286:, and the Vigo Ordnance Plant. The Russians were shown the decrepit military facilities at Vigo, many of which were shuttered, padlocked and in an obvious state of disrepair. When the Russians observed the fermenters, they asserted that it was evidence of a secret, illegal U.S. BW program. Russian reaction to the tours, in general, was not good, and a negative report of their visit followed when they returned to Russia. The report maintained that the facilities could potentially be used for BW.
257:. Beginning in 1999, Pfizer had invested $ 300 million in the plant and hired 400 additional employees, Pfizer's Vigo location was declared the sole producer of Exubera. In January 2008 those employees on paid leave were permanently eliminated. The company announced in May 2008 the remaining 140 jobs, occupied making antibiotics
171:
Nevius was considered conscientious, so much so that at one point the Army wanted to replace him; this resulted in
Baldwin resigning his position and becoming an "advisor" to the U.S. BW program. The testing regimen that followed extended well into 1945. The first tests ran water through the system,
210:
The plant remained on standby to produce "highly classified material" and in
February 1947 four areas of the plant were declared restricted. On April 30, 1947 demilitarization of the Vigo Plant began; this allowed prospective buyers to inspect the site. Even with the earlier equipment removal, the
155:
After U.S. BW scientists worked through the problems presented by trying to mass-produce bombs that were to be filled with a deadly biological agent, the production line was essentially ready to operate. The line would fill the
British four pound anthrax bombs with an anthrax slurry and then
127:(BW) use by the H.K. Ferguson Construction Company; they added fermenter tanks, slurry heaters, laboratories and the other necessities of a biological warfare facility. The plant was to be the first U.S. anthrax factory and would be utilized filling a British order for
189:
before production was halted in
October 1945, but was never able to produce any BW agents, including anthrax, before the war ended. As October 1945 ended, approximately $ 800,000 worth of equipment at Vigo was declared surplus. Eighteen boxcars were loaded with
273:
Per a 1994 arms-control agreement between the United States and Russia each nation was permitted to inspect three sites in the other country that it suspected were biological warfare facilities. The
Russians chose to tour Pfizer's main research center in
66:
The Vigo
Ordnance Plant was located on 700 acres (2.8 km) of a more than 6,000-acre (24 km) government-owned tract and cost $ 21 million to build (the equivalent of $ 366 million in 2023). The facility was constructed in the
147:. The 1944 order converting the plant to a BW facility directed that it become a factory capable of producing 275,000 botulin bombs or one million anthrax bombs per month. The core of the Vigo Plant's BW operation was the anthrax
248:
After operating the Vigo plant since 1948 Pfizer announced in
October 2007 that 600 of the plant's 750 employees would be placed on paid leave. The announcement followed disappointing sales for the plant's flagship product, an
151:
installed during the renovations in 1944. There were 12 20,000 gallon fermenter tanks at Vigo, the total of 240,000 gallons which made it the largest bacterial mass-production line anywhere in the world at the time.
244:
but afterwards sat dormant for decades. Of the areas at Vigo not utilized by Pfizer, most were left undisturbed. Adjacent to the old BW buildings the company constructed their own facilities for drug manufacturing.
108:. The Vigo Ordnance Plant began producing conventional explosives and munitions on February 18, 1942. The Army decommissioned the factory less than year later, and on June 30, 1943 the plant was transferred to the
1228:
223:
to be used as agricultural land, other portions of the Vigo property were acquired by various private entities. The BW production facilities at Vigo were eventually replaced by a more modern factory at
240:. The main objective of Pfizer's Vigo operation in the years after the war was the production of veterinary antibiotics. The large fermenters were used during the period after the war to produce
202:
and 765,000 explosive detonators and shipped elsewhere for storage. Vigo
Ordnance plant was placed on "stand-by" in December 1945, in reality, the demilitarization process had already begun.
1291:
1306:
1152:
236:
After the lease agreement, and later the sale of the plant, was finalized the company transferred John E. McKeen to the Vigo site in 1948 in preparation for the production of
1208:
1102:
1316:
750:
864:
219:
manufacture at Vigo in 1948 but the military continued to liquidate the surrounding land into 1949. That year a 1,500-acre (6.1 km) tract was acquired by the
721:
68:
168:, selected Walter Nevius, a specialist in pathogen containment, to lead the safety inspections which began when he arrived at Vigo in the summer 1944.
1252:
1223:
1218:
759:
43:
1296:
1213:
399:
743:
808:
265:, at the plant would be eliminated and the plant closed. In November 2008 the company announced the site and its buildings were for sale.
83:. The area surrounding the plant was flat, covered with cornfields and dotted by hog farms. The site of the former Vigo Plant is south of
662:
1203:
1167:
1107:
924:
854:
315:
101:
607:
498:
451:
581:
375:
1311:
736:
105:
700:
589:
506:
459:
383:
1157:
119:
On May 8, 1944 the Army
Special Projects Division (SPD) directed the Vigo Plant to convert its facilities for full-scale
538:
109:
692:
829:
310:
42:
facility built in 1942 to produce conventional weapons. In 1944 it was converted to produce biological agents for the
164:. Before production could begin, however, safety testing commenced. The scientific director of the U.S. BW program,
879:
834:
215:
company executed a 20-year lease agreement with the government to take over the Vigo site. The company would begin
20:
633:
1233:
1147:
305:
178:. The plant was pronounced water-tight by Nevius in April 1945 and trial runs with the simulant began in June.
716:
408:
143:
When it was conceived, the initial plan was for the Vigo Plant to be a production facility for anthrax and
990:
889:
279:
116:
for the manufacture of military electronics equipment. The plant served in this capacity until May 1944.
1198:
1127:
1061:
1041:
1238:
965:
396:
1122:
1076:
1071:
1051:
1026:
970:
275:
191:
1193:
1162:
1036:
1031:
798:
793:
225:
199:
124:
39:
725:, Records of the Chemical Warfare Service, Guide to Federal Records, accessed January 11, 2009.
578:
Biological
Weapons: From the Invention of State-sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism
1066:
950:
904:
696:
585:
573:
529:
502:
455:
379:
220:
174:
132:
113:
1188:
1010:
985:
980:
975:
637:
161:
120:
728:
1301:
1086:
839:
658:
642:
403:
250:
172:
to ensure there were no leaks. A second round of tests were run with an anthrax simulant,
144:
884:
131:
bombs. In March 1944 the British had placed an order for 500,000 of these bombs which
1285:
1056:
1046:
195:
84:
689:
Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory
1137:
1132:
1117:
1112:
1005:
960:
955:
945:
929:
849:
671:
612:
295:
283:
237:
182:
157:
47:
1081:
894:
874:
869:
844:
783:
490:
165:
80:
72:
1142:
909:
300:
241:
216:
1267:
1254:
1000:
995:
813:
803:
666:
552:
367:
148:
46:. Although the plant never actually produced bio-weapons before the end of
914:
859:
778:
372:
The Biology of Doom: The History of America's Secret Germ Warfare Project
533:
185:
was on the horizon. The plant was able to produce about 8,000 pounds of
788:
773:
608:
Pfizer resolves contractual issues tied to Exubera, Nektar Therapeutics
258:
254:
128:
104:
constructed the Vigo Plant in 1942, prior to the official start of the
76:
51:
919:
542:, Volume 48, Number 20, December 20, 2001, accessed January 11, 2009.
262:
212:
55:
181:
By the time the plant was ready to produce the simulant the end of
899:
732:
79:. The plant was located about six miles (10 km) south of
135:, remarked, should only be considered a "first installment".
87:
near Highway 41 and Indiana State Highways 150 and 63.
54:
simulant. After the war, the plant was transferred to
663:
Pfizer’s track record provides ray of hope on sad day
211:
fermenters remained behind. On December 15, 1947 the
112:. Portions of the Vigo Plant were then leased to the
58:, who operated it until the plants closure in 2008.
1181:
1095:
1019:
938:
822:
766:
1292:Buildings and structures in Vigo County, Indiana
634:Pfizer puts closed Terre Haute plant up for sale
584:), Columbia University Press, 2005, pp. 71-73, (
646:, November 10, 2008, accessed January 11, 2009.
616:, November 13, 2007, accessed January 11, 2009.
495:Plague Wars: A True Story of Biological Warfare
412:, November 10, 2008, accessed January 11, 2009.
160:them into the M26 cluster adapter, to form the
1307:Closed installations of the United States Army
675:, October 18, 2007, accessed January 11, 2009.
744:
8:
442:
440:
438:
602:
600:
598:
569:
567:
565:
563:
561:
454:), Arcadia Publishing, 2005, pp. 129-130, (
436:
434:
432:
430:
428:
426:
424:
422:
420:
418:
751:
737:
729:
683:
681:
525:
523:
521:
519:
517:
515:
486:
484:
482:
480:
478:
476:
474:
472:
470:
468:
1317:United States biological weapons program
760:United States biological weapons program
363:
361:
359:
357:
355:
353:
351:
123:production. The plant was converted for
654:
652:
349:
347:
345:
343:
341:
339:
337:
335:
333:
331:
327:
628:
626:
624:
622:
397:Pfizer Terre Haute Plant on The Market
695:), HarperCollins, 2004, pp. 233-34, (
448:Terre Haute: Queen City of the Wabash
7:
50:, it did produce 8000 pounds of an
19:Not to be confused with the nearby
1209:Korean War bio-warfare allegations
501:), Macmillan, 1999, pp. 200-208, (
14:
1204:Soviet biological weapons program
1168:Plum Island Animal Disease Center
1103:U.S. Army Biological Warfare Labs
378:), Macmillan, 2000 pages 71-74, (
316:Plum Island Animal Disease Center
1224:U.S. biological defense program
1219:U.S. biological weapons program
106:U.S. biological weapons program
1:
1297:Biological warfare facilities
1158:One-Million-Liter Test Sphere
539:The New York Review of Books
534:Bioterror: What Can Be Done?
110:U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
1153:Horn Island Testing Station
402:September 28, 2011, at the
311:Horn Island Testing Station
96:Construction and conversion
1333:
717:Records of Chemical Plants
21:Terre Haute Ordnance Depot
18:
1234:War Bureau of Consultants
1148:Granite Peak Installation
306:Granite Peak Installation
231:
102:U.S. Army Ordnance Corps
44:U.S. bio-weapons program
1312:Indiana in World War II
409:Inside Indiana Business
114:Delco Radio Corporation
1020:Operations and testing
991:Flettner rotor bomblet
282:facilities, including
139:Bio-weapons production
1268:39.35889°N 87.41111°W
1199:Entomological warfare
1128:Dugway Proving Ground
1062:Operation Magic Sword
1042:Operation Dark Winter
16:US Army weapons plant
1239:War Research Service
1229:U.S. bio-weapons ban
966:E48 particulate bomb
606:Greninger, Howard. "
69:Honey Creek Township
30:, also known as the
1273:39.35889; -87.41111
1264: /
1173:Vigo Ordnance Plant
1123:Deseret Test Center
1077:Operation Whitecoat
1072:Operation Polka Dot
1052:Operation Drop Kick
1027:Operation Sea-Spray
276:Groton, Connecticut
32:Vigo Chemical Plant
28:Vigo Ordnance Plant
1194:Biological warfare
1163:Pine Bluff Arsenal
1037:Operation Big Itch
1032:Operation Big Buzz
794:Enterotoxin type B
687:Carroll, Michael.
232:Pfizer's ownership
226:Pine Bluff Arsenal
200:tributyl phosphate
125:biological warfare
40:United States Army
1247:
1246:
1067:Operation May Day
951:E133 cluster bomb
823:Researched agents
767:Weaponized agents
722:National Archives
574:Guillemin, Jeanne
530:Meselson, Matthew
446:McCormick, Mike.
221:Bureau of Prisons
175:Bacillus globigii
133:Winston Churchill
1324:
1279:
1278:
1276:
1275:
1274:
1269:
1265:
1262:
1261:
1260:
1257:
1189:Biological agent
1011:M33 cluster bomb
986:E96 cluster bomb
981:E86 cluster bomb
976:E77 balloon bomb
753:
746:
739:
730:
704:
685:
676:
656:
647:
638:Associated Press
630:
617:
604:
593:
571:
556:
549:
543:
527:
510:
488:
463:
444:
413:
393:
387:
365:
206:Demilitarization
162:M33 cluster bomb
121:biological agent
1332:
1331:
1327:
1326:
1325:
1323:
1322:
1321:
1282:
1281:
1272:
1270:
1266:
1263:
1258:
1255:
1253:
1251:
1250:
1248:
1243:
1177:
1091:
1087:Project Bacchus
1015:
934:
818:
814:Wheat stem rust
762:
757:
713:
708:
707:
686:
679:
659:Editorial board
657:
650:
643:Chicago Tribune
631:
620:
605:
596:
572:
559:
550:
546:
528:
513:
489:
466:
445:
416:
404:Wayback Machine
394:
390:
366:
329:
324:
292:
271:
251:inhaled insulin
234:
208:
145:botulinum toxin
141:
98:
93:
64:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1330:
1328:
1320:
1319:
1314:
1309:
1304:
1299:
1294:
1284:
1283:
1245:
1244:
1242:
1241:
1236:
1231:
1226:
1221:
1216:
1214:List of topics
1211:
1206:
1201:
1196:
1191:
1185:
1183:
1182:Related topics
1179:
1178:
1176:
1175:
1170:
1165:
1160:
1155:
1150:
1145:
1140:
1135:
1130:
1125:
1120:
1115:
1110:
1105:
1099:
1097:
1093:
1092:
1090:
1089:
1084:
1079:
1074:
1069:
1064:
1059:
1054:
1049:
1044:
1039:
1034:
1029:
1023:
1021:
1017:
1016:
1014:
1013:
1008:
1003:
998:
993:
988:
983:
978:
973:
968:
963:
958:
953:
948:
942:
940:
936:
935:
933:
932:
927:
922:
917:
912:
907:
902:
897:
892:
887:
882:
877:
872:
867:
862:
857:
852:
847:
842:
837:
832:
826:
824:
820:
819:
817:
816:
811:
806:
801:
796:
791:
786:
781:
776:
770:
768:
764:
763:
758:
756:
755:
748:
741:
733:
727:
726:
712:
711:External links
709:
706:
705:
677:
648:
618:
594:
557:
544:
511:
464:
414:
388:
326:
325:
323:
320:
319:
318:
313:
308:
303:
298:
291:
288:
270:
267:
233:
230:
207:
204:
140:
137:
97:
94:
92:
89:
63:
60:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1329:
1318:
1315:
1313:
1310:
1308:
1305:
1303:
1300:
1298:
1295:
1293:
1290:
1289:
1287:
1280:
1277:
1240:
1237:
1235:
1232:
1230:
1227:
1225:
1222:
1220:
1217:
1215:
1212:
1210:
1207:
1205:
1202:
1200:
1197:
1195:
1192:
1190:
1187:
1186:
1184:
1180:
1174:
1171:
1169:
1166:
1164:
1161:
1159:
1156:
1154:
1151:
1149:
1146:
1144:
1141:
1139:
1136:
1134:
1131:
1129:
1126:
1124:
1121:
1119:
1116:
1114:
1111:
1109:
1106:
1104:
1101:
1100:
1098:
1094:
1088:
1085:
1083:
1080:
1078:
1075:
1073:
1070:
1068:
1065:
1063:
1060:
1058:
1057:Operation LAC
1055:
1053:
1050:
1048:
1047:Operation Dew
1045:
1043:
1040:
1038:
1035:
1033:
1030:
1028:
1025:
1024:
1022:
1018:
1012:
1009:
1007:
1004:
1002:
999:
997:
994:
992:
989:
987:
984:
982:
979:
977:
974:
972:
969:
967:
964:
962:
959:
957:
954:
952:
949:
947:
944:
943:
941:
937:
931:
928:
926:
923:
921:
918:
916:
913:
911:
908:
906:
903:
901:
898:
896:
893:
891:
890:Potato blight
888:
886:
883:
881:
878:
876:
873:
871:
868:
866:
863:
861:
858:
856:
853:
851:
848:
846:
843:
841:
838:
836:
833:
831:
828:
827:
825:
821:
815:
812:
810:
807:
805:
802:
800:
797:
795:
792:
790:
787:
785:
782:
780:
777:
775:
772:
771:
769:
765:
761:
754:
749:
747:
742:
740:
735:
734:
731:
724:
723:
718:
715:
714:
710:
702:
698:
694:
690:
684:
682:
678:
674:
673:
668:
664:
660:
655:
653:
649:
645:
644:
639:
635:
629:
627:
625:
623:
619:
615:
614:
609:
603:
601:
599:
595:
591:
587:
583:
579:
575:
570:
568:
566:
564:
562:
558:
554:
548:
545:
541:
540:
535:
531:
526:
524:
522:
520:
518:
516:
512:
508:
504:
500:
496:
492:
487:
485:
483:
481:
479:
477:
475:
473:
471:
469:
465:
461:
457:
453:
449:
443:
441:
439:
437:
435:
433:
431:
429:
427:
425:
423:
421:
419:
415:
411:
410:
405:
401:
398:
392:
389:
385:
381:
377:
373:
369:
364:
362:
360:
358:
356:
354:
352:
350:
348:
346:
344:
342:
340:
338:
336:
334:
332:
328:
321:
317:
314:
312:
309:
307:
304:
302:
299:
297:
294:
293:
289:
287:
285:
281:
277:
268:
266:
264:
260:
256:
252:
246:
243:
239:
229:
227:
222:
218:
214:
205:
203:
201:
197:
196:sulfuric acid
193:
188:
184:
179:
177:
176:
169:
167:
163:
159:
153:
150:
146:
138:
136:
134:
130:
126:
122:
117:
115:
111:
107:
103:
95:
90:
88:
86:
85:Interstate 70
82:
78:
74:
70:
61:
59:
57:
53:
49:
45:
41:
37:
33:
29:
22:
1249:
1172:
1138:Fort Douglas
1133:Fort Detrick
1118:Building 470
1113:Building 257
1108:Building 101
1006:M143 bomblet
961:E23 munition
956:E14 munition
946:E120 bomblet
930:Yellow fever
850:Dengue fever
720:
693:Google Books
688:
672:Tribune-Star
670:
641:
613:Tribune-Star
611:
582:Google Books
577:
547:
537:
499:Google Books
494:
491:Mangold, Tom
452:Google Books
447:
407:
391:
376:Google Books
371:
296:Fort Detrick
284:Building 101
272:
269:Russian tour
247:
238:streptomycin
235:
209:
186:
183:World War II
180:
173:
170:
154:
142:
118:
99:
65:
48:World War II
35:
31:
27:
25:
1271: /
1082:Project 112
895:Psittacosis
875:Melioidosis
870:Lassa fever
784:Brucellosis
280:Plum Island
166:Ira Baldwin
81:Terre Haute
73:Vigo County
1286:Categories
1259:87°24′40″W
1256:39°21′32″N
1143:Fort Terry
1096:Facilities
910:Rinderpest
865:Hantavirus
799:Rice blast
701:0060011416
590:0231129424
551:See also:
507:0312203535
460:0738524069
384:080505765X
301:Fort Terry
242:penicillin
217:antibiotic
198:, bleach,
187:B. globgii
149:fermenters
36:Vigo Plant
34:or simply
1001:M115 bomb
996:M114 bomb
939:Munitions
804:Tularemia
667:Editorial
553:M114 bomb
368:Regis, Ed
253:known as
228:in 1954.
971:E61 bomb
915:Smallpox
860:Glanders
840:Bird flu
779:Botulism
632:Staff. "
400:Archived
290:See also
192:caustics
62:Location
38:, was a
789:Q fever
774:Anthrax
259:Cefobid
255:Exubera
158:cluster
129:anthrax
91:History
77:Indiana
52:anthrax
1302:Pfizer
920:Typhus
885:Plague
699:
588:
505:
458:
382:
278:, the
263:Unasyn
213:Pfizer
56:Pfizer
900:Ricin
845:CHIKV
322:Notes
697:ISBN
665:", (
640:via
586:ISBN
503:ISBN
456:ISBN
380:ISBN
261:and
100:The
26:The
925:WEE
905:RVF
880:VND
855:EEE
835:BHF
830:AHF
809:VEE
691:, (
669:),
661:. "
636:",
610:",
580:, (
536:",
532:. "
497:, (
450:, (
406:",
374:, (
71:in
1288::
719:,
703:).
680:^
651:^
621:^
597:^
592:).
576:.
560:^
514:^
509:).
493:.
467:^
462:).
417:^
386:).
370:.
330:^
194:,
75:,
752:e
745:t
738:v
555:.
395:"
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.