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2 ---- Working Copy ---- Page non-anthracis Bacillus cultures. Bacillus subtilis is a non-pathogenic bacterium found ubiquitously in the environment. However, genomic DNA sequencing of the specific isolate of Bacillus subtilis discovered within the Post and Brokaw anthrax powders reveals that it is genetically distinct from other known isolates of Bacillus subtilis. Analyses of the Bacillus subtilis from both the Post and the Brokaw envelopes revealed that these two isolates are identical. USAMRIID is a military research institute located on the Fort Detrick, U.S. Army Post in Frederick, Maryland. Prior to the anthrax attacks in the Fall of 2001, USAMRIID was one of sixteen (16) U.S. laboratories which possessed the Ames strain of Bacillus anthracis. Phenotypic and genetic analyses of more than 1,000 Ames samples from the sixteen (16) laboratories has led investigators to conclude that the Bacillus anthracis used in the anthrax letter attacks was derived from a sample known as RMR-1029. At the time of its creation, RMR-1029 consisted of a large batch of pure, highly concentrated, Bacillus anthracis Ames spores, assembled for the purpose of conducting numerous anthrax_aerosol challenges b2 at USAMRIID. nitding | of Usa in thel__] containment bIF suite within Building of USAMRIID under the custody and control of Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins. The Bacillus subtilis contaminant is not detected in RMR-1029 by phenotypic or genetic analyses. It is not known how the Bacillus subtilis contaminant came to be in the Post and Brokaw spore powders. Since the contaminant is not found in RMR-1029 and not found in the spore material mailed to Senators Leahy and Daschle, it is reasonable to conclude that the contaminant was introduced during the growth process of the evidentiary material. Taken together, the presence of the Bacillus subtilis contaminant, and the phenotypic differences of the evidentiary spore powders, it is presumed that, on two Separate occasions, a sample of RMR-1029 was used to grow spores, dried to a powder, packaged in an envelope with a threat letter, and mailed to the victims. In November of 2006, upon consent provided by USAMRIID Command, strains of Bacillus subtilis, were collected from Dr. Ivins’s stock collection. All of the collected samples compared negatively to the Bacillus subtilis contaminant isolated from the Post and Brokaw envelopes. In June of 2007, upon consent provided by USAMRIID Command, environmental samples were collected from[___]space and equipment; but, ultimately compared negatively to the evidentiary Bacillus subtilis contaminant. On November 1-2, 2007, the Washington Field Office (WFO) AMERITHRAX Squads, with assistance from the Hazardous Materials Response Unit (HMRU), the Evidence Response Team (ERT), the Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT), and the Computer Analysis Response Team (CART) conducted searches of 2