Background information and commentary by Andrew Carroll: To the dismay of many an animal lover, creatures large and small have been “weaponized” in times of war to attack military and civilian populations alike. In World War II, Soviet troops regularly tied explosives to dogs that had been trained to run toward enemy soldiers and tanks, with fatal consequences for the targets—and, of course, the dogs. (If their letters home are any indication, the use of dogs in this manner unnerved and outraged German soldiers on the Eastern Front more than almost any other Soviet tactic.) Attempts to transform harmless animals into forces of destruction have, at times, veered toward the ludicrous. In World War II, a serious recommendation to drop bomb-wielding cats with tiny parachutes over enemy warships was entertained, the thinking being that since most cats dislike getting wet and always land on their feet, they would aim for the ship. Probably from sheer terror, the cat used to test the feasibility of the idea immediately blacked out after being dropped and was, therefore, unable to maneuver itself with any accuracy. The plan was scrapped. But another equally fantastic scheme was outlined in the following letter by a respected Harvard scientist named Earl P. Stevenson. (Dr. Lytle S. Adams, who first advanced the proposal being considered, was not a professor or government official but a slightly eccentric dentist/inventor from Irwin, Pennsylvania, who had written directly to the White House with his concept. The NDRC is the National Defense Resource Council.) The letter is published in its entirety in BEHIND THE LINES.

July 10, 1942
Office of the Coordinator of Research and Development
Navy Department
Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:

When last in Washington the writer called at your office and presented an idea which has been brought to NDRC for its consideration and action. This idea... was first presented to the President of the United States last January and has since been brought to the attention of various individuals and organizations without, however, being finally disposed of in one way or another.

Briefly stated, the concept is to use the common American bat as a carrier for small incendiaries. The original proposal was to release these bats, for example, some hundreds of miles off the shores of Japan and at such a time as would permit the bat to travel to land, arriving shortly before daylight. The habit of the bat is such that with light it would seek a refuge by crawling into crevices under roofs, thatching, and generally into small places where conceivably fires could be very easily started by means of a bat-borne incendiary weighing approximately one ounce.

The inventor of this idea is Mr. Lytle S. Adams, who has consulted many authorities on the habits of bats and has partly thought through the problems incident to their use, including the development of certain suggestions as to the exact type of incendiary that could be used.

Conceivably bats could be released from either submarines or planes, and my purpose in addressing this letter to your Office is primarily in connection with the first of these alternatives. In such a use the bats would have to be shipped at temperatures below 50 degrees F., where they hibernate and can be, I am told, packed in cases like any other inanimate objects.

Just how we could proceed experimentally to explore this idea is quite a problem. Doubtless there are many of the questions that could be answered by consulting the proper authorities, but NDRC has not thus far pursued the matter, as the first point to be determined is whether any of the Services would be interested in the idea. Obviously, this is not a major incendiary. From the standpoint of destruction it cannot be reckoned in the same class with other incendiaries now available. On the other hand, the use of such means might be very demoralizing, especially against a superstitious people. It cannot conceivably have any value as an incendiary for use against purely military objectives, as the chances are that the bats would seek the countryside rather than urban districts.

In submitting these papers to your Office it is my understanding that there is a group within the Navy which considers ideas originating within the Service, and that this suggestion might properly be submitted as having that origin. NDRC is prepared to go into this matter in whatever detail may be desired.

Very truly yours
Earl P. Stevenson

NEXT WEEK: One of the men responsible for testing the “bats with bombs” idea tells his superiors how the early experiments were going. (Hint: Not well.)