Brief History of Biological Weapons
An educational pamphlet about biological warfare in Korea and China and the effects of the patriotic hygiene movement published by the Việt Minh shows the imagined political geography of imperialist and non-imperialist nations and their relationship to invasion. This pamphlet drew on information obtained at the end of 1952 and the beginning of 1953 in China and reflected similar themes to those on Chinese propaganda posters. It was also one of the ways that medical doctors and cadre, including Tôn Thất Tùng, sought to popularize knowledge about environmental warfare.
Even though the Việt Minh quietly shelved their charges of germ warfare against the French, this pamphlet offers insights into the fears of biological warfare circulating among intellectuals and elites, if not the broader populace.
