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Synopsis for Bioterror

In the fall of 2001, following the World Trade Center disaster, the American public was suddenly consumed by fears of bioterrorism, as letters containing anthrax began arriving in Florida, New York, and Washington D.C. At that point, NOVA's Bioterror had already been in production for over a year. As our efforts to create an authoritative film on the threat of biological weapons took on urgent, national importance, the airdate was moved three months earlier to provide reliable and complete information to an anxious public as quickly as possible.

Working in collaboration with three reporters from The New York Times - Bill Broad, Steve Engelberg, and Judy Miller, authors of the best-selling book, Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War - the 90-minute special seamlessly weaves fast-breaking news with a unique historical and scientific overview. The three reporters brought to the project insights hard-won through years spent investigating this complex and mostly secret global threat. The film took them to clandestine bio-weapons facilities in the former Soviet Union where they opened refrigerators filled with cans containing plague, tularemia, and other deadly germs.

The film examines the history of U.S. biological warfare efforts, revealing for the first time preparations to release debilitating germs over Cuba. Judy Miller uncovered the existence of a germ factory built last year by the Department of Defense (using off-the-shelf materials to test how difficult it would be for terrorists to do the same). NOVA was able to sneak a cameraman inside for a tour of the facility.

The program combines history, science, and current events to give viewers the facts they need in order to participate in decisions America must face for years to come: How best to prevent and prepare for biological terrorism. Bill Patrick, an expert on the US biological weapons program, as well as a participant of the Bioterror documentary, wrote to the program's producer: "I have had dozens of phone calls from other experts in the field, and they agree with me: This is by far the best program on biological warfare yet produced."

The companion web site (pbs.org/nova/bioterror), launched several weeks before broadcast in order to bring much-needed information to the public and gave broad context to the bioterror news story by covering history, future research directions, how vaccines such as the anthrax vaccine are made, and more.