Dugway Probed by FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate

Expanding Frontiers Research recently obtained FBI records indicating a representative from its Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD) collaborated with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention during a 2015 investigation into the mishandling of anthrax at Dugway Proving Ground. An FBI Supervisory Special Agent from the WMDD was assigned to a Pentagon committee tasked with delving into the circumstances and traveled to Utah to interview key personnel from the Critical Reagent Program at Dugway, along with other relative staff.

The interviews were conducted with the CDC Division of Select Agents and Toxins after researchers at Dugway reportedly distributed live anthrax by accident, rather than inactivated samples that were intended to be shipped, as documented in FOIA records published in a March blogpost. The most recently obtained records were released to EFR as part of the continuing FOIA case with the FBI.

Browse and download the latest FBI release on Google Drive. The master folder of all FBI records received to date may also be viewed.

Records previously obtained from the Bureau and published by EFR in March show how officials attempted in 2015 to determine the specific whereabouts and status of the misidentified anthrax shipments. The destinations of the samples included some 195 laboratories in all 50 states and nine countries, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The FBI role in the interviews of key personnel was to support the CDC and help determine if there was malicious intent or willful negligence during the chain of events. None was found, according to records recently obtained:

When FBI released records to EFR in November 2024, the Bureau provided a letter stating 49 responsive pages were reviewed and 11 were released. This took place after FBI advised EFR earlier in 2024 of the existence of 359 potentially responsive pages, and EFR subsequently reduced the scope of the request in order to substantially decrease processing time. EFR appealed the withholding of material and has not received a ruling as of this writing.

The November FBI letter further stated documents were identified involving Other Government Agency(ies) and the Bureau was consulting with the OGAs for potential release. The most recently received records subsequently reflect circumstances involving the CDC, which apparently assisted FBI in applying FOIA Exemptions to the heavily redacted documents.

In its latest response letter of April 14, FBI stated 22 pages were reviewed and 14 were released. The Bureau advised that any potential appeals should be directed to the Department of Health and Human Services. EFR will again appeal the withheld material, excluding properly redacted personal identifiable information.

The cited exemptions may be appropriately applied in numerous instances, protecting sensitive information surrounding weapons research and development and related details such as facilities and procedures. It is worthy of consideration, however, that agency embarrassment alone does not exempt records from disclosure under the FOIA. Just because no one was charged with criminal activity does not lessen the potential public value of records and arguably increases it in this instance. A competent argument can be made the very fact the events at hand ever happened at all is worthy of increased public attention and justifies scrutiny of research involving national security and bioweapons.