FBI Agent

It was the first letter tied to the anthrax mailing. Finding it proved that it was an act of terrorism.

It was the first letter tied to the anthrax mailing. Finding it proved that it was an act of terrorism.

We had handwriting, ink analysis, possibly hairs and fibers inside the envelope. Maybe a particular type of ink would have been used that wasn't so common. Maybe the guy licked a stamp. Maybe human DNA.

We had handwriting, ink analysis, possibly hairs and fibers inside the envelope. Maybe a particular type of ink would have been used that wasn't so common. Maybe the guy licked a stamp. Maybe human DNA.

Now we had an actual letter filled with anthrax. And something about the powder itself catches his eye. It was crude stuff, crude powder. It wasn't really a powder. It was more like sand, I guess. It didn't aerosolize very well, if at all. But it could grind into your skin pretty easily.

Now we had an actual letter filled with anthrax. And something about the powder itself catches his eye. It was crude stuff, crude powder. It wasn't really a powder. It was more like sand, I guess. It didn't aerosolize very well, if at all. But it could grind into your skin pretty easily.

So if I open a letter, it falls on my desk, and then I lean on my desk to use the computer, I'll probably pick up cutaneous anthrax.

So if I open a letter, it falls on my desk, and then I lean on my desk to use the computer, I'll probably pick up cutaneous anthrax.

I tell people, think about when you pour oatmeal into a bowl, you get a puff of little smoke. Some of the oatmeal is so fine, it goes up into the air in your kitchen. That's what these spores do.

I tell people, think about when you pour oatmeal into a bowl, you get a puff of little smoke. Some of the oatmeal is so fine, it goes up into the air in your kitchen. That's what these spores do.

When we did the strain typing, it was the AIM strain.

When we did the strain typing, it was the AIM strain.

We all agreed on genetics. We said, yeah, tracking the DNA, that just might do it for us. We knew that if we're going to solve this thing, that was our best shot at it.

We all agreed on genetics. We said, yeah, tracking the DNA, that just might do it for us. We knew that if we're going to solve this thing, that was our best shot at it.

It contaminated the lab in Manhattan with the Brokaw letter, with the powder. It got out of the safety cabinet and spread around the lab. I don't know where, but floors, desks, somewhere. They contaminated the laboratory, and they had to shut the laboratory down. We had hardly any of the powder left, and I think somebody lost their job over that.

It contaminated the lab in Manhattan with the Brokaw letter, with the powder. It got out of the safety cabinet and spread around the lab. I don't know where, but floors, desks, somewhere. They contaminated the laboratory, and they had to shut the laboratory down. We had hardly any of the powder left, and I think somebody lost their job over that.

I remember sitting down with one of the FBI laboratory bosses, and we said, well, we have this letter now, and we'd sure like to look for fingerprints. How are we going to do that? This is pretty dangerous stuff. I said, you know, we're going to have to neutralize the little bit of anthrax that's left there. We're going to have to kill it before we can analyze anything in this letter.

I remember sitting down with one of the FBI laboratory bosses, and we said, well, we have this letter now, and we'd sure like to look for fingerprints. How are we going to do that? This is pretty dangerous stuff. I said, you know, we're going to have to neutralize the little bit of anthrax that's left there. We're going to have to kill it before we can analyze anything in this letter.

We said, well, we got to do it because we got to look for fingerprints.

We said, well, we got to do it because we got to look for fingerprints.