Chemical Weapons: Demystifying Yellow Rain

Demystifying "Yellow Rain"

In 1981 the Reagan Administration accused the Soviet Union of engaging in biochemical warfare against rebel groups in Laos and Kampuchea. Citing eyewitness reports and physical evidence, the State Department said that Soviet-backed forces had dropped a "yellow rain" of fungal poisons from the skies in Southeast Asia, killing and injuring thousands of civilians and insurgent troops. The charge was vehemently denied by the Soviets, and now an article in the autumn issue of Foreign Policy accuses the Administration of ignoring evidence that refuted its stunning claim.

Using declassified documents filed by a U.S. team sent to Southeast Asia to investigate...

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