Science Under Siege: The Politician's War on Nature and Truth

Rachel Carson was working as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when, in 1962, she published Silent Spring, a reasoned indictment of the chemical industry and the poisoning of the environment. "Her ground-breaking treatise and literary triumph came at a high personal cost," veteran environmental journalist Todd Wilkinson writes. The chemical companies immediately sought to discredit Carson's science and to have her removed from government service, and they made her life difficult for years to come. Much the same has happened to other whistle blowers, men and women in government service who have called attention to the sometimes illegal, often unethical actions of federal agencies that have, for instance, granted special favors to mining, ranching, and logging companies instead of protecting the public lands under their charge. Wilkinson offers several case studies, closing with recommended strategies for whistle blowers to avoid official reprisal. --Gregory McNamee