Lew's AUTHOR BLOG

On July 29, 2008 Dr. Bartram Ingram died at the Frederick Memorial Hospital in Maryland. Dr. Ingram was a scientist at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick. The cause of death was given as suicide. Reportedly, he had taken a large dose of prescription drugs.

One week later, the US Department of Justice and the FBI, who had not to that point charged Dr. Ingram with any crime, convened a press conference at which the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia announced that Dr. Ingram was, at the time of his death, about to be charged as the sole perpetrator of the anthrax attacks which had caused five deaths and panicked the nation in 2001, seven years before. The implication was that Dr. Ingram had committed suicide rather than face the impending charges.

“Based upon the totality of the evidence we’ve gathered against him,” the U.S. Attorney stated, “we are confident Dr. Ingram was the only person responsible for these attacks. Dr. Ingram prepared the powdered anthrax in his research laboratory at Fort Detrick; he addressed the envelopes and filled them with lethal anthrax; he transported the envelopes to Princeton, NJ where he mailed them.

“The FBI is now conducting the routine steps needed to conclude this investigation. Once this process is complete, which we estimate will be no more than two weeks, we will formally close the case.”

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“I don’t fucking think so!”

Everyone in the room was startled. None of them had ever heard Lieutenant General Clifford Drysdale, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), use such language.

“Those FBI bastards hounded a Defense Department employee until he committed suicide, if it was suicide. After seven years the FBI hasn’t come close to making a case that could convict the lowest grade criminal, let alone an internationally respected scientist. And they think they can say ‘case closed’ and sweep their incompetent investigation under the rug?”

“I’ve already spoken to Secretary Morgan,” General Drysdale continued. “The Secretary agrees that the Defense Department is taking an unwarranted hit from the FBI, and we don’t know why. At my request, the Secretary has authorized us to find out what really happened.

“You’re the team I’ve selected. You’re authorized to go where you need to go, ask what you need to know. You’ll whatever resources are necessary.

“Jonathan will head the task force, reporting to me at least daily. The FBI took seven years; I’m expecting some serious answers in a lot less time than that.”

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