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The Non-Pillage of Baghdad: It turns out the "looted museum" story was way overblown.
FrontPageMagazine.com ^
| Wednesday, May 7, 2003
| Wall Street Journal Editorial
Posted on 05/07/2003 2:54:42 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
"It is very common for the first information following a crisis to be wrong, and when I say wrong, I mean wrong."
So spoke Ronald Noble, the Secretary General of Interpol, at a conference yesterday in Lyon, France, devoted to the recovery of stolen Iraqi artifacts. The context for Mr. Noble's remarks is the incredible reduction in the estimate of the number of artworks lost in the ransacking of Baghdad's National Museum.
The claims have gone from 170,000 items first reported to the 30 to 40 that British Museum curator John Curtis confirmed missing at a press conference Monday in New York. Mr. Curtis's figure roughly tallies with that given by the Marine colonel investigating the looting.
And therein lies a story that always had another agenda attached to it. The initial reports coming out of Baghdad quoted the weeping deputy director of the museum, who blamed the Americans for allowing the destruction of "170,000 items of antiquity dating back thousands of years." A segment of the press corps eager to snatch defeat from the jaws of George W. Bush's victory quickly took up the theme.
It wasn't long before the American liberation of Iraq was likened to the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258. How typical, they sneered, for a Texas Republican to protect the oil fields (which will help feed Iraqis) while leaving the heritage of Western civilization naked.
But the latest news now appears to confirm what the Journal's Yaroslav Trofimov reported from Baghdad three weeks ago: Most of these works had been secreted away in anticipation of an attack. Moreover, as Attorney General John Ashcroft told the Lyon conference, the theft of Iraq's treasures was carried out by organized criminals who knew what they were looking for. Surely one key question is who at the museum might have helped. (Hint: It wasn't Donald Rumsfeld.)
Perhaps the biggest problem here is that the Iraqis didn't keep very good records, something Western museums, with the help of Unesco, are now trying to correct. None of this is to deny the terrible damage that did occur, the priceless bits of Iraq's heritage that have been stolen or destroyed -- or the many thousands more works that might be confirmed missing when curators finally go through the storehouses.
It is to say, however, with Mr. Noble that the key to restoring Iraq's museum will be to start dealing in information and facts, not "rumors and anecdotal stories."
TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: antiquities; insidejob; iraqifreedom; looting; museums; safekeeping
To: JohnHuang2
bump for setting the record straight
So much for the liberals gatting their panties in a bunch over our military's supposed "crimes against culture" for not stopping looting of the museum.
I don't have much hope, though, that this myth will be dislodged from the collective brain mass of the world.
To: JohnHuang2
Sounds like Sodamn Insane got some coaching from Bill & Hill as to how to loot a place on the way out.
3
posted on
05/07/2003 3:45:39 AM PDT
by
Ed_in_NJ
To: fightinJAG
I saw some early reports that Saddam's troops were using the museum as a shield and firing on our guys if they gat too close. Have you seen anything on that aspect?
4
posted on
05/07/2003 5:15:33 AM PDT
by
Nora
To: Torie; Theresa; Fifth Column
Bump for all of you! Let's hear again about the "barabarians" who protected the Oil Ministry and let the Museum be savaged.
5
posted on
05/07/2003 5:18:20 AM PDT
by
Cincinatus
(Omnia relinquit servare Republicam)
To: Nora
Yes, I heard that on FOX and read it somewhere as well. It seemed like an organized diversion tactic, as best I could tell. While one group was firing on our guys, another group was executing a pre-planned nab of a few particular objects. That was the report, at least.
To: JohnHuang2
The initial reports coming out of Baghdad quoted the weeping deputy director of the museum, who blamed the Americans for allowing the destruction of "170,000 items of antiquity dating back thousands of years."
You'd think that the DD of the museum would have been aware of the removal of most "originals" to safe storage. Except for a few large items, anything left in the museum was a copy.
7
posted on
05/07/2003 5:37:23 AM PDT
by
Tunehead54
(Support Our Troops!)
To: Cincinatus; Torie; Theresa; Fifth Column
I did a quick search on the NY Times and found several hand-wringing editorials on the "rape of Iraq and the World's cultural heritage." I did not find any reconsideration now that the facts are actually in.
Of course, this is the same paper that kept pleading for the UN Weapons inspectors to be given more time, and is now getting very impatient with our own search for WMD.
8
posted on
05/07/2003 2:35:38 PM PDT
by
WaveThatFlag
(Run Al, Run!!!)
To: WaveThatFlag
The facts actually are not all in. Not even close. Don't be too quick on the trigger.
9
posted on
05/07/2003 10:23:02 PM PDT
by
Torie
To: JohnHuang2
I'm shocked !!!
10
posted on
05/07/2003 10:34:25 PM PDT
by
pbear8
( sed libera nos a malo)
To: Torie
There are enough facts in that at least we now know that the screeching hysteria evident on your earlier thread was off the mark.
But I don't expect an admission of this.
11
posted on
05/08/2003 5:12:34 AM PDT
by
Cincinatus
(Omnia relinquit servare Republicam)
To: Torie
These facts are the number of missing items is 30-40, not thousands. Save your alterior motives for someone more gullible.
12
posted on
05/08/2003 5:26:51 AM PDT
by
WaveThatFlag
(Run Al, Run!!!)
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