Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

The Largest Biological Attack In American History Occurred in Oregon at Public Salad Bars

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Here we look at how easy it is to unleash biochemical and germ warfare on an unsuspecting public. Germs, dangerous germs, are easily cultivated. It can be anything from leaving a pizza unattended in a automobile trunk for a week in the Summer, to actually cultivating various strains of anthrax. Now, of course, most Americans would prefer to revolt against the evil oligarchy using the ballot box, or barring that, using the second amendment to the Bill of Rights. They are totally oblivious that simpler and more deadly options are available to them.

War by Salad Bar.

If we asked you to picture a biological weapons attack in America, you might think of the 2001 anthrax attacks. Or maybe some fictional scenario like the nefarious machinations of the Umbrella Corporation (personally, it reminds me of Facebook and Google). Yet, the biggest act of bio-terror in American history occurred at a series of salad bars — which, given how many people sneeze on them, are already a form of biological warfare.

The year was 1984.

Let’s go back to 1984.

Ronald Reagan was President. Everyone wore vibrant colored spandex, carried walkmans, and pastel deco interior decorations were the norm. Radio stations voluntarily played Huey Lewis and the News, and everyone was making tedious George Orwell jokes. No one really thought that it would actually come to pass.

And in far off Oregon a community of like-minded wacko’s began to contemplate taking over the state.

Popularly known as the Orange People because of their brightly coloured robes, Sannyasins were disciples of Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh or Osho.
Popularly known as the Orange People because of their brightly coloured robes, Sannyasins were disciples of Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh or Osho.

It’s true, and we tend to forget just how outlandish it actually was. Back then, the Rajneesh movement was starting to commit some pretty heinous crimes. You know, the kind of crimes that would later earn them that Netflix series.

The Rajneesh movement

Founded by Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, the Rajneeshees participated in an intensive syncretic spiritual movement that also made giant piles of money.

Wild Wild Country, Chapman and Maclain Way’s new Netflix docuseries, tells the story of Rajneeshpuram — a utopian commune established in rural Oregon in the early 1980s, by the the followers of Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later called Osho). The riveting series charts the escalating criminal activity that took place on the ranch, led by Bhagwan’s ruthless personal secretary Ma Anand Sheela, who adopts ever more extreme methods (poison, arson, and more) to oppose the forces — like the U.S. government — that she sees threatening their group.
Wild Wild Country, Chapman and Maclain Way’s new Netflix docuseries, tells the story of Rajneeshpuram — a utopian commune established in rural Oregon in the early 1980s, by the the followers of Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later called Osho). The riveting series charts the escalating criminal activity that took place on the ranch, led by Bhagwan’s ruthless personal secretary Ma Anand Sheela, who adopts ever more extreme methods (poison, arson, and more) to oppose the forces — like the U.S. government — that she sees threatening their group.

It was like Scientology, but with a lot of casual sex. 

Many of his followers were instructed to have sex in front of him in order to discard their phobias.

-  This Oregon tantric sex cult committed the largest incidence of bioterrorism on U.S. soil

They were a complicated group, but for this story, all you need to know is that they fled India for Oregon. While in Oregon, they built a communal farming colony modestly named Rajneeshpuram.

Followers and their leader's mugshot.
Followers and their leader’s mugshot.
 The Oregonian series goes into great detail about many of the events  covered in "Wild Wild Country," including the poisoning of many people  in The Dalles, attempts to rig Wasco County elections by busing in  homeless people to vote, and murder plots against public officials and  Zaitz himself. The series also includes many details not covered in the  documentary. The story of the Rajneeshees is that complex. 

- Read The Oregonian's original 20-part investigative series on Rajneeshees

Over 7,000 people lived in what was essentially a small town, complete with restaurants and buses.

But residents of the neighboring towns didn’t like that they had their own militia that wandered around with submachine guns.

Guru of bio-terrorism.
Guru of bio-terrorism.
 In the beginning, though before it grew into a cult, Rajneesh had a  monastery in Poona. He appealed especially to westerners, teaching them  about tantric yoga. His followers (a large portion of them North  American celebrities) supposedly believed Rajneesh to be the “guru of  the vagina.” He allegedly slept with several of his female disciples,  taught his followers out of the ordinary sexual practices telling them  it would cure them of unrelated phobias, and instructed couples to have  sex in front of him. 

 -  This Oregon tantric sex cult committed the largest incidence of bioterrorism on U.S. soil

The Rajneeshees would also move into tiny communities, overwhelm the voting rolls, and pass laws that served their own purposes. Like when they voted to rename the town of Antelope as Rajneesh.

And we all know that 1980s small-towners just love this kind of thing.

The good people of Oregon prefer to be the only folks in the area wielding guns for their inevitable fight against the government, and so conflict ensued. And when the county denied the Rajneeshees some construction permits, the fighting got dirty.

The Rajneeshees would also move into tiny communities, overwhelm the voting rolls, and pass laws that served their own purposes. Like when they voted to rename the town of Antelope as Rajneesh.
The Rajneeshees would also move into tiny communities, overwhelm the voting rolls, and pass laws that served their own purposes. Like when they voted to rename the town of Antelope as Rajneesh.

First, 2,000 homeless people were bused in to help vote Rajneeshees into key government positions, but that failed because, contrary to what Fox News might tell you, you can’t simply pack a voting booth with random hobos.

Naturally, the next step was terrorism.

They targeted salad bars in The Dalles, the relatively large county seat, which couldn’t be overwhelmed with raw numbers like Antelope.

They targeted salad bars in The Dalles, the relatively large county seat, which couldn't be overwhelmed with raw numbers like Antelope.
They targeted salad bars in The Dalles, the relatively large county seat, which couldn’t be overwhelmed with raw numbers like Antelope.

They tainted salad dressing, salsa, water, and produce with a salmonella-contaminated slurry. This germ warefare was pretty nasty and it sickened 751 people and hospitalized 45.

The goal was to put opposing voters out of commission, but somehow the plan backfired when suspicious locals instead turned out in force against their candidates.

While the Rajneeshee were preparing for their mystical leader’s arrival, and Sheela was driving them into excess, the native residents of Antelope were becoming restless. “They’re invading,” said one local. “Maybe not with bullets, but with money and, um, immoral sex.” Antelope was a small community, of about 40 people. Most were hunters and ranchers, who had lived in the town their entire lives. They were, for the most part, conservatives. Given its secluded location, the people of Antelope weren’t used to outsiders. They especially weren’t used to 7,000 of them, all dressed in red, playing music and preaching free love and open sexual relationships. Before long, their welcoming, albeit hesitant, attitude had turned completely volatile.
While the Rajneeshee were preparing for their mystical leader’s arrival, and Sheela was driving them into excess, the native residents of Antelope were becoming restless.
“They’re invading,” said one local. “Maybe not with bullets, but with money and, um, immoral sex.” Antelope was a small community, of about 40 people. Most were hunters and ranchers, who had lived in the town their entire lives. They were, for the most part, conservatives. Given its secluded location, the people of Antelope weren’t used to outsiders. They especially weren’t used to 7,000 of them, all dressed in red, playing music and preaching free love and open sexual relationships. Before long, their welcoming, albeit hesitant, attitude had turned completely volatile.

Luckily, they weren’t able to pull off their original plan of using goddamn typhoid.

They dressed in red, worked without pay and idolized their  long-silver-bearded leader who would sit in front of them, silent. The  cult was at its height for the four years between 1981 and 1985. A  typical day was a mash-up of work, meditation, drugs, prayer and sex.  For Rajneesh and Patel, it was also a money-making scheme. Rajneesh is  reported to have owned rolex watches and 93 rolls royces all acquired  from the exploitation of his followers.

 Then things got worse. The guru wanted to grow his empire. He was  also dealing with a backlash from Oregon government and citizens. They  were suspicious of the activity happening on his land. They wanted them  out. So he pushed back. He devised a plan to put his followers in local  government—a plot to grow his following and have a position of power in  Oregon. He also wanted revenge against those who were making life  difficult for him. Many of the evil doings of Rajneesh and his cult were  under wraps until 25 years after the collapse of his cult. 

 -  This Oregon tantric sex cult committed the largest incidence of bioterrorism on U.S. soil

It wasn’t the only thing that they did. Not by a long shot.

First, they came up with a murder scheme. The leader sent Rajneeshees in to the hospital where local politician James Comini was staying. They were to slip poison into his IV.

The plan failed when they found that he wasn’t even hooked up to an IV. Years after this plot became known, Oregon citizens found out that they also stalked others in government.

A hunting magazine declared “open season” on the Rajneeshee, and locals began referring to them as Red Vermin, or Red Rats. Not helping the situation was the fact that the Rajneeshee had taken to patrolling the perimeter of their commune with machine guns and armored cars. As the local’s hatred toward the Rajneeshee built, so did the Rajneeshees hatred of the locals. Eventually, the Rajneeshee overpowered the residents of Antelope, and several other towns, promptly renaming it Rajneesh. When Sheela announced that the Rajneeshee had plans to build a city on a mountain, in 1984 the state intervened, denying the permits. In retaliation, Sheela announced plans to place Rajneeshee in the state legislature, bussing in several thousand homeless people from nearby areas to vote for her appointee.
A hunting magazine declared “open season” on the Rajneeshee, and locals began referring to them as Red Vermin, or Red Rats. Not helping the situation was the fact that the Rajneeshee had taken to patrolling the perimeter of their commune with machine guns and armored cars. As the local’s hatred toward the Rajneeshee built, so did the Rajneeshees hatred of the locals. Eventually, the Rajneeshee overpowered the residents of Antelope, and several other towns, promptly renaming it Rajneesh.
When Sheela announced that the Rajneeshee had plans to build a city on a mountain, in 1984 the state intervened, denying the permits. In retaliation, Sheela announced plans to place Rajneeshee in the state legislature, bussing in several thousand homeless people from nearby areas to vote for her appointee.

Then, in September of 1984, three years after the cult was established, the clan pulled off their germ warfare stunt.

As part of their scheme to get into government, they poisoned Oregon voters. The followers left their rural range and headed into populated areas slipping salmonella into salad bars and restaurant ingredients.

When the first incidents of salmonella were reported, it seemed to be a case of restaurant negligence. But as more and more people were found to have salmonella poisoning, officials noticed something was very wrong. There were 700 cases of the poisoning in the area—far too many for it to be considered a coincidence.

They traced the incident back to the cult member dressed in red. It is still known as the largest incident of bioterrorism on U.S. soil.

When the government raided Rajneeshpuram, they discovered a chemical warfare lab, a massive wire-tapping operation, and oh yeah, a plot to assassinate the U.S. Attorney for Oregon, because what the Rajneeshees lacked in competence, they made up for in persistence.

One of the restaurants that Ma Anand Sheela and the Rajneeshee contaminated with their “salsa.” In 1895, after pleading guilty to entering the country without a visa, Bhagwan Rajneesh fled the commune. He called his followers a “gang of fascists,” openly blaming Sheela for the bioterrorism attack. It wasn’t until then that the government conducted a full investigation and realized the extent of the crimes that Sheela was planning. Within the compound, there was evidence of several more biological weapons, and a detailed plan to assassinate Charles Turner, a U.S. attorney in Oregon. As hundreds of the Rajneeshee fled, others simply wondered how the peaceful, loving, expressive group they had joined had gone so wrong. Armed with the evidence from the compound, Ma Anand Sheela was arrested and brought to trial. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her crimes but released after 39 months. Ma Anand Sheela claims, to this day, from her home in Switzerland, that she acted at the behest of Rajneesh, that she was in love Rajneesh, and that everything she did was in the interest of Rajneesh.
One of the restaurants that Ma Anand Sheela and the Rajneeshee contaminated with their “salsa.” In 1895, after pleading guilty to entering the country without a visa, Bhagwan Rajneesh fled the commune. He called his followers a “gang of fascists,” openly blaming Sheela for the bioterrorism attack. It wasn’t until then that the government conducted a full investigation and realized the extent of the crimes that Sheela was planning. Within the compound, there was evidence of several more biological weapons, and a detailed plan to assassinate Charles Turner, a U.S. attorney in Oregon. As hundreds of the Rajneeshee fled, others simply wondered how the peaceful, loving, expressive group they had joined had gone so wrong.
Armed with the evidence from the compound, Ma Anand Sheela was arrested and brought to trial. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her crimes but released after 39 months. Ma Anand Sheela claims, to this day, from her home in Switzerland, that she acted at the behest of Rajneesh, that she was in love Rajneesh, and that everything she did was in the interest of Rajneesh.

It’s thanks to that attack that the cult collapsed. Patel was sentenced to ten years in prison for the poisonings. Rajneesh was deported. Patel served the first three years of her sentence before she too was deported off U.S. soil. Rajneesh died young in 1990. As for the ranch, that was converted to a Christian camp. It didn’t stay that way. A fire in 1996 destroyed all the structures created by the Rajneeshee cult.

Conclusion to this story.

That raid mostly ended the movement, and Rajneesh himself died in 1990, although there are still some far less murderous Rajneeshees out there today running generic meditation movements.

Oh, and the mastermind of these plots, Ma Anand Sheela, is now out of jail, so maybe check to see if she’s visited your area lately before you order that Cobb salad.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like to read other articles of a similar vein. You can access the index here…

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