Asked why the poisons were saved, Colby replied: "I think that it was done by people who were so completely enmeshed in the subject and the difficulty of production [100 Ibs. of shellfish produces 1 gm. of toxin] that they simply couldn't bear to see the stuff destroyed." But Nathan Gordon, the stooped and bushy-browed ex-CIA chemist who was in charge of the toxin and cobra venom in 1970, maintained that he had never received an order to destroy them. That order apparently should have been relayed to him from Helms by Sidney Gottlieb, a chemist, who was then director of the agency's technical services. The committee has subpoenaed him to testify, but he has warned that he may invoke his constitutional right against self-incrimination and refuse to answer questions.