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Doug Rokke

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Doug Rokke is a crank and conspiracy theorist obsessed with depleted uranium conspiracy theories. He claims to have been a researcher and major with a Ph.D. in Health Physics in the 3rd U.S. Army Medical Command's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical research team as a scientific expert on depleted uranium[1] The Department of Defense states he was helping administrate the US Army Chemical School on Fort McClellan (with a Ph.D. in Education Methodology) and logistical support for Army Munitions and Chemical Command (special equipment purchasing) until being fired.[2] Rokke's experience in physics, from his own admission during talks, comes from a BS in general physics and his office being located in the physics area while completing his doctorate. Rokke has also stated depleted uranium was completely unknown to him before 1991.[3]

Rokke appears to have become one of the number of people that went completely insane because of 9/11.[note 1] Rokke is currently an obstinate crank on depleted uranium, very frequently along side (or used as a reference of) Leuren Moret. Rokke frequently appears along side fringe elements of the anti-nuclear movement, including Alex Jones[4] and 9/11 conspiracy theorists.[5]

Rokke and Moret use a combination of credential bullying and lying to make their claims.

Claims on depleted uranium[edit]

Rokke claims the entire reason depleted uranium rounds exist is to dispose of nuclear waste.[6]No, it's used because it is one of the densest materials you can find that's remotely safe to use. Just because it is a byproduct of fuel enrichment doesn't mean it's useless (or heavily radioactive). There are a fission products that are used as well for very important medical applications.[7][8] Alternatives as dense are even more insanely toxic.[9] Using it as ammo for the purpose disposing of the material would probably be one of the most expensive wastes of resources in the history of man (manufacturing, shipping, starting wars, and shooting it at people). Compared to just dumping it in a cave somewhere. It is a wonder conspiracy theorists can come up with these plots for evil geniuses, that would be outlandish even for a Saturday morning cartoon.


Moret claims "In some studies of soldiers who had normal babies before the war, 67 percent of the post-war babies are born with severe birth defects - missing brains, eyes, organs, legs and arms, and blood diseases."[10]Where Moret comes up with this "study" is completely unknown. There was a single Mississippi newspaper that made anecdotal claims about higher incidents of birth defects when a unit of the Mississippi National Guard came home.[11] The CDC worked with the National Guard in 1994 to verify that claim, and found no deviation from expected rates.[12][13] Rokke and Moret refuse to release any information regarding this number.


Rokke frequently claims "his primary team of about 100 performed their cleanup task {of depleted uranium rounds} without any specialized training or protective gear. Today, Rokke said, at least 30 members of the team are dead, and most of the others -- including Rokke -- have serious health problems".Those numbers often vary, from 30 to "all of them".[14]

The first issue with the claim is that Rokke was verified to serve with a team of 10 people administrating classes. He was not the leader, and he did not go into the field to clean anything up.

Rokke has provided a list of 29 names of the people who are very ill or died. The Department of Defense in an email was able verify that 27 were fine and dandy in 1998. Of those 27, 22 were interviewed on their experiences, and 15 of those 22 had never even heard of the good doctor. The 2 that actually died in the time period had no recorded exposure to depleted uranium and did not die from radiation exposure.


Rokke frequently quotes a 1943 memo, stating "A letter sent to General Leslie Groves during 1943 is even more disturbing. In that memorandum dated October 30, 1943, senior scientists assigned to the Manhattan Project suggested that uranium could be used as an air, water, and terrain contaminant. According to the letter sent by the Subcommittee of the S-1 Executive Committee on the "Use of Radioactive Materials as a Military Weapon" to General Groves (October 30, 1943) inhalation of uranium would result in "bronchial irritation coming on in a few hours to a few days.""[15]The actual memo does not even mention uranium.[16] It's a blatant insertion of bullshit into an obscure quote mined memo.


Rokke likes to state fervently that any amount of uranium causes substantial birth defects.Radiation is bad, but uranium doesn't collect well in the body. Birth defects requires large doses of either. According to the U.N. report in long term study on the radiation effects of uranium "The absence of observable effects in children of survivors of the atomic bombings in Japan, one of the largest study populations, indicates that moderate acute radiation exposures of even a relatively large human population must have little impact."[17]


Rokke claims depleted uranium ammunition used to kill Gaddafi's in Libya are killing the rebels with radiation.It is just a rehash of all the previous claims onto a new conflict.


9-11 conspiracy[edit]

Rokke claims the One World Order is waging war for the domination of the world.[18] He also claims that a missile hit the Pentagon, his proof is...that he really believes it.[19] What makes his claims very creepy is that Rokke has personally contacted people using a form letter to tell them about his insane claims. True believers have started using this tactic and form letter as well to spread their insanity.[20][21]

General conspiracy[edit]

Not just to be content in all his other claims Rokke has claimed that he has been threatened, shot at, and his career destroyed then banished from Washington because he told the truth.[22]

Additional resources[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. For example, Eric S. Raymond and Dennis Miller.

References[edit]

  1. Complete self reported bio
  2. Including statements from his superiors - Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee and Ed L. Battle, PhD
  3. Talk with Prof. Otto Raabe, PhD, CHP, Center for Health & the Environment UC Davis
  4. Rokke's Alex Jones interview
  5. Rokke's Youtube video on the 9-11 conspiracy
  6. Talk by Dr. Doug Rokke, former head of the Pentagon's Depleted Uranium Project speaking about depleted uranium November 16, 2002 at University Baptist Church in Seattle. YouTube, 23 January 2009.
  7. Radioactive Iodine Cancer and ThyroidWikipedia
  8. Caesium 137 for Cancer TreatmentWikipedia
  9. 100% of rats implanted with a pellet of such alloys developed lethal rhabdomyosarcoma within a few weeks
  10. Birth defects among Gulf War Vets Children
  11. From Susie Spear, a health writer for the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi
  12. Penman A, Tarver RS, Currier MM. No evidence of increase in birth defects and health problems among children born to Persian Gulf War veterans in Mississippi. Military Medicine 1996;161:1–6
  13. 1996 in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded there was no greater incidence of birth defects in the offspring of Gulf War veterans than in non-Gulf War veterans
  14. Blogs / Stephen Lendman's blog / NATO Using Nuclear Weapons in Libya
  15. Doug Rokke as quoted on the Traprock web site
  16. Actual contents of the memo to Groves
  17. UN Report
  18. America's in Danger from the NWO
  19. High-Ranking Army Officer - Missile Hit Pentagon Radiation Expert
  20. Please Read: U.S. Military Major Recently Contacted Me About 9/11
  21. Dear Friends, a U.S. Army Major recently contacted me about 9/11
  22. Discussion: Radioactive Wounds of War -- In These Times