Why Saddam Hussein lied about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction
Saddam Hussein encouraged the perception that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) because he was afraid of appearing weak in Iran's eyes, according to nearly two dozen declassified transcripts of an FBI agent鈥檚 conversations with the former Iraqi dictator released Wednesday.
The National Security Archive, a project run by The George Washington University in Washington, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. Conducted in 2004 by FBI agent George Piro, they shed new light on Mr. Hussein鈥檚 thinking and the course of events that led to the US invasion six years ago.
Among the findings, with links to the .pdf file of the relevant transcript:
- Hussein as a 鈥渮ealot,鈥� denied meeting him in Sudan in 1994, and said his country and the international terrorist franchise 鈥渄id not have the same belief or vision.鈥�
- Iraq would have been , with which Hussein claimed to have a relationship. But his first choice would have been to seek a security agreement with the US to protect Iraq against regional threats.
- Iraq had regarding nuclear weapons by 1998. The main reason Hussein would not let UN inspectors return after kicking them out was that he was afraid Iran would learn from them where to strike Iraq.
- Hussein after the British government prepared a report with inaccurate intelligence. 鈥淚t was this inaccurate intelligence on which the United States was making their decisions,鈥� says the transcript.
Hussein's unlikely bond with FBI agent
Mr. Piro, one of about 50 Arabic speakers among the FBI鈥檚 10,000 agents, coaxed this information out of Hussein over the course of nearly a year 鈥� during which, he says, the dictator came increasingly to rely on him emotionally.
According to CBS, Piro listened to Hussein read poetry he鈥檇 written 鈥� a daily exercise for the former dictator, who had always carefully carved out time to read fiction when he was running Iraq. He gave Hussein the baby wipes the "" ruler loved to use to clean his cell and wipe off fresh fruit. The FBI agent celebrated Hussein鈥檚 birthday with cookies from his mother. He gave Hussein flower seeds, which he cultivated in a tiny garden with his bare hands. Slowly, the relationship began to yield fruit.
When Piro gave a in January 2008, his boss 鈥� FBI Assistant Director Joe Persichini 鈥� called the interviews with Hussein 鈥渙ne of the top accomplishments of our agency in the last 100 years.鈥�
The FBI was asked, it said in , to brief Hussein because of the agency鈥檚 鈥渓ongstanding work in gathering statements for court.鈥�
Excerpts from the transcripts
Piro, a former California policeman who earned his college degree in night school in order to be eligible for the FBI, often took issue with Hussein鈥檚 assertions.
Hussein denied having any WMD. Piro countered, pointing out that US intelligence had gathered intelligence to the contrary and asking if WMDs could have been developed without his knowledge:
Hussein said no, and claimed on several occasions he held meetings with all of his ministers and asked them specifically if Iraq had WMD that he was unaware of.
All of the ministers .
Hussein also claimed that if UN sanctions had been lifted, he would have sought a security agreement with the US. Piro pointed out that given the relationship of the two countries, such an agreement may have not been an immediate option, and Iraq 鈥渨ould have needed to reconstitute its own weapons program in response.鈥� Hussein replied that 鈥淚raq would have and agreed that Iraq鈥檚 technical and scientific abilities exceeded others in the region.
On other points, Hussein鈥檚 statements received less criticism 鈥� particularly on Iran. The former dictator鈥檚 was worried not only about the immediate threat from Iran, but its :
Hussein further stated that Iran鈥檚 weapons capabilities have increased dramatically, while Iraq鈥檚 have been eliminated by the UN sanctions. The effects of this will be seen and felt in the future, as Iran鈥檚 weapons capabilities will be a greater threat to Iraq and the region in the future.
