Baghdad embassy plans turn up online

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/31/07 | Matthew Lee - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - Detailed plans for the new U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad appeared online Thursday in a breach of the tight security surrounding the sensitive project.

Computer-generated projections of the soon-to-be completed, heavily fortified compound were posted on the Web site of the Kansas City, Mo.-based architectural firm that was contracted to design the massive facility in the Iraqi capital.

The images were removed by Berger Devine Yaeger Inc. shortly after the company was contacted by the State Department.

"We work very hard to ensure the safety and security of our employees overseas," said Gonzalo Gallegos, a department spokesman. "This kind of information out in the public domain detracts from that effort."

The 10 images included a scheme of the overall layout of the compound, plus depictions of individual buildings including the embassy itself, office annexes, the Marine Corps security post, swimming pool, recreation center and the ambassador's and deputy ambassador's residences.

U.S. officials said the posted plans conformed at least roughly to conceptual drawings for the new embassy, which is being built on the banks of the Tigris River behind huge fences due to concerns about insurgents' attacks.

Dan Sreebny, a spokesman for the embassy in Baghdad, declined to discuss the accuracy of the posted images.

"In terms of commenting whether they're accurate, obviously we wouldn't be commenting on that because we don't want people to know whether they're accurate or not for security reasons," he said.

Berger Devine Yaeger's parent company, the giant contractor Louis Berger Group, said the plans had been very preliminary and would not be of help to potential U.S. enemies.

"The actual information that was up there was purely conjectural and conceptual in nature," said company spokesman Jeffrey Willis. "Google Earth could give you a better snapshot of what the site looks like on the ground."

Some U.S. officials acknowledged that damage may have been done by the postings and used expletives to describe their personal reactions. Still, they downplayed the overall risk.

"People are eventually going to figure out where all these places are, but you don't have to draw them a map," said one senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the embassy project.

Few are, and in Baghdad, the construction is under heavy guard and treated with extreme secrecy. It is off-limits to all but those with special passes, surrounded by tall, concrete blast walls and impossible to see except from the air.

The images posted on the Web site show that the $592 million embassy, expected to be completed in September on prime real estate two-thirds the size of Washington's National Mall, will be a spacious and comfortable facility, albeit dangerous.

Identified as the "Baghdad U.S. Embassy Compound Master Plan," the images show palm-lined paths, green grass gardens and volleyball and basketball courts outside the Marine post, as well as the swimming pool.

"In total, the 104-acre compound will include over twenty buildings, including one classified secure structure and housing for over 380 families," the Web site says.

It says the compound will include the embassy building, housing, a PX, commissary, cinema, retail and shopping areas, restaurants, schools, a fire station, power and water treatment plants as well as telecommunications and wastewater treatment facilities.

A U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report last year said embassy security will be extraordinary: Setbacks and perimeter no-go areas will be especially deep, structures reinforced to 2.5 times the standard and five high-security entrances, plus an emergency entrance-exit. ___

Associated Press Writer Kim Gamel contributed to this report from Baghdad.

[NormsRevenge]

Gee , I hope no one gets in trouble for posting this, but I would think it just might get changed after this. OOPS! ;-)

This computer generated architectural rendering recently posted on the architect's web site reportedly shows the entrance to the residence of the Deputy Chief of Mission, part of the American Embassy complex in Baghdad, Iraq, currently under construction. Detailed plans for the new U.S. Embassy now under construction in Baghdad appeared online Thursday, May 31, 2007, in a breach of the tight security surrounding the sensitive project that will be America's largest diplomatic mission abroad. The post was removed by the company from its website shortly after being contacted about it by the State Department. (AP Photo)

[NormsRevenge]

the $592 million embassy, expected to be completed in September on prime real estate two-thirds the size of Washington’s National Mall, will be a spacious and comfortable facility, albeit dangerous.

—

592 million?

I could build one heckuva bunker with that. ;-)

[NormsRevenge]

US scrambles to remove plans for new Baghdad embassy from Internet

AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US architect working on the construction of a massive new US embassy in war-torn Baghdad quickly removed plans and drawings of the proposed compound from its website Thursday after a protest from the State Department, officials said.

"Our desire would be that this not be in the public domain," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said after officials called the firm of Berger Devine Yaeger within minutes of learning from a reporter that the embassy plans had been posted on its website.

"We work very hard to ensure the safety and security of our employees overseas and this kind of information out in the public domain detracts from that effort," Gallegos told AFP.

"When it was brought to our attention that these drawings were on their website, they were contacted by department officials and subsequently agreed to take it down," he said.

Congress has authorized nearly 600 million dollars to build what will be the largest, most fortified US embassy in the world, to be situated in the US-controlled "Green Zone" in central Baghdad.

The current US embassy is housed in Saddam Hussein's former Republican Palace, also in the Green Zone, and employs some 1,000 US nationals, the most of any US diplomatic mission.

Washington wants to return the buildings, and many other Saddam palaces occupied by US forces after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, to Iraqi authorities.

The Green Zone has been a frequent target of mortar and rocket fire from anti-US insurgents.

Until the State Department intervened on Thursday, the Berger Devine Yaeger website showed a full aerial plan of the proposed 104 acre (41 hectare) embassy compound, including the ambassador's residence, Marine guard quarters and residential areas.

The firm, based in Kansas City, Missouri, also posted artists' renditions of the ambassador's and Marine residences, embassy office buildings, a swimming pool, tennis court and community center.

The company said its part of the project included the design of a "self-contained compound" comprising the embassy, residences, a cinema, shops, restaurants, schools, a fire station, power generation and water treatment facilities.

In total, the full compound will include more than 20 buildings and housing for more than 380 families, it said.

Officials at Berger Devine Yaeger did not respond immediately to queries about the project or the decision to remove pages concerning the embassy from their website.

[Letitring]

OMG!

[BlazingArizona]

Detailed plans for the new U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad appeared online Thursday in a breach of the tight security surrounding the sensitive project.

I wonder if this was an intentional charade. As in, the almost-real plans with a few key changes.

[HitmanLV]

Nice little success story we have going on over there, Dubya.

[NormsRevenge]

could be..

Not many ways to stop a mortar attack anyway,, 104 acres is a pretty good sized target,, just hope they aren’t good shots..

[ex-snook]

No way a project of this size can be kept secret.

[MinuteGal]

Here we thought the Three Stooges had shuffled off this mortal coil, leaving us with humorous memories.

Wrong.

Their legacy lives on in the current U.S. stumblebum bureaucracy.

NOBODY could be this stupid, right?

(......slapping myself in the face and conking myself over the head........)

Leni

[Republicus2001]

did someone put Chertoff on this?

[Dr. Marten]

There have been more leaks with this Administration than a plumber sees in a lifetime.

[caisson71]

Since we never punish those who leak our national secrets and refuse to pursue leakers if we don’t get “cooperation”, what’s the big deal? The CIA, FBI, State Department and our own Congressional members and staff are our greatest leakers and they still have their comfy jobs! Does anyone in a position to do something about this give a damn? Let’s have Sandy BURGler investigate this.

[RDTF]

WTF?

[weegee]

There is a sizeable shadow government working to undercut the actions of the elected administration.

Things will be more in lockstep with Hillary Clinton serving her 3rd term as co-president (1st elected term, Bill Clinton serving 3rd term, first as unelected co-president).

[weegee]

[caisson71]

That’s what I’m talking about. Thanks.

[MinorityRepublican]

I wonder if this includes anti-aircraft batteries?

[Ax]

They’ve come a long way since 1983. I was working at the old U.S. Interests Section in Baghad then. It was in a single building (the former U.S. Embassy, then under the aegis of the Belgians). There were no Marine Security Guards, and no American presence after 1800. The only “security” was provided by a platoon of Iraqi infantry. There were at least four levels of security to get through to reach the upper floors where the classified holdings were, and the guy I relieved told me that the Iraqis could break in, “hold a disco party” and leave, undetected, before the first Americans arrived at 0730.

[billbears]

Oh yes please let's be upset that the plans turned up online. Never mind this massive building plan has a swimming pool, will take up almost as much room as the National Mall, and will cost half a billion dollars. I mean really, we need to keep our priorities straight right?

It says the compound will include the embassy building, housing, a PX, commissary, cinema, retail and shopping areas, restaurants, schools, a fire station, power and water treatment plants

Don't see why they need all that. After all, aren't the Iraqis throwing candy and flowers at the feet of all Americans there?