Laurie Mylroie on Saddam’s WMD programs.

The hat tip is to Bryan at Hot Air (but it’s a dry heat), who comments:

Interesting report from Laurie Mylroie. She is responding to the recent 60 Minutes report that Saddam claimed to have tricked t…

First among them would likely be the amount of materiel found that came directly from some of our supposed “allies” on the Security Council such as Russia, France, Germany or China.

The other big reason I suspect he kept quiet was to put pressure on the UN to reform, and to allow them (the UN) to keep some sort of credibility after failing miserably at enforcing their previous and current decisions.

I cannot fathom any other reason why he would take the beating he has over this.

91Veteran on January 29, 2008 at 10:13 PM

This is true, we KNOW that Saddam was hiding Russian and (was it Syrian?) scientists from the inspectors. This, to my recollection, was proven. And that reminds me, I used to believe that Bush was keeping quiet about the WMDs we’ve found because we were trying to get Russia’s help with Iran. But I’ve always said “f*** Russia”, they are NOT our ally. Burn that bridge and get it over with.

And for those who replied to me but were talking more specifically about Saddam/AQ connections.. that’s all interesting stuff, but that’s not what the article I linked to was about. Follow that article, it’s one of the most shocking things about this whole WMD situation I’ve read, and it’s OLD now.

Where are they now? Bush didn’t get us in to the war dishonestly, but I feel like he’s being dishonest now in hiding a WMD smoking gun… I can only hope it’s because there are ongoing covert actions in other countries tracking every last bit of the WMD down.

RightWinged on January 29, 2008 at 1:37 PM

Based on what the UN inspectors found prior to 2003, and what the US military has likely found since then, I suspect Bush has kept quiet about what was found for a few reasons.

First among them would likely be the amount of materiel found that came directly from some of our supposed “allies” on the Security Council such as Russia, France, Germany or China.

The other big reason I suspect he kept quiet was to put pressure on the UN to reform, and to allow them (the UN) to keep some sort of credibility after failing miserably at enforcing their previous and current decisions.

I cannot fathom any other reason why he would take the beating he has over this.

To add to what scottm provided:

Below is information taken from a book titled, “The United Nations and the Iraq-Kuwait Conflict 1990-1996″.

It was still for sale at the UN web site at:

http://www.un.org/Pubs/modelun/bluebook.htm

but being the UN, they like to hide the book.

There is a press release at:

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/1996/19960221.pi933.html

announcing the publication of the book, but they have removed it from sale at their web site.

Below are word-for-word excerpts from the book showing what the UN (and member countries including Euroweenies) knew about Iraq, since the book is a collection of reports to the Security Council.

Remember, some of the chemical weapons were found (46,000 to put a number to it) but much of the biological weapon program was just being uncovered when Mad Halfbright and Bubba managed to get the inspectors kicked out in 1998.

18 April 1991 In Iraq’s first declaration regarding weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, denies having weapons grade nuclear material, a biological weapons program or any super guns. It also
declares holdings of ballistic missiles and chemical weapons.

7-18 July 1991 The third IAEA inspection uncovers large stocks of natural uranium and 15 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, and reveals the existence of various uranium enrichment programs.

2-8 August 1991 UNSCOM conducts its first biological inspection of Iraqi facilities and uncovers a major biological program. Seed stocks of three biological warfare agents are handed over to the team, and the team removes three further potential warfare strains.

21 February-24 March 1992 The first chemical destruction team destroys 463 nerve agent filled rockets, i.e. approximately 2.5 tons of agent.

1 July 1995 Iraq admits to having had a full-scale offensive biological weapons program.

Note the date! It took 4 YEARS after the war for Iraq to admit having a biological weapon program!

25 October 1991 Report by Executive Chairman of UNSCOM

Iraq acknowledged possessing 46,000 filled chemical weapons stored at various sites throughout Iraq.

The team examined 30 chemical filled ballistic missile warheads declared by Iraq in the Dujayl area. 14 were binary type filled with isopropanol and
cyclohexanol with only DF needing to be added to produce nerve agent prior to use. 56 plastic containers of DF were found. Iraq stated 16 warheads were filled with a mixture of GB and GF nerve agents.

At Al Bakr Air Base, 25 type 250 gauge aerial bombs and 135 type 500 aerial bombs filled with mustard agent were declared by Iraq.

At Al Fallujah Proving Ground, Iraq declared the storage of 6,394 mustard-filled 155-millimeter artillery shells. Analysis confirmed the presence of mustard agent.

Iraq has declared 6,120 sarin nerve agent filled 122-millimeter rocket warheads and their attendant motors.

Iraq provided seed stocks of biological warfare agents to the team consisting of Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus
anthracis. Iraq also possessed the following micro-organisms-Brucellus abortus, Brucella melitensis, Francisella tularensis and various strains
of Clostridium botulinum.

Report by the IAEA to the Security Council by Hans Blix

Yes. The idiot Blix who claimed Iraq was not a threat.

These consisted of 68 fuel assemblies of 36% enrichment with a U-235 content of 1.27 Kilograms. In addition, there was a set of fresh fuel plates for the Tamus-2 reactor (French MTR type) with an enrichment
of 93% and a total U-235 content of 372 grams.

Since the declarations of 18 and 27 April, inspections have resulted in some 400 tons of additional material being declared by Iraq—natural
uranium in many forms, ranging from yellowcake to processed chemicals…Much of the material had been concealed by dispersion or burial in desert areas.

The major discovery has been that of the Electromagnetic Isotope Separation (EMIS) program and its extent. A major concealment effort was made by Iraq to hide the existence of its program from inspectors, equipment being dispersed and in many cases buried in remote areas.

The removal from Iraq of the remaining 35 kilograms of U-235 contained in the irradiated fuel elements of the Tamuz-2 and IRT 5000 research reactors is one of the major tasks still pending.

Special Report of the Executive Chairman of UNSCOM 18 February 1992

In relation to the biological weapons, Iraq clearly violated its obligations to hand over to the Commission all its biological weapons-related items when it destroyed buildings at Salman Pak immediately prior to the first Commission inspection there.
Explanations provided to date, including those given most recently to the special mission, have not been convincing.

Third Report of the Executive Chairman of UNSCOM 16 June 1992

A new development was the Iraqi admission of 19 March 1992 that it had omitted to declare 24,470 chemical munitions and these weapons had been unilaterally destroyed in direct contravention of resolution 687.

Wake the hell up! That is over 24,000 chemical weapons Saddam CLAIMED to have destroyed. Much of the problem with the inspectors was with their being unable to verify destruction.

Fourth Report of the Executive Chairman of UNSCOM 17 December 1992

The agents which Iraq had available were mustard agent, the nerve agents GB and GF (and also about 70 tons of “spoiled” GA) and small research quantities of three other nerve agents. The total quantities
involved are approximately 250-300 tons.

The number and quantity of munitions and agent destroyed by the Special Commission as of 14 December 1992 were on the order of:

5,000 sarin-filled 122mm rockets
44,500 liters of GB/GF
120 liters of GB
5,000 liters of D4
1,100 liters of dichlorethane
16.5 tons of thiodiglycol
5.5 tons of mustard agent

Again, notice what was destroyed by the UN, and the lack of any data concerning biological weapons!

The foot and mouth disease plant at Daura was converted to biological weapons production of botulinum toxin. The plant was used for production of botulinum toxin from November 1990 until 15 January 1991 by which time 5,400 liters of concentrated toxin had been produced. Production of perfringens for biological weapons began at Al Hakam in August 1990. A
total of 340 liters of concentrated perfringens was produced.

Weaponization of biological warfare agents began on a large scale in December 1990 at Muthanna. R400 bombs were selected as the appropriate munition for aerial delivery and 100 were filled with botulinum
toxin, 50 with anthrax, and 16 with aflatoxin. In addition, 25 Al Hussein warheads were filled with botulinum toxin (13), anthrax (10), and aflatoxin (2).

These weapons were then deployed at four locations in early January 1991 during the war.

In summary, Iraq has declared the production of at least 19,000 liters of concentrated botulinum toxin, (nearly 10,000 liters were filled into munitions), 8,500 liters of concentrated anthrax (some 6,500 liters were filled into munitions) and 2,200 liters of concentrated aflatoxin (1,580 liters were filled into munitions).

In spite of the substantial new disclosures made by Iraq in August 1995, the Commission does not believe that Iraq has given a full and correct account of its biological weapons program.

Iraqi atomic scientists were not assassinated as part of anyone’s program.

Did we ever find out the source of the Anthrax attack after 9/11?
jp on January 29, 2008 at 1:34 PM

I just saw something on the History channel that was discussing the Anthrax scare and they were basically concluding that the US must have given anthrax to terrorists because we’re the only ones capable of producing it in such high grades. Consider the History channel officially biased.

I will say that throughout the military a lot of us are comfortable with knowing that Iraq had the resources and intent to produce WMD, but not actually seeing them. If you’ve ever seen western Iraq you would understand…we find new stuff buried out there all the time. They buried entire airfields for goodness sakes…

Keep coming back…

Rick on January 29, 2008 at 2:01 PM

It works if you work it.

Bryan, I’m tellin’ ya’, one click on your end and Corona could be gone forever.

I read the French told Sadaam that they would stop the US from invading.

Additionally, The Iraq Survey Group, when it reported to Congress, revealed that Sadaam’s scientists were still in place so he could have reconstituted the programs at any time. I should say the scientists who had not yet been assasinated. They were being killed off as the ISG asked to talk with them.

Bush just got tired of getting beaten up on and crawled under his desk a few years ago

QFT.

Sorry, didn’t mean to steal your line, I guess I oughta read all the other comments before making my own. (Hangs head in shame)

Why do ya build me up, Buttercup baby, just to let me down, and mess me around? And then worst, ya never call baby when ya say will, but I love ya still. I need YOU (I need YOU) more than anyone darlin’, ya know that I have from the staaaart. So build me up, (build me up) ButterCup, don’t break my heaaaart.

It doesn’t make any sense, does it? I guess they figure nobody will give a crap anyway. In the book “Hard Corps” the Marines find evidence of Saddam conducting horrible experiments on babies. BABIES! We should just tell the world that we did it “for the chillllldren”. Even without finding the NBCs, Taking out Saddam was STILL the right thing to do. Pre-9/11, containment was good enough, but anymore.

Bush Lied mantra was just hype, and the gullible professional Bush hatersbought it.

Try reading “Saddam’s Secrets” by former Iraqi Air Force general, Georges Sada. You might change your mind.

Shattering Conventional Wisdom About Saddam’s WMD’s

WMD lies; see also Rockefeller Memo

btw, anyone ever seen that Sen Intel Com Phase II report that Reid complained about
Senate Closes Doors to Discuss Iraq Probe

How strange. They complain the Bush Admin was blocking the report from being released, and three years later, after having taken the senate for well over a year…

…no report. Gosh, guess the White House is making the Dems hold back from releasing it OR…the Bush Lied mantra was just hype, and the gullible bought it.

What is important now is to relate this to Iran. Iran is creating fissile material for a bomb. They have made that very clear. They intend to use the bomb in reality or for blackmail. We need to take out Iran’s capabilities NOW and not wait, but I think Pres Bush has already retreated to Crawford. He just told Hamas and Fatah that it it OK to continue terrorism and we will send them money and give them another terrorist state. Bush has surrendered and all this “bush lied” crowd can take credit for the being the Neville Chamberlains of our time and bringing on the next major war that could have and should have been avoided.

Hollowpoint on January 29, 2008 at 2:50 PM

my problem with it is I’ve seen it make its way into Conservative side of the aisle(some are Ron Paul supporters), and they beleive we acted “unjustly” into an “unnecessary war”. The problem is their basis for this is this junk that started by the political left, who have blurred the whole issue.

I don’t care about the left, but don’t want the “America First” crowd to have any type of comeback on the right.

the narrative that “bush lied” and we went into an “unnecessary war”, etc. Is the emotional source, combined with the bombing and ‘insurgency’(death toll) of the Cut and Run crowd. And those that want to punish the GOP for it.

jp on January 29, 2008 at 2:29 PM

So why play their game? We should be hammering the Dems for living in the past and being motivated by politics over doing what’s right where Republicans are focusing on how to best deal with the current situation.

RightWinged on January 29, 2008 at 1:37 PM

Good article. I believe that some WMD went into Syria, but most is still in Iraq. Iraq is roughly the size of Texas, and being from Texas, I know that’s a huge area to inspect. They could put 1000 inspectors in Texas for several years and not be able to cover the whole state. Sure, they could easily inspect in cities and along highways and county roads, but there are a lot of ranches where inspectors would never find anything the government was trying hide from them. Iraq probably has as many, if not more, remote areas than Texas.