Thaindian News

Washington, Nov 06 (ANI): Ever imagined the President of a world’s superpower depending on mouse for the fate of his council members? If not, here’s what you need to know-George W. Bush relied on a mice test to see whether his officials at the White House would survive a bio terror attack.

In his book, ‘Decision Points,’ the former US President has revealed that a White House alarm to detect biological weapons in the air went off in 2002, setting off fears that the building was under a silent terrorist attack, reports the Washington Post.

The incident occured while he was on a state visit to China in February 2002, he told NBC’s Today Show.

During a videoconference with officials back at the White House, Vice President Cheney came on the line and said, “Mr. President, we have a problem. One of the bio hazard detectors at The White House has gone off.”

National Security Adviser “Condi [Rice], [Chief of Staff] Andy Card, [Secretary of State] Colin Powell, and I are sitting in a cramped tent in a Chinese hotel. The reason we’re in the tent is because Chinese listeners cannot penetrate the tent.

“The bio detectors have gone off. We think there’s been a botulism toxin — a potential botulism toxin attack.

“And we had all been exposed to it. And it-BT is a very lethal poison. And had we inhaled it we could easily be dead,” wrote Bush.

Bush said that Hadley tried to calm everybody down and said mice were being mobilized to test the air.

“And we kind of chuckled, and said, ‘Well, if the mice are feet up, we’re goners. And if they’re feet down, we’re fine,’” said Bush.

“And the reason I tell the story is because it’s hard for people to remember that right after 9/11 we were inundated with threats. A lot of threats.

And I put that one in there, one, because I think it’s an interesting anecdote, and two, because it shows how serious — and how often these threats were coming into The White House,” added Bush. (ANI)