In June, Reuters reported on a hitherto secret U.S. program connected with the COVID pandemic. In the spring of 2020, as the coronavirus rapidly spread throughout the world, our government reportedly sought to respond to Chinese disinformation which had attempted to deflect responsibility for the virus’ origin, claiming that it had originated in a biological research lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland. What was the government’s plan? To fight fire with fire.
This was around the same time that Rodrigo Duterte, then the Trump-style president of the Philippines, was making noises about a closer relationship to China, even hinting that if the Beijing government prioritized sending vaccine to his country, he’d be willing to cede disputed territory in the South China Sea. An element within the U.S. military in the Pacific was reportedly eager to keep the Philippine government on side and fight the deluge of Chinese propaganda.
