Biological weapons expert Tucker, 56, was known for fluency in politics

By T. Rees Shapiro, Published: August 3

Jonathan B. Tucker, 56, one of the country’s foremost experts on biological and chemical weapons and an influential nonproliferation advocate, was found dead July 31 at his home in the District.

A spokeswoman in the District’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said determination of the cause of death was pending further investigation.

Last year, Dr. Tucker stepped down after nearly 15 years as a research fellow in Washington at what is now the Monterey Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. At his death, he was awaiting a security clearance for a new job at the Department of Homeland Security.

A former editor at the journal Scientific American, he wrote authoritative histories on chemical warfare and the eradication of smallpox. In the early 1990s, he worked on arms control and nonproliferation matters at the State Department and the congressional Office of Technology Assessment.

By many accounts, Dr. Tucker possessed a scientist’s probing mind and a policy wonk’s fluency on national security issues. These traits earned him a trusted reputation on Capitol Hill and made him a key source to journalists seeking a credible opinion on biological and chemical weapons.

“Jonathan was a rare breed in that he knew the science of the issue, which was really complicated, and also knew the policy side,” said Paul Carroll, program director at the Ploughshares Fund, a nonproliferation group. “He was one of really a handful of people that could talk to both of these audiences, to both chemists and diplomats.”

In 1995, Dr. Tucker served as a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq and helped comb laboratories there for lethal germs, noxious gases and other toxic substances. He used his firsthand knowledge of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons program to advise the U.S. government before the invasion of Iraq in early 2003.

Dr. Tucker provided expert testimony to Congress on how he thought Hussein could potentially use his alleged arsenal against the American assault. He said U.N. representatives routinely discovered and destroyed hidden caches of Iraqi biological and chemical weapons after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Based on his research, Dr. Tucker told The Washington Post in 2003 that Hussein “may very well use whatever he has” in a “last-ditch defense situation.”

Dr. Tucker added that the artillery systems Hussein used in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s had since become obsolete and would not effectively distribute germ weapons.

Hussein “could contaminate areas,” Dr. Tucker said, but any possible usage of the weapons would “only slow the oncoming forces down” because U.S. troops had protective suits.

Ultimately, the precautions were unnecessary. Saddam had dismantled his weapons program years earlier.

Jonathan Brin Tucker was born in Boston on Aug. 2, 1954. He was a 1972 graduate of the private Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass.

He graduated from Yale University three years later with a degree in biology. He received a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania before earning a doctorate in nonproliferation studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

(Jonathan Winer) - Jonathan B. Tucker, 56, an expert on biological and chemical weapons and an influential nonproliferation advocate, was known as much for his scholarship as for being a policy wonk.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/biological-weapons-e...

Views: 63

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted a blog post

Following Blindly

When I was born the world seemed so tallPeople didn’t seem so threatening at allFast forward to my…See More
2 hours ago
Sandy posted videos
6 hours ago
Sandy posted a photo
7 hours ago
Sandy commented on Sandy's video
yesterday
Sandy posted a video
yesterday
cheeki kea posted a photo
Wednesday
Burbia posted a video

Strange Videos That Expose Something Massive

#disturbing #video #strange #scary #scaryvideos #strangevideos This is a compilation of the most disturbing videos on the internet, not only...
Wednesday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Jul 29
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Jul 29
Burbia posted a video

SUPEROLA & THE LOST BURGERS

This Game is RUBBISH !
Jul 29
pohonemas33 team commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

DejaVu

"nice very goodjob, i wish you can visit official situs pohonemas33"
Jul 26
Sandy posted a photo
Jul 26
Doc Vega posted a blog post
Jul 25
Saint Quinn favorited Burbia's video
Jul 24
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Jul 24
Burbia commented on tjdavis's blog post The Jewish Couple That Taught Bob Dylan Hebrew and Introduced Him to Zionism
"Haaretz put this story behind a pay wall. Sali Ariel and Terry Noble were the names of the couple…"
Jul 23
William Heckman is now a member of 12160 Social Network
Jul 23
cheeki kea commented on tjdavis's photo
Jul 23
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's video
Thumbnail

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future Forever

"It's a sad day on the highway. But I guess the show must go on. Watch out for the ruination of…"
Jul 23
cheeki kea posted a video

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future Forever

This Woman DESTROYED Harley-Davidson's Future ForeverWelcome to Ride Radar – Your Frontline Source for Motorcycle Deals, Trends & Market Mayhem.Looking for t...
Jul 23

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted