Letter to the Editor of the Austin-American Statesman

On November 16, 2003, the Austin-American Statesman ran a book review by Kip Keller that claimed a report by the Project for the New American Century advocated the use of genetically targeted biological weaponry. Mr. Keller further suggested that individuals with ties to PNAC endorsed "genocide."

Subsequently, we asked the Austin-American Statesman to correct the assertion that our report advocates biological warfare or genocide in any way, shape, or form. The Statesman refused to issue a correction, arguing that in the context of the PNAC report as a whole, it is somehow ambiguous whether the sentence in question proposes the use of biological weapons with genocidal potential. But there is no evidence in the report to support the Statesman's assertion:

1. The report only makes reference to development of biological weapons within a discussion of worldwide trends.
2. The specific context of the quotation cited in the Statesman addresses methods of warfare U. S. forces may face, not items or actions we recommend.
3. Not one of the report's recommendations suggests that biological weapons should be developed, let alone used.

We submitted a letter to the paper's editor, which follows.

To the editor:

Re: Kip Keller's Nov. 16 book review, "Eugenics Not Limited to Nazi Germany."

Keller's outlandish accusation that a report by the Project for the New American Century proposes "a sort of 'gene bomb'" and advocates "extermination of a specific ethnic group" is both disgusting and utterly false. The quotation about biological warfare Keller cites in support of his claim comes from a section of the report ("Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century") that outlines various threats the U. S. military may confront in the future. At the end of the section on potential threats for which the U. S. must be prepared, the report states the following:

"Information systems will become an important focus of attack, particularly for U.S. enemies seeking to short-circuit sophisticated American forces. And advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool." (p. 60)

The fact that Keller would not only selectively use a quotation from the report without providing appropriate context but also then accuse people of supporting "genocide" is truly appalling.

The September 2000 PNAC Report, "Rebuilding America's Defenses"

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