U.S. didn't interview tipster on mobile labs

Washington Post ^ | 3/5/2004 | Walter Pincus

[JohnGalt]

U.S. didn't interview tipster on mobile labs Friday, March 05, 2004

By Walter Pincus, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's prewar assertion that Saddam Hussein had a fleet of mobile labs that could produce bioweapons rested largely on information from an Iraqi defector working with another government who was never interviewed by U.S. intelligence officers, according to current and former senior intelligence officials and congressional experts who have studied classified documents.

In his presentation before the U.N. Security Council on Feb. 5, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell said "firsthand descriptions" of the mobile bioweapons fleet had come from an Iraqi chemical engineer who had defected and is "currently hiding in another country with the certain knowledge that Saddam Hussein will kill him if he finds him."

The claims about the mobile facilities remain unverified, however, and now U.S. officials are trying to get access to the Iraqi engineer to verify his story, the sources said, particularly because intelligence officials have discovered that he is related to a senior official in Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, a group of Iraqi exiles who actively encouraged the United States to invade Iraq.

[george wythe]

Yeah, Chalabi duped the Russians, the Germans, the Brits, the French, the Italians, and all the other nations whose intelligent services believed that Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons in 2003.

Chalabi must be an omnipresent, omnipotent genius.

[/s}

[JohnGalt]

LOL

Anyone else want to vouch for the mobile weapons lab before I reply?

[dirtboy]

You chose to start a flame war on this thread rather than deal with this Chalabi character

Let's review the thread so far. My initial comment wasn't even a reply to you - but in response to that you jump in and misquote me and grossly distort my comment.

But I apparently chose to start the flame war.

You're really engaging in some truly remarkable dissembling on this thread - although it really isn't anything to be proud of.

[snooker]

Do we have to bend over? If we do, I'm out of here.

[WOSG]

"sinking to childlike tactics is just silly for a serious Machiavellian like yourself."

Yes, let me clarify:

1. your deliberate misquoting of someone else is indeed a 'childlike tactic'. You are the one who it seems think 'the ends justify the means' since you made that lying quote, were given an opportunity to retract your error, yet refuse to admit it. Very childish, wrong and bad style by you.

2. My support of the war to liberate Iraq has been and has always been strong and was based on reasons wider and depper than just the WMDs. Even before the war I said that "saddam hussein is the real weapon of mass destruction". For me, it was and is about taking out a tyrant supporter of terrorists and replacing it with a free and democratic bulwark against terrorism in the region. It did and it will change the map in ways that are vital to winning the war on terror. WMDs are important but to me secondary. And yet, the discovery of the many WMD programs, biotoxins, and missle developments, and the nascent nuclear program, clearly show the intent, the progress and the real danger of the WMD/terrorist nexus that Saddam posed on an onoing basis.

3. As I said, the real dupes are those who still defy Kay's words that "this was more dangerous than we thought" and who think we would be safe letting Saddam's WMD programs and terrorist-supporting fester. So the mistaken intel on the WMD stockpiles is of historical interest and of interest in improving CIAs operations, but hardly changes the correct strategic calculation that required us to topple Saddam to remove that perceived danger and to win the war on terror.

4. I have no interest in debating you further so long as you behave as a dishonest jerk.

[optimistically_conservative]

Did anyone die over his duping?

Tell me John, how many military died in 2000? How many in 2001? How many in 2002?

Your crocodile tears are offensive to me. I have lost friends and acquaintances in the military from training accidents, illness and combat. Don't even begin to pretend that you give a rat's a$$ about the military.

Pincus has a long and questionable record.

[optimistically_conservative]

I think he realized he was trying to prove a negative to make a point and wisely backed away.

I think he decided to back down when Tenet recently told Congress the intel community was decidedly split even today on what they were for.

[JohnGalt]

10/2/2003 Kay No Longer Sure Trailers Were Labs

6/8/03 Blow to Blair over 'mobile labs' : Saddam's trucks were for balloons, not germs

May 28, 2003 New Intelligence Report Does Not Replace the Need for Independent International Inspections of Suspect Iraqi Biological Weapons Trailers

Some Analysts of Iraq Trailers Reject Germ Use, Judith Miller and William J. Broad

6/15/2003Iraqi mobile labs nothing to do with germ warfare, report finds

2/11/04Bad Sourcing
In his otherwise vigorous defense of the agency’s performance at Georgetown University last week, CIA director George Tenet first alluded to the fact that were serious credibility problems with one Iraqi defector who made claims about the purported mobile weapons labs. Tenet said that the CIA had “recently discovered that relevant analysts in the community missed a notice that identified a source we had cited as providing information that, in some cases was unreliable, and in other cases was fabricated.”

[Coop]

rested largely on information from an Iraqi defector

Which means it was not sole source. Which makes sense, since HUMINT by itself is usually viewed as suspect - especially with an unknown source.

[An.American.Expatriate]

Okay John, I'll bite!

The Germans admitted to having sold several trucks which could have been turned into the labs in question.

A german "relief worker" has stated mny times, for the record that he had seen them in Iraq and that they were being used for biological testing.

Hans (ignorance is) Blix, when questioned about them by the UNSC, did NOT deny they existed, rather, he stated that Iraq claimed they were used for "food testing".

SO, my conclusion, there was sufficient evidence to believe that such labs "could have" existed. No one, then or now can explain what they were used for - interestingly, the trucks do not seem to have been found, although thier existance as "food labs" was confirmed. Where are they??

[JohnGalt]

Your lack of regard for the institutions of our fair republic concerns me, if it doesn't surprise me, and since this time around it is my friends, classmates, and teammates that are in harms way I find your stance anti-patriotic and cynical beyond belief.

Your damn right; I don't give a crap about the military; I do care about my countrymen.
Our contempt for each other is in plain view, no biggie here.

[JohnGalt]

Where are they indeed.

[An.American.Expatriate]

So you admit that the trucks existed?? (seven if memory serves . . .)

[JohnGalt]

You realize the existance of the trucks is not in question.

[snooker]

I am just trolling. Since I caught my limit I will move on.

[An.American.Expatriate]

Okay, just getting the record staight.

So, trucks were there, thier purpose "unknown".

Independant sources claim "biological" purposes.
"Non-Independant" sources claim the same.

Blix states "food testing".

Your links seem to claim other purposes.

?? Why would Iraq NOT show the trucks when these innocent purposes were indeed the correct ones? Why have the trucks been hiden? [or do you claim an allied plot to hide the truth?]

[talleyman]

Re: John Galt - Please feel free to use my Auto-Barf Responder^TM:

"You must be an intellectual. Only an intellectual could say something so stupid." - George Orwell.

Your comments are being processed by the Auto-Barf Responder, since they don't merit the attention of a gnat. Have a nice life."

[JohnGalt]

I think the question is who gave the intelligence services the impression that the trucks were "mobile weapons labs."

[jpl]

Personally, I'd love to know what the esteemed Hans Blix has to say about this, and the resulting five dead people:

[An.American.Expatriate]

I think the question is who gave the intelligence services the impression that the trucks were "mobile weapons labs."

We already know the answer to that! It was stated in the thread itself, and, as I have stated, there are german language links as well which corroborate the story - if you can read German, I'll be happy to dig them up - or search on my handle for the period of January - March last year.