The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer

A very interesting story of discovery. It's protagonist is a keen observer and determined to get to the root cause of the symptoms exhibited by his patients. Excellent.

I remember Janet Conant’s great work MAN OF THE HOUR. And understood the impact the events described about her Grandfathers’ s attempt to warn of this atomic energy stuff. 4 years ago as I considered my fears some 66 years later, fear of the impact of Russia dropping “the bomb” on my 4th Grade classroom. I recalled the drills we practiced at that innocent age. I vividly recall thinking “duck and cover: my ass! If they drop that bomb & it hits Fortune Grammar School, strontium 90 will fry my young guts even if I’m under my desk”. (Hey, I was a 10 year old GA boy in a bucolic little Southern town. But I read and listen to smart people)I relived the old fears; and I’m hoping something similar comes from the disastrous COVID19 as it did from the “little Pearl Harbor” incident at Bari, Italy in 1943, lead to developing chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer.Tragedy leads to triumph! Right now we need triumph in so many areas in our Country.

I was a history major and never heard this story, was still classified I guess. I will not be a spoiler but the Bari incident is not the only historical event mentioned. Also, the first uses of penicillin a fantastic story in itself. Then you have the unimaginable amount of trials that the soldiers faced. Also, the amount of sacrifice from the nurses led by Bunny Alexander.

This Is an important history. The story needed to be told of how disaster in war contributed to a treatment against Cancer by the heroic investigative efforts of a young doctor serving in uniform. Against all odds would be an appropriate title, but that was taken. Against regimented thinking, Dr. Alexander sought to find the real cause of death and life long injuries; against entrenched thinking of Winston Churchill Alexander prevailed to uncover and report his findings. This story is a history of discovering a path to the treatment for Cancer and the author cleverly leads the reader into thinking it is a story of intrigue and military exploits. It is much more than that and gives satisfaction to readers who want to know more.

This is a great story about a big mistake the military made in ww2 that cost many lives and injuries. The subsequent cover up prevented people from getting benefits. On the plus side it tells how a courageous officer held his ground and told the story while discovering a possible treatment for blood related cancer. A must read for military and medical people.

I very much enjoyed this fast paced chronicle of the role of toxic poisons in the war and then subsequently its role in chemotherapy.

A great non-fiction account of a little known WWII event.

“The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster That Launched The War On Cancer” starts as a war story but quickly becomes a book about government secrets and the desire of a small group of scientists to develop something good from a mistake. The well-researched story by Jennet Conant begins in 1943 with Germany’s bombing of Allied ships. It caused so much damage that it was compared later to Pearl Harbor. While it was difficult to hide the damage to ships, the author describes the denial of what was happening to the soldiers and others. However, they denied that mustard gas had a longer-lasting effect. With 530 tons of mustard gas landing, it caused more than 1,000 deaths. The side drama is about where the mustard gas came from.We follow the work of an American soldier who happened to be a doctor and chemical weapons specialist who tries to understand the nature of the devastating industries but is caught up in government secrecy. Lt Col. Stuart Alexander saw soldiers with chemical burns who did not respond to typical treatments. They complained about intense heat, tore off their hospital gowns, and demanded water. They exhibited burns and blisters. Their eyes and throat were inflamed. But their hair and eyebrows showed no effect. Many died with symptoms of pneumonia.While the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibited the use of chemical weapons, nothing banned their possession, and both the Germans and Allied forces had been stockpiling them. It took Alexander and his team a long time to sort it out while Allied leaders remained mum.But along the way, Alexander wondered whether the mustard gas, which suppressed white blood cells, might not also slow the rate of division of cancer cells.His final report was so controversial that it was classified by the Government. But Col. Cornelius “Dusty” Rhoads, a physician and research scientist at the Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, was able to read Alexander’s classified report on the casualties and realized the deadly chemical held great promise for cancer treatment.Despite the challenges, the book documents Rhoads’ work on transforming the deadly poison to what we now know as chemotherapy.I enjoyed this book. The beginning and end were particularly interesting...but the middle got bogged down in unnecessary detail.