The West is showing that it has more than a dirty arm up its sleeve when it comes to bizarre fatalities. Concerns are being expressed at the baffling coincidental deaths, suicides or disappearances of ten highly placed whistleblowers whose revelations about the BP Gulf oil spill might have consequences more dire than the spill itself. There are so many unexplained deaths suggesting foul play that perhaps an online cemetery might be arranged to honor their sacrifice too. The roll call would list those whose positions in state or conglomerate employment tend to make them as unique as their unfortunate departure from life.

America’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) is otherwise known as Star Wars: It is at the cutting edge of space warfare technology. British input is essential to its success. You do not get to work for SDI unless you are world-class in your scientific vocation so when 22 of its leading researchers die in mysterious circumstances most of us would think twice about applying for a job there.

Alistair Beckham, 52, was a highly rated British aerospace engineer whose speciality was designing computer software for sophisticated naval defense systems. He isn’t anymore: he died a bizarre violent death. After dropping his wife off at work, he went into his garden shed. There he wrapped an electrical conduit around his bare chest, placed a handkerchief between his teeth and pulled the switch.  His name has been added to the growing list of British scientists employed by SDI who died in distressing and unusual circumstances since 1982. All were engaged on highly classified projects; none had an apparent motive for taking their own lives.

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The UK government argues that the deaths are coincidental; Britain’s press blames stress. To add to the debate other investigative journalists refer to an ongoing fraud investigation involving America’s leading defense contractor. The relatives of the deceased are far from convinced. Essex University computer scientist Dr Keith Bowden died in a car crash that is riddled with inconsistencies. His wife Hillary, after seeking the opinion of an accident specialist, is convinced his car was tampered with. David Sands, 37, inexplicably veered off the road and hit the wall of a vacant restaurant head-on. The coroner refused to rule out the possibility of foul play.

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When the number of mysterious fatalities, many of them extremely violent, added up the U.S. embassy in London requested a full and thorough investigation by the British Ministry of Defense (MoD). British MPs had been making similar requests for years. One of them was Labour MP Doug Hoyle, co-president of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union. The Conservative government at the time refused any investigation. The Pentagon refuses to comment. When the Sunday Times published details of 12 mysterious deaths the U.S. embassy conceded that an additional list of ten similar victims had already been sent to Washington.

Will we ever get to the bottom of the disturbing dossier of mysterious coincidental deaths? There isn’t much room for optimism. As NBC News London correspondent Henry Champ puts it: ‘In the world of espionage, there’s a saying: Twice is a coincidence but three times is enemy action.’ In which case how does 22 mysterious deaths and rising sound?

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