THE PLOWBOY INTERVIEW

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ROBERT VAN DEN BOSCH

STOP THE "PESTICIDE CONSPIRACY"!

The following conversation—which was edited from a discussion between Dr. van den Bosch and Robert Wuliger—is the result of the last interview granted by the controversial entomologist before his death. MOTHER is proud to publish it and proud, also, to turn the remainder of this introduction over to Robert van den Bosch's friend and compatriot in the struggle to protect our environment, Paul Ehrlich.

Members of the incredibly lucrative pesticide industry, their cronies in the United States Department of Agriculture, their bought-and-paid-for entomologists and toxicologists, and the men and women—at the bottom of the insecticide pyramid-who make their living promoting the broadcast use of pesticides . . . none of these people liked Dr. Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring, one bit. It is likely that they will be even more disturbed by what Robert van den Bosch has to say here and in his book, The Pesticide Conspiracy . . . because Van exposes the fact—long known to insiders in the pest control business—that the indiscriminate use of such chemical insecticides is a disaster for all but those who sell and promote them.

Today's pesticide methods will not control insects in the long run, and often do not in the short run. Instead, such a system puts a heavy health burden upon farmworkers and others, and assaults the ecosystems of our planet which supply indispensable free benefits to all human beings.

Professor van den Bosch was able to lay out the story of the stupidity, venality, and corruption of the pest control industry as only an insider could. His loss will not only be felt deeply by his friends and fellow eco-activists, but by the public that he worked to protect, as well.—Paul Ehrlich.

PLOWBOY: Dr. van den Bosch, I'd like to begin by reading a number of statements that have been made about one particular person: "He tells half-truths." "He's a scientific fraud, a disgrace to the university." "He's a charlatan." "We suggest that the public look into his background and find the reasons for his tinades against the free enterprise system."

Who do you suppose this reprehensible individual might be?

VAN DEN BOSCH: Well, I know that the quotes all refer to me. They are merely a few of the many "endearments" that have been directed my way—as a result of my environmental activism—by agribusiness trade magazine editors, other scientists in my field, and even some of my University of California associates.