3 chapters across the catalog
A throwback to "Operation Infection" details how the KGB planted stories in the 1980s claiming the U.S. government created HIV at Fort Detrick as a biological weapon. The disinformation campaign used a small Indian newspaper to launch a global narrative that eventually reached mainstream U.S. media outlets like CBS News. The hosts use this historical example to analyze how modern health crises are messaged to specific demographic groups.
Leonard Horowitz, Florida Dental AIDS Tragedy and Kimberly Bergalis
Dr. Leonard Horowitz discusses the 1990 Florida dental AIDS tragedy, where Kimberly Bergalis and others were infected by dentist David Acer. Horowitz claims the CDC covered up evidence that the infections were intentional. The segment links these events to theories about man-made origins of viruses at Fort Detrick.
The New York Times series "Operation Infection" is discussed, detailing a KGB campaign to spread the story that the U.S. created AIDS at Fort Detrick. The disinformation began in 1983 in an Indian newspaper called The Patriot and was eventually reported by Dan Rather on CBS Evening News.
