Basson: My conscience is clear
2002-11-04 22:06
Washington - The United States was so concerned in the 90s about Dr Wouter Basson's visits to Libya that the CIA sent a personal warning to Basson concerning this, while the American government lodged an official protest regarding this with the South African government.
This was alleged in the American television programme 60 Minutes, broadcast here on Sunday evening (Monday morning South African time).
It was also alleged that Basson had had several meetings with American biological warfare experts in the early 80s, and that American intelligence experts were fully informed after each meeting.
The programme focused on the relationship between a Californian doctor who committed suicide in 2000, and South Africa's chemical and biological weapons programme in the 80s and 90s, known as Project Coast.
Dr Larry C Ford, a gynaecologist with an unusual interest in microbiology, committed suicide in May 2000 shortly before police wanted to question him regarding a botched assassination attempt on his business partner, Dr Pat Riley.
A wide variety of weapons, explosives as well as 266 test tubes filled with viruses and toxic substances were found in Ford's fridge and buried in his backyard. The Californian neighbourhood where Ford lived was evacuated and the American government's special unit on weapons of mass destruction was called in to investigate the case.
It came to light after Ford's death that he had received payment during the apartheid years for work conducted for South Africa's Project Coast. Basson was the South African who had contact with Ford, said 60 Minutes.
Basson said in an interview with 60 Minutes that there was no reason why he should be known as "Dr Death". He described the allegations regarding Project Coast as "nonsense".
"There was nothing special, nothing sinister. It was the same research conducted in many places across the world," said Basson.
He confirmed that he had met Ford in the "mid 1980s" and had arranged that he met with several South African scientists in the country. Basson said the South Africans agreed afterwards that Ford would not be able to contribute much to their research.
He did, however, deposit money into Ford's Swiss bank account for an Aids project the American was conducting, said Basson. It was alleged by 60 Minutes that the Aids project was a cover for research into deadly toxins.
Professor Helen Purkitt, who compiled a report on Project Coast for the American air force's institute for national security studies, expressed her concern on the programme regarding all the documentation on biological and chemical warfare that Basson possibly still had in his possession.
60 Minutes referred to Basson's five visits to Libya in the 90s and also alleged that it had learnt from American intelligence sources that Basson had "reached out" to Iraq and Iran.
Basson refused to discuss his work and activities after Project Coast with 60 Minutes. "I just want to get on with my life," he said. "My conscience is clear."