006158170