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The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer
On the night of December 2, 1943, the Luftwaffe bombed a critical Allied port in Bari, Italy, sinking seventeen ships and killing over a thousand servicemen and hundreds of civilians. Caught in the surprise air raid was the John Harvey, an American Liberty ship carrying a top-secret cargo of 2,000 mustard bombs to be used in retaliation if the Germans resorted to gas warfare.
When one young sailor after another began suddenly dying of mysterious symptoms, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Alexander, a doctor and chemical weapons expert, was dispatched to investigate. He quickly diagnosed mustard gas exposure, but was overruled by British officials determined to cover up the presence of poison gas in the devastating naval disaster, which the press dubbed "little Pearl Harbor." Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower acted in concert to suppress the truth, insisting the censorship was necessitated by military security.
Alexander defied British port officials and heroically persevered in his investigation. His final report on the Bari casualties was immediately classified, but not before his breakthrough observations about the toxic effects of mustard on white blood cells caught the attention of Colonel Cornelius P. Rhoads—a pioneering physician and research scientist as brilliant as he was arrogant and self-destructive—who recognized that the poison was both a killer and a cure, and ushered in a new era of cancer research led by the Sloan Kettering Institute. Meanwhile, the Bari incident remained cloaked in military secrecy, resulting in lost records, misinformation, and considerable confusion about how a deadly chemical weapon came to be tamed for medical use.
Deeply researched and beautifully written, The Great Secret is the remarkable story of how horrific tragedy gave birth to medical triumph.
When one young sailor after another began suddenly dying of mysterious symptoms, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Alexander, a doctor and chemical weapons expert, was dispatched to investigate. He quickly diagnosed mustard gas exposure, but was overruled by British officials determined to cover up the presence of poison gas in the devastating naval disaster, which the press dubbed "little Pearl Harbor." Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower acted in concert to suppress the truth, insisting the censorship was necessitated by military security.
Alexander defied British port officials and heroically persevered in his investigation. His final report on the Bari casualties was immediately classified, but not before his breakthrough observations about the toxic effects of mustard on white blood cells caught the attention of Colonel Cornelius P. Rhoads—a pioneering physician and research scientist as brilliant as he was arrogant and self-destructive—who recognized that the poison was both a killer and a cure, and ushered in a new era of cancer research led by the Sloan Kettering Institute. Meanwhile, the Bari incident remained cloaked in military secrecy, resulting in lost records, misinformation, and considerable confusion about how a deadly chemical weapon came to be tamed for medical use.
Deeply researched and beautifully written, The Great Secret is the remarkable story of how horrific tragedy gave birth to medical triumph.
380 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2020
111 people are currently reading
868 people want to read
About the author
Jennet Conant
20 books74 followersJennet Conant is an American non-fiction author and journalist. She has written four best selling books about World War II, three of which have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Asia and America, she received a BA degree in Political Theory from Bryn Mawr College in 1982, and double-majored in Philosophy at Haverford College. She completed a Master's degree in Journalism from New York City's Columbia University in 1983. She was awarded a John J. McCloy Fellowship to study politics in Germany.
Conant went on to work at Newsweek magazine for seven years, and wrote profiles for Rolling Stone, Spy magazine, and The New York Times. Additionally, she was a contributing editor for Esquire, GQ, and Vanity Fair, from which she resigned to write her first book, Tuxedo Park. Her profile of James Watson, the co-discoverer of the double-helix, was featured in The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2004.
Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Asia and America, she received a BA degree in Political Theory from Bryn Mawr College in 1982, and double-majored in Philosophy at Haverford College. She completed a Master's degree in Journalism from New York City's Columbia University in 1983. She was awarded a John J. McCloy Fellowship to study politics in Germany.
Conant went on to work at Newsweek magazine for seven years, and wrote profiles for Rolling Stone, Spy magazine, and The New York Times. Additionally, she was a contributing editor for Esquire, GQ, and Vanity Fair, from which she resigned to write her first book, Tuxedo Park. Her profile of James Watson, the co-discoverer of the double-helix, was featured in The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 15, 2020
This is a fascinating look at the use of chemical weapons and of their use in chemotherapy. It begins on the 2nd December, 1943, when the US ship ‘John Harvey,’ was bombed in Bari, on Italy’s Adriatic coast. The attack was called, ‘a little Pearl Harbor,’ and the incident was covered up, so as not to endanger preparations for the Allied invasion of France, which was planned for the following Spring.
Shortly after this attack, Lieutenant Col Stewart Francis Alexander, trained in chemical warfare, is asked to go to Bari. After the bombing, there is a medical situation – men are dying of unexplained causes. The fear is that the Germans are using a new poison gas, which brings back fear of mustard gas poisonings in WWI. Alexander sets out, but his initial diagnosis leaves Churchill unimpressed. Although he is upset that his findings have been dismissed; Alexander goes back to his observations and discovers something which could be used to help control leukaemia. However, medical research will not always be welcomed in wartime, when priorities and the need for secrecy are great…
This is a really enthralling read, which is well written and is engaging, with the science easy to follow. I think it is a fascinating look at the way tragic wartime events played a huge part in medical and scientific advances. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Shortly after this attack, Lieutenant Col Stewart Francis Alexander, trained in chemical warfare, is asked to go to Bari. After the bombing, there is a medical situation – men are dying of unexplained causes. The fear is that the Germans are using a new poison gas, which brings back fear of mustard gas poisonings in WWI. Alexander sets out, but his initial diagnosis leaves Churchill unimpressed. Although he is upset that his findings have been dismissed; Alexander goes back to his observations and discovers something which could be used to help control leukaemia. However, medical research will not always be welcomed in wartime, when priorities and the need for secrecy are great…
This is a really enthralling read, which is well written and is engaging, with the science easy to follow. I think it is a fascinating look at the way tragic wartime events played a huge part in medical and scientific advances. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
April 19, 2020
I came into this having read the blurb thinking it would be straight on with the ideas behind the history and chemistry of Chemotherapy from the opening. I'd picked it as I had been a big fan of the Emperor Of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee, which gave a solid chunk to the development of chemotherapy, but as part of a broader conversation. However its about halfway into the book before chemotherapy is really discussed, beyond a few sidebars of the effects of mustard gas, because the first half of this book is military history. Military history with medical detection, namely after the Battle Of Bari in World War II, a large number of sioldiers succumb to similar deadly symptoms and die. Dr Stewart Alexander, a doctor in the Chemical Weapons development part of the army is sent to investigate. What he discovers latterly becomes the basis of chemotherapy, The Great Secret is partially about giving this doctor his due in discovering it after his work was classified.
To get there Conant has to explain the Allies position on chemical and biological weapons, the theatre of war in Italy, the relationships between the allies and secrecy between them not to mention the fractious and petty behaviour of other officers when they haven't been let in on the secret (woe betide you travel on a ship with sealed orders). Add to this an in depth (hagiographic perhaps) view of Dr Alexander and his future wife Bunny Wilbur - a formidable Army Nurse who on this showing deserves a biography of her own. The medical mystery is presented in fine detail, and the solution and outcome (basically Alexander and loads of victims are fucked over by Churchill) a little depressing. But by the time you have breathlessly gotten through that you finally get on to chemotherapy.
When you get to chemo, the book oddly loses a little focus. There is a lot to talk about, and a lot of it chemical, and a lot of it is unsuccessful. Indeed the book itself is pretty neutral on the cost benefit of chemo in a lot of places, I wonder whether its chemical weapon origin lingers strongly - not hard when you read symptoms earlier on. Conant's real hero is Alexander, not chemo, and the character who takes over the baton in the second half of the book is a lot more complex ("Dusty" Rhodes - director of the research programme who also has a pretty unacceptable flirt with racism in his career which the book deals with extremely openly and well).
What is left is one of those idiosyncratic non-fiction pieces which take their own time, and route to tell one story, by telling two or three absolutely fascinating other ones. And is willing to look cold eyed at chemical weapons, social injustice and the scientific method with enough judgement to make you feel that anyone involved would have to say they had been treated fairly. A really pleasant surprise.
(Review as a Netgalley ARC)
To get there Conant has to explain the Allies position on chemical and biological weapons, the theatre of war in Italy, the relationships between the allies and secrecy between them not to mention the fractious and petty behaviour of other officers when they haven't been let in on the secret (woe betide you travel on a ship with sealed orders). Add to this an in depth (hagiographic perhaps) view of Dr Alexander and his future wife Bunny Wilbur - a formidable Army Nurse who on this showing deserves a biography of her own. The medical mystery is presented in fine detail, and the solution and outcome (basically Alexander and loads of victims are fucked over by Churchill) a little depressing. But by the time you have breathlessly gotten through that you finally get on to chemotherapy.
When you get to chemo, the book oddly loses a little focus. There is a lot to talk about, and a lot of it chemical, and a lot of it is unsuccessful. Indeed the book itself is pretty neutral on the cost benefit of chemo in a lot of places, I wonder whether its chemical weapon origin lingers strongly - not hard when you read symptoms earlier on. Conant's real hero is Alexander, not chemo, and the character who takes over the baton in the second half of the book is a lot more complex ("Dusty" Rhodes - director of the research programme who also has a pretty unacceptable flirt with racism in his career which the book deals with extremely openly and well).
What is left is one of those idiosyncratic non-fiction pieces which take their own time, and route to tell one story, by telling two or three absolutely fascinating other ones. And is willing to look cold eyed at chemical weapons, social injustice and the scientific method with enough judgement to make you feel that anyone involved would have to say they had been treated fairly. A really pleasant surprise.
(Review as a Netgalley ARC)
October 15, 2020
Практически неизвестен факт е, че химиотерапията на онкологични заболявания води началото си от бомбардировка през Втората световна война.
През декември 1943 г. Луфтвафе атакува италианския пристанищен град Бари и потопява няколко кораба. Един от тях, "Джон Харви", пренася бойно отровно вещество - иприт (mustard gas). Целта е била то да се използва като ответен удар при химическа атака от страна на нацистите, които по това време губят все повече територии. Оцелелите след бомбардировката моряци проявяват характерни промени в кръвните показатели. Левкоцитите бързо спадат до почти нулеви нива, което става причина за инфекциозни усложнения или смърт. Неочакваният успех на бомбардировката кара съюзниците да прикрият обстоятелствата и да наложат пълно медийно затъмнение.
Инцидентът би бил забравен като стотици други въздушни атаки по време на войната, ако не е бил американският лекар Стюарт Алекзандър. Той прави подробни описания на състоянието на войниците след бомбардировката и неочакваните им усложнения в следващите дни. Разследването му доказва, че в един от потъналите кораби е имало химично оръжие, но информацията е била скрита поради целите на войната.
Още тогава Алекзандър изказва хипотезата, че химични вещества могат да бъдат използвани при контролирани условия за лечение на онкологични заболявания ("магически куршуми" по Ерлих). Рязкото спадане на левкоцитите може да има благоприятен ефект при левкемии и лимфоми.
След войната е създадена една от най-известните онкологични болници в света - Мемориален Sloan-Kettering Център в Ню Йорк, където и до днес се правят пробиви в борбата с коварната болест.
Книгата "Най-голямата тайна" ни показва, че дори при огромна трагедия може да намерим някакъв позитивен резултат, който да спаси живота на други хора. Теоретичната подготовка, смелостта за отстояване на позицията и борба срещу тромавите институции са необходими за успеха. Ужасът на Втората световна война довежда до едни от най-важните открития на нашето съвремие.
През декември 1943 г. Луфтвафе атакува италианския пристанищен град Бари и потопява няколко кораба. Един от тях, "Джон Харви", пренася бойно отровно вещество - иприт (mustard gas). Целта е била то да се използва като ответен удар при химическа атака от страна на нацистите, които по това време губят все повече територии. Оцелелите след бомбардировката моряци проявяват характерни промени в кръвните показатели. Левкоцитите бързо спадат до почти нулеви нива, което става причина за инфекциозни усложнения или смърт. Неочакваният успех на бомбардировката кара съюзниците да прикрият обстоятелствата и да наложат пълно медийно затъмнение.
Инцидентът би бил забравен като стотици други въздушни атаки по време на войната, ако не е бил американският лекар Стюарт Алекзандър. Той прави подробни описания на състоянието на войниците след бомбардировката и неочакваните им усложнения в следващите дни. Разследването му доказва, че в един от потъналите кораби е имало химично оръжие, но информацията е била скрита поради целите на войната.
Още тогава Алекзандър изказва хипотезата, че химични вещества могат да бъдат използвани при контролирани условия за лечение на онкологични заболявания ("магически куршуми" по Ерлих). Рязкото спадане на левкоцитите може да има благоприятен ефект при левкемии и лимфоми.
След войната е създадена една от най-известните онкологични болници в света - Мемориален Sloan-Kettering Център в Ню Йорк, където и до днес се правят пробиви в борбата с коварната болест.
Книгата "Най-голямата тайна" ни показва, че дори при огромна трагедия може да намерим някакъв позитивен резултат, който да спаси живота на други хора. Теоретичната подготовка, смелостта за отстояване на позицията и борба срещу тромавите институции са необходими за успеха. Ужасът на Втората световна война довежда до едни от най-важните открития на нашето съвремие.
March 17, 2024
Mustard gas is scary right? Except for when you pump it through your body to kill cancer.
It was quite fascinating to learn about how they first discovered the effects of mustard gas on white blood cells (completely on accident).
But since I don’t agree with the medical mindset of this book, and it was quite boring, I would not necessarily recommend it. I can’t imagine reading it though and coming out of it loving chemo 😂 You really get to see the side effects up close.
It was quite fascinating to learn about how they first discovered the effects of mustard gas on white blood cells (completely on accident).
But since I don’t agree with the medical mindset of this book, and it was quite boring, I would not necessarily recommend it. I can’t imagine reading it though and coming out of it loving chemo 😂 You really get to see the side effects up close.
September 24, 2020
The beginning third or so of this book was close to five star... but it would be difficult to maintain that level of fiction-like story telling of non-fiction events for the entire decades-long history of the use of chemotherapy. Good book.
May 8, 2021
Fascinating history...as someone who teaches physiology and pathophysiology, I always try to keep up on information about things like Cancer. Besides, if I want my students to remember things, I find it useful to include a bit of history in my classes. It really helps my students. So when I saw this book and saw what it is about, I was really excited to read it. I also love to read WWI and WWII history because of my many family members who served in both.
The story starts out being horrendous because of what the US and Great Britain pulled as far as transferring weapons containing biological entities such as mustard gas to Italy, "just in case" Germany started using them again. First off, they didn't warn those handling this, the place in Italy where the ships were tied up, they refused to tell the truth to those exposed to these bioweapons which lead to deaths because of not knowing what they were dealing with. The behavior of those at the top was criminal in this, including Churchill who never admitted that his poor naval people were exposed to this mustard gas, because those men and their wives never received compensation or care for what they were going through. Second, I hate the logic of generals and admirals who thought...well if Germany does it, we will too. I'm sure we still have generals who think that, and head up programs of mass destruction in building and using bioweapons on civilians as well as soldiers. We've already seen this with Syria and Assad who uses these on his own people (may he go to hell soon!)
But, something good came out of this disastrous 'mission.' The doctor in charge of keeping track of what happened when these bioweapons blew... He figured out eventually that mustard gas was responsible for the horrific injuries that sailors got from that gas being dissolved in water. In studying how these men died and what happened to their blood and white blood cells was exactly how Dr. Alexander knew that mustard gas could possibly be used as a chemotherapy for white blood cells cancer.
The writing and research was phenomenal. Just the way I like my books. I highly recommend this book for those interested in WWII history, cancer, bioweapon use, ethics, etc. to put this on their reading list. Highly interesting!
The story starts out being horrendous because of what the US and Great Britain pulled as far as transferring weapons containing biological entities such as mustard gas to Italy, "just in case" Germany started using them again. First off, they didn't warn those handling this, the place in Italy where the ships were tied up, they refused to tell the truth to those exposed to these bioweapons which lead to deaths because of not knowing what they were dealing with. The behavior of those at the top was criminal in this, including Churchill who never admitted that his poor naval people were exposed to this mustard gas, because those men and their wives never received compensation or care for what they were going through. Second, I hate the logic of generals and admirals who thought...well if Germany does it, we will too. I'm sure we still have generals who think that, and head up programs of mass destruction in building and using bioweapons on civilians as well as soldiers. We've already seen this with Syria and Assad who uses these on his own people (may he go to hell soon!)
But, something good came out of this disastrous 'mission.' The doctor in charge of keeping track of what happened when these bioweapons blew... He figured out eventually that mustard gas was responsible for the horrific injuries that sailors got from that gas being dissolved in water. In studying how these men died and what happened to their blood and white blood cells was exactly how Dr. Alexander knew that mustard gas could possibly be used as a chemotherapy for white blood cells cancer.
The writing and research was phenomenal. Just the way I like my books. I highly recommend this book for those interested in WWII history, cancer, bioweapon use, ethics, etc. to put this on their reading list. Highly interesting!
June 7, 2021
Fascinating history and of special interest to me. In 2017, nearly 75 years after the disaster in Bari, Italy my husband received a single dose of Melphalan, a derivative of mustard gas to treat multiple myeloma. Admit to skimming a lot of the book...extremely detailed. So grateful to the men and women who fight for our country, the scientists, medical researchers who never give up on the war on cancer.
Can’t say that all of my friends out there would like this as much as I did! But it is truly an amazing story.
Can’t say that all of my friends out there would like this as much as I did! But it is truly an amazing story.
February 5, 2021
Excellent story of forgotten historical connections and evolution of medicine told through the actions of the very human participants.
May 31, 2020
How a classified disaster in the 2nd World War, lead discovery, and beginning of the Chemotherapy War on Cancer. Is a strong premise of a book. It piqued my interest immediately.
I was interested to read about the highly secretive and controversial development of Chemical weapons during the war. How did it all come about, and what actually happened in secret. The standard history texts tell us Chemical Weapons were not used at all during the War. They were not involved. Wrong. Completely fascinating to read the actual plans and attitudes of the Allies. Great background to the subject to come.
The bombing of Bari, lead to an unprecedented release of Chemical agent. Hundreds affected by mysterious symptoms. Had it came from the Nazi's as part of a massive escalation? What agent was used, as it didn't match the effects of know agents? A Chemical Weapons expert is sent to investigate. A detailed account of Stuart Alexander's carrier and background is given and then the book follows his investigation and battle to discover the truth to allow correct treatment of the victims. Almost of the start, the veil of secrecy prevented potential life-saving information from being shared with medics. Only Stuart's determination lead to the truth being discovered.
Alexander noted some unusual effects of the agent, that he believed could be used to treated cancers. His documentation and attention to detail meant that something positive could come out of this waste of human life. His determination to share the information ensured that it did not ultimately remain classified.
The book then details the being of the war on cancer, via the use of Chemotherapy. It covers the early experiments based on Alexander's results When Chemotherpaty was not mainstream medicine to its inclusion in Oncology and Modern medicine.
The book works on so many levels. It is fascinating from page one to the very last page. It remains very readable and provides important background details, enough to take you on a real journey. It brings the subject matter to life. A factual book that is a page-turner, and something that is so accessible. This book needs to be read. One of the best factual book this year and for many years. A full five stars.
I was provided with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review
I was interested to read about the highly secretive and controversial development of Chemical weapons during the war. How did it all come about, and what actually happened in secret. The standard history texts tell us Chemical Weapons were not used at all during the War. They were not involved. Wrong. Completely fascinating to read the actual plans and attitudes of the Allies. Great background to the subject to come.
The bombing of Bari, lead to an unprecedented release of Chemical agent. Hundreds affected by mysterious symptoms. Had it came from the Nazi's as part of a massive escalation? What agent was used, as it didn't match the effects of know agents? A Chemical Weapons expert is sent to investigate. A detailed account of Stuart Alexander's carrier and background is given and then the book follows his investigation and battle to discover the truth to allow correct treatment of the victims. Almost of the start, the veil of secrecy prevented potential life-saving information from being shared with medics. Only Stuart's determination lead to the truth being discovered.
Alexander noted some unusual effects of the agent, that he believed could be used to treated cancers. His documentation and attention to detail meant that something positive could come out of this waste of human life. His determination to share the information ensured that it did not ultimately remain classified.
The book then details the being of the war on cancer, via the use of Chemotherapy. It covers the early experiments based on Alexander's results When Chemotherpaty was not mainstream medicine to its inclusion in Oncology and Modern medicine.
The book works on so many levels. It is fascinating from page one to the very last page. It remains very readable and provides important background details, enough to take you on a real journey. It brings the subject matter to life. A factual book that is a page-turner, and something that is so accessible. This book needs to be read. One of the best factual book this year and for many years. A full five stars.
I was provided with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review
April 7, 2021
“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.
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.
December 18, 2022
Unfortunately I found this book incredibly difficult to follow and not very exciting. I'm not sure exactly why. I think that Conant tries to pad the story - about the use of chemical warfare in WWII that leads to discoveries in cancer care - with a lot about the exact attack that started the story. But unfortunately, a lot of what she describes isn't super relevant to the point, and it doesn't really flesh out the characters. I feel like Conant threw in a lot of details, but not a lot of substance, if that makes sense.
One other thing that bothered me about Conant's writing. In two places, she mentions James Conant, a chemical warfare specialist in the U.S. Army. I thought it odd that he and the author shared the same last name, so I looked it up on my own and it turns out he was her grandfather. I'm not sure why the author did not reference that in the book. I don't know that it would have added anything or not, but I feel like that is something that the author should/would reveal. If nothing else, it may give us insight as to why she chose the topic of this story.
One other thing that bothered me about Conant's writing. In two places, she mentions James Conant, a chemical warfare specialist in the U.S. Army. I thought it odd that he and the author shared the same last name, so I looked it up on my own and it turns out he was her grandfather. I'm not sure why the author did not reference that in the book. I don't know that it would have added anything or not, but I feel like that is something that the author should/would reveal. If nothing else, it may give us insight as to why she chose the topic of this story.
February 11, 2021
Couldn't finish this. Just never seemed to get off the ground.
February 1, 2025
During WWII in Italy, there was a German bombing of a port city, Bari, that in terms of damage to ships, almost rivaled Pearl Harbor. What wasn't immediately known, however, was that the harbor was full of ships hauling ammunition and one ship hauling a large stock of poison mustard gas (think WWI and the use of chemical agents).
The Allies had been thinking that if Germany felt the war was going badly, they might re-introduce poison gas again on the battlefields or on ships. To guard against that and be ready for a counterstrike if the Germans used gas first, the Allies had been stockpiling poison gas all over the European theater. When the bombing took place, men were blown off the ships and ended up in the harbor water floating in a mixture of crude oil and toxic poison (from mustard gas canisters blown up in the bombing). Because Italian port authorities / British / American military officials were sworn to secrecy about the poison mustard gas, injured sailors and port workers suffered terrible burns / eye injuries / and death because of being given the wrong initial treatment.
An American doctor figured it out fairly quickly but was stonewalled the military authorities, resulting in unnecessary suffering and death. For decades following the bombing, this "secret" was maintained. However, within the civilian medical community, news of the discovery that mustard gas had the effect of stopping uncontrolled white blood cell growth (typical in leukemia and similar cancers), doctors began using mustard gas (and related compounds) to treat cancer patients in what came to be known as chemotherapy (the injection of drugs into cancer patients).
Although mustard gas would ultimately prove to be minimally effective, this set off a decades long search for other chemotherapy drugs that today are used in both chemotherapy and immunotherapy cancer treatments. The book is heavy on descriptions of injuries / deaths / experiments - so that at times, it reads more like a medical textbook than a history of a WWII incident and the work of several key doctors on cancer treatment - resulting in the start-up of the Sloan - Kettering Cancer Institute in New York and the work of Dr. Sidney Farber (of Dana - Farber Cancer Center in Boston).
The silent hero under much of this was a young military doctor, Dr. Stewart Alexander, who prior to military service had begun his training on chemical warfare and who made the original diagnoses of chemical poisoning at the Bari harbor explosion.
The Allies had been thinking that if Germany felt the war was going badly, they might re-introduce poison gas again on the battlefields or on ships. To guard against that and be ready for a counterstrike if the Germans used gas first, the Allies had been stockpiling poison gas all over the European theater. When the bombing took place, men were blown off the ships and ended up in the harbor water floating in a mixture of crude oil and toxic poison (from mustard gas canisters blown up in the bombing). Because Italian port authorities / British / American military officials were sworn to secrecy about the poison mustard gas, injured sailors and port workers suffered terrible burns / eye injuries / and death because of being given the wrong initial treatment.
An American doctor figured it out fairly quickly but was stonewalled the military authorities, resulting in unnecessary suffering and death. For decades following the bombing, this "secret" was maintained. However, within the civilian medical community, news of the discovery that mustard gas had the effect of stopping uncontrolled white blood cell growth (typical in leukemia and similar cancers), doctors began using mustard gas (and related compounds) to treat cancer patients in what came to be known as chemotherapy (the injection of drugs into cancer patients).
Although mustard gas would ultimately prove to be minimally effective, this set off a decades long search for other chemotherapy drugs that today are used in both chemotherapy and immunotherapy cancer treatments. The book is heavy on descriptions of injuries / deaths / experiments - so that at times, it reads more like a medical textbook than a history of a WWII incident and the work of several key doctors on cancer treatment - resulting in the start-up of the Sloan - Kettering Cancer Institute in New York and the work of Dr. Sidney Farber (of Dana - Farber Cancer Center in Boston).
The silent hero under much of this was a young military doctor, Dr. Stewart Alexander, who prior to military service had begun his training on chemical warfare and who made the original diagnoses of chemical poisoning at the Bari harbor explosion.
July 19, 2022
What an amazing book! I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is the story of an accident during WWII that involved the release of American mustard gas that was being transported to Italy because of a German bomb attack on the port of Bari. Despite the secrecy due to the sensitivity to the war effort, a forthright American doctor and specialist in chemical warfare was determined to find the true cause of so many casualties and fatalities that baffled the medical staff treating the victims in Bari. Dr. Stewart Alexander meticulously studied the cases, the symptoms, the autopsies as well as the treatments and their failures. He mapped out the exact bombing sequence that occurred in the port, determining which vessels went down, when and where and what bearing that had on the severity of the symptoms of the various patients.
As though the war were not bad enough, and no one knew what atrocities to expect from Hitler next, here we had our own men suffering from a sort of "friendly fire" in the form of mustard gas exposure. But as in the Old Testament story of Joseph of the Coat of Many Colors--what man intended for evil, God used for good. In an unlikely scenario of a poison destroying white blood cells, Dr. Alexander saw a potential for good in using said poison to treat leukemia and lymphoma patients who needed rapidly proliferating cancerous white blood cells killed.
This humble doctor--after the war he took over his father's cardiology and family practice office--- without any attempt to seek praise and honor for his part in the establishment of chemotherapy as a way to treat cancer, went on to live a long life of public service. When in old age, some researchers rediscovered this history and Dr. Alexander's unsung part in it, he was finally recognized. But even then, he remembered those who suffered and lost their lives at Bari--"Then in a solemn act of remembrance, he paused to commemorate all those who perished at Bari and gave their tomorrows to the country's defense and to medical science."
In 2006, marking the 60th anniversary of the use of chemotherapy, a tribute was paid to Dr. Stewart Alexander, "the inquisitive physician investigator who sifted through the horrors and extracted a gem--something potentially useful for the abatement of human disease." Such an interesting contrast of something arising from that which caused unconscionable human misery, that, in it's turn, was used to ameliorate human misery. A must read!
As though the war were not bad enough, and no one knew what atrocities to expect from Hitler next, here we had our own men suffering from a sort of "friendly fire" in the form of mustard gas exposure. But as in the Old Testament story of Joseph of the Coat of Many Colors--what man intended for evil, God used for good. In an unlikely scenario of a poison destroying white blood cells, Dr. Alexander saw a potential for good in using said poison to treat leukemia and lymphoma patients who needed rapidly proliferating cancerous white blood cells killed.
This humble doctor--after the war he took over his father's cardiology and family practice office--- without any attempt to seek praise and honor for his part in the establishment of chemotherapy as a way to treat cancer, went on to live a long life of public service. When in old age, some researchers rediscovered this history and Dr. Alexander's unsung part in it, he was finally recognized. But even then, he remembered those who suffered and lost their lives at Bari--"Then in a solemn act of remembrance, he paused to commemorate all those who perished at Bari and gave their tomorrows to the country's defense and to medical science."
In 2006, marking the 60th anniversary of the use of chemotherapy, a tribute was paid to Dr. Stewart Alexander, "the inquisitive physician investigator who sifted through the horrors and extracted a gem--something potentially useful for the abatement of human disease." Such an interesting contrast of something arising from that which caused unconscionable human misery, that, in it's turn, was used to ameliorate human misery. A must read!
August 9, 2021
Although I had never heard of the attack on Bari in Italy, and I found the early part of the book a good read, I felt it bogged down as I went further into the story. Some of this might be because I never was much of a student of biology, but never the less, I found it a bit tedious. I did fine the story of how Dr. Alexander was willing to let Winston Churchill hear that Churchill was wrong to bury much of the story interesting. And I was quite impressed by the follow up by a young student to get Dr. Alexander the well deserved recognition for his work. But although I knew little about the start of Sloan Kettering, and the development of chemotherapy for cancer, this is definitely my least favorite book by the author. It was my enjoyment of her other books which encouraged me to read this one too.
February 10, 2021
This thoroughly-researched history of the aftermath of one of the greatest shipping disasters in World War II sparkles with Jennet Conant's excellent writing, but I found the exhaustive exposition a little too long. Highlights of the book are Dr. Stewart Alexander's investigative work in understanding the exposure of hundreds of US and Royal Navy, Merchant Marine, and Italian civilians to mustard gas, despite intense pressure from British authorities (including Churchill himself) to stop the inquiry, and the sometimes-harrowing account of initial steps towards effective cancer chemotherapy sparked by Alexander's observations before the war and during the Bari disaster. A very informative book, but not, unfortunately, one of her best.
October 11, 2021
Distinctly unsatisfying and deeply disturbing is how this book left me feeling. It’s interesting for sure, but the moral and ethical collateral damage strewn through this book should unsettle every reader. The treatment is a little dull and overly detailed, repetitive and unemotional so that makes it harder to stomach the reporting of lies, obfuscation and chronic abuse of people by government and scientists. Who then often act in ways that we wouldn’t accept in children. This is why science and government get bad reps. It’s not all of them but when they act up they do so horrifically. Did it lead to a cure for cancer? Not sure it did directly. But even if the ends were ultimately helpful, it’s hard to stomach the source of it all.
Ugh.
Ugh.
November 27, 2024
The book covers 2 secrets: the first being a chemical war disaster that occurred in Bari, Italy during World War II which was covered up by the Allies, and the second being how to win the battle with cancer. They seem like totally different things but this book shows they are very much connected. But it often feels like reading two different books in one binding.
The book is eye opening but I did find it dragging in places with too much detail. Probably needed less of the back story of certain characters and less about the chemistry during the cancer research. But the investigation by Lieutenant Colonel Steward Alexander into the exactly what happend the night of the air raid is fascinating.
Recommended reading, especially for history buffs.
The book is eye opening but I did find it dragging in places with too much detail. Probably needed less of the back story of certain characters and less about the chemistry during the cancer research. But the investigation by Lieutenant Colonel Steward Alexander into the exactly what happend the night of the air raid is fascinating.
Recommended reading, especially for history buffs.
January 14, 2021
The Great Secret by Jennet Conant is almost two books in one. The first part focuses on Dr. Stewart Alexander and his investigation into unusual deaths and injuries after a German attack on an allied-held port in Italy. The second is a history of post-WWII cancer research. The two are related. (I won’t spoil the “plot” by revealing how). The first half is a more interesting read, but there are many interesting elements in the second half.
In both halves, Conant’s excellent research shows. Conant’s writing is straightforward and chronologically. Conant’s book deserves a strong four-star rating.
In both halves, Conant’s excellent research shows. Conant’s writing is straightforward and chronologically. Conant’s book deserves a strong four-star rating.
January 24, 2021
Impressive research by the author. This book is really two stories. The first is about a German attack on the harbor of Bari, Italy which was filled by Allied ships mostly merchant marine filled with war materials including all kinds of ammunition and fuel. Sailors that survived the explosions and fire began dying with mysterious signs. A young American doctor trained in poison gases figured out the cause. The second part of the book shows how many of the early cancer researchers also grew out of research on poison gas. Through trial and error chemotherapy became a tool to treat cancers.
May 31, 2021
This novel is clearly well researched and has a truly amazing, real story. I really wanted to like this book. Honestly I found it difficult to immerse myself in the story and found the detailed background of certain individuals in the novels distracting. That is not to say that it is incredible that the right people assembled at the right time to find a treatment for cancer and then fought so bravely for it's release. The story itself is amazing despite my lack of enjoyment in the narrative style of the tale.
If you enjoy history told through more subject accounts, you might find this book enjoyable.
If you enjoy history told through more subject accounts, you might find this book enjoyable.
July 21, 2021
Everything that Jennet Conant writes is worth reading - this especially so. She tells the story of how a chemical warfare accident during World War II was covered up, but nonetheless led directly to the first development of chemotherapy agents to treat cancer. I knew a little about this story because my father-in-law is an oncologist, who mentioned, in passing, the use of nitrogen mustard - which I recognized as a chemical warfare agent - was used in cancer treatment early in his career. But the story of how this was recognized, and how the story was known by professionals but hidden from the public, is fascinating. Conant handles it well. Highly recommended!
November 10, 2024
This book was a tale of two stories, first of the coverup of the mustard gas exposure when the Germans bombed the ships in the harbor and secondly, the emphasis on the cure for cancer using derivatives of the compounds that comprised of the mustard gas. And in each, one principal player in each of the stories, the doctor who was sent to investigate the soldiers mysterious death due to exposure and the key person in managing the health care center in which the research was primarily conducted. I think it would help if one knew a little bit about chemistry as some of the terms may be a bit over ones head if not familiar with chemical compounds. But it was informative and still a great read.
December 26, 2020
One has to be of the right temperament to read this book. It is not quite WWII history, and, it is not quite a history of innovation in medical science, and, oh, it has elements of government cover-ups. Well documented research about the aftermath of a military disaster and the resulting unintended consequences of chemical agent exposure, and, the unintended evidence that became a building block of cancer chemotherapy. Plenty of heroes and villains and good storytelling. The book would be a good foundation for a documentary.
October 12, 2020
Interesting book that ties together a hidden military secret about chemical warfare and the development of chemotherapy treatment for cancer. A bit too much detail for me but exhaustively researched. I ended up skimming large parts where the first sentence of each paragraph made sense with the later 5-6 sentences just adding detail. The cover up was typical politics but the chemotherapy part was pretty interesting especially if you or a family member has ever gone through this treatment.
May 24, 2021
A bit disappointing, as the title is misleading. The war on cancer, chemotherapy in particular, began before the bombing of Bari, so the release of mustard gas did not so much "launch" the war on cancer as it provided an enormous amount of clinical data that advanced the fight.
Also, the second half of the book, the development and advancement of chemotherapy treatments of cancer, I had already read all about in the superb, "The Emperor of All Maladies" by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
Also, the second half of the book, the development and advancement of chemotherapy treatments of cancer, I had already read all about in the superb, "The Emperor of All Maladies" by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
June 23, 2023
A book to choose about a little known incident with such unbelievable cause and effects that will seem to be unbelievable. A 1943 incident with such waves of future changes yet so little known about as the facts of the incident were buried, buried and buried. But, while the chance of a stand off in the use of chemical weapons did not occur, or did it, the resulting use of research brought about milestones in medicine and cancer research. A great read for World War II buffs off the beaten path.
January 13, 2024
This was an interesting read about the greatest shipping disaster of World War II. The middle was bogged down with too many details and got into the weeds a little too far. I think an entire book could’ve been written on the medical complexities of this for those who are interested in those deeper understandings before the purpose of this book I found it to be a little bit tedious. Overall, learning more about cancer cure research mixed with World War II.
November 20, 2024
I give it 2 1/2 stars. It just wasn’t a compelling enough story for me. There was very little dialogue and, although it was impressive to learn about the development of cancer treatments from this disaster, I can’t say it kept me interested.
Although the chapters did build upon one another, it felt textbook-like. I suppose I have been spoiled by reading books like Adam Higginbotham‘s Challenger or Midnight in Chernobyl because I just expected more from this book.
Although the chapters did build upon one another, it felt textbook-like. I suppose I have been spoiled by reading books like Adam Higginbotham‘s Challenger or Midnight in Chernobyl because I just expected more from this book.
October 14, 2020
This was a fascinating read! Opened like fast-paced espionage-like fiction -- and then took a dive into WWII history, chemical warfare, cancer and chemotherapy. All at the center of this was the humble Stewart Alexander, who happens to be the father-in-law of my own father's best friend. An amazing true story that was buried as classified information for decades.
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