Many Others Are Museum Looters (must read for those following the "looting" story)

The Intelligencer -Wheeling News Register ^ | April 18, 2003 | Intelligencer News

[FairOpinion]

Looting of the Iraq National Museum, long home to many rare and unique antiquities, has been big news.

While much of the concern expressed about the fate of the museum certainly is genuine, at least some of the discussion has been driven by the anti-war crowd. If only the United States and the Coalition force had not invaded, their argument goes, then precious artifacts would not have been lost. But there's much more to the story.

Like much else about the regime of Saddam Hussein, the museum was run with great secrecy about what it actually possessed. It seems that Saddam periodically claimed items for his own collections or to sell on the art and antiquities black market. Museum officials also took precautions prior to the war to remove many of the most valuable artifacts from the building, on the assumption that it might get bombed; the museum staff was not generally informed of this fact.

All this came out in a lightly reported press conference held this week by the director-general of the Iraqi Antiquities Department and the commander of U.S. forces now occupying the museum complex.

They also noted that Iraqi soldiers dug in around the museum and fired upon U.S. forces from it. American soldiers did not return fire upon the building because they were aware of the enormous value of the antiquities believed to be within. Were it not for the actions of Iraqi forces, the museum might have been entirely protected from looting.

There's no question that looting took place at the museum, some of it apparently carried out by criminals who knew exactly what to look for and where to look in the building. It's clear that their raid was planned well before the invasion of Iraq.

But it now appears that the looting was not nearly as bad as first reported, and it also is clear that U.S. troops hardly stood by and let it happen. Would that the rest of the museum looting story be as breathlessly reported as the original supposed ransacking.

[FairOpinion]

Normally I would never dream of putting this into "frontpage" news, but it IS front page news, at least the distored version, so I think that this "setting the record" straight part should be too.

Note some key information in this article, which hadn't made it into the "mainstream" anti-American press.

Note they mention a press conference held by the director-general of the Iraqi Antiquities department, which was not covered, because apparently he clarified that there really wasn't that much lost afterall.

[fuzzy122]

Thank you for this post!

MEGA-

Stay Strong
Fuzzy

[Carry_Okie]

Thanks, I would not have seen it had you not posted it as such.

[FairOpinion]

Ping


Since you've been following the "looting" stories, I am sure you'll be interested in this one.

[patriciaruth]

Another part of this story also leans left in reporting. They call the two cultural advisors who resigned "Bush advisors."

Nutz. These guys were appointed by Clinton and they are lame ducks now. They just thought it would be neat to go out with a slap at Bush.

"Martin Sullivan, who chaired the President's Advisory Committee on Cultural Property for eight years, ..."

[weegee]

Clinton's Cultural Revolution is truly over then.

[wideminded]

"While much of the concern expressed about the fate of the museum certainly is genuine ..."

Exactly.

[patj]

I loved the Iraqi that was on camera and saying they lost millions, when asked what exactly was missing, he said he didn't know. However, he did know that it was worth millions.

[livius]

Nutz. These guys ["cultural advisors"] were appointed by Clinton and they are lame ducks now.

I didn't know that - thanks for reporting it!

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[livius]

Would that the rest of the museum looting story be as breathlessly reported as the original supposed ransacking.

There'll be a resounding silence in the media about this. You'll hear nothing, even when the FBI team sent to Iraq to investigate it and recover the antiquities finds (a) relatively few of them lost to "looting" and (b) clear indications that much of the missing stuff was channeled out by museum staff or other people associated with the Baath party cultural establishment.

[mewzilla]

Bump.

[hotpotato]

Isn't going to happen and if the above is accurate... O'Reilly owes the troops an apology. :-/

[shezza]

And the truth continues to trickle out....BTTT!

[vinylsidingman]

Isn't going to happen and if the above is accurate... O'Reilly owes the troops an apology.

I guess i missed it,, did o'reilly say the US troops had part in the looting ?

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this.

Would you please make an index of the key 5 to 6 articles that describe what really happened. Then make a reply or a free standing thread. Then we will have a quick reference for the clymers on FR who try to make the museum looting like a terrible thing the evil GW and Rummy did on purpose.

I'm up to my ankles trying to update the French Product to boycott list.

Thanks for the ping!

[FairOpinion]

I did. It's not complete, but at least it's captured for reference:

Here are a set of links to other articles posted here regarding the looting in perspective, i.e. articles that discuss the truth, which is slowly coming out: looting has been going on for years by Saddam, museum has been closed for years,nobody knows what's really there, some treasures were hidden by museum personnel, etc.

Here is a not necessarily complete list at FR:

Many others are looters
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895649/posts

Experts: Looters had keys to Iraqi antiquity vaults
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895129/posts

Looting not as bad, as feared
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895267/posts

Iraqis selling antiquitites( 1996!)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/894176/posts

Churning: rethinking Museum Looting
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/894999/posts

And here is a set of direct links to articles( some were not posted separately at FR, just mentioned in posts of some other threads):


http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105062922276805100,00.html?mod=weekend_journal_primary_hs

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105053292455773900,00.html?mod=article-outset-box

http://www.news-register.net/edit/story/0418202003_edt02.asp

1996:
http://www.usfca.edu/~trembath/www-class/iraq-antiquities.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB10504503813207600,00.html?mod=special_page_iraq_3


http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6281650%5E25777,00.html

http://www.arab.net/iraq/iq_baghdadsights.htm

http://www.freep.com/news/nw/iraq/loot17_20030417.htm

http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6281650%255E25777,00.html

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks, I have saved this for future BS attacks on our military, Rummy and GW about this non story of looting.

Great Work!

[SunkenCiv]

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