Editor's Response to German Statement on Times Report (Saddam's War Plan)

SPIEGEL Online ^ | February 28, 2006 | Bill Keller

[wolf78]

Bill Keller, the executive editor of The Times, issued the following statement in response to the German government's statements today about the report published in The Times today.

Michael Gordon's report was attributed to a classified Joint Forces Command study on the development of Iraq's military strategy, dated 2005.

On the matter of German involvement, the Joint Forces Command study is explicit and unqualified. It shows a picture of the sketch, the one we reproduced in the paper today. The sketch is identified as a plan that was presented at a Dec. 18, 2002 meeting of Mr. Hussein and his top commanders.

The study states that the sketch was acquired by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in February 2003, a month before the war.

The study then provides an explanation as to how the sketch was acquired.

The following is a verbatim transcription, including the ellipses, the capitalization, parenthesis and punctuation used in the study.

"The US obtained the sketch on Feb 03. The overlay was provided in February to the GERMAN Intel LNO in Qatar, who provided it to DIA's rep in CENTCOM Forward...DIA then forwarded it to CENTCOM J2 in Feb."

"The Germans had two agents operating in Baghdad prior to the start of the war. The overlay was provided to the Germans by one of their sources in Baghdad (identity of the German source unknown). When bombs started falling, the agents ceased ops and went to the French Embassy."

[wolf78]

FYI

[Jack Black]

I read it twice and I guess I'm lacking context. What is the news here? That the Germans helped the USA with pre-war intelligence. I guess this might piss off the Green Party in Germany or something, but other than that is it important?

Or am I missing the key point here?

[AmericaUnited]

The German government denied the Slimes story and the Slimes is making the point that they did not imagine this out of thin air (unlike most of their stories)

[Dilbert56]

Thanks NY Times traitors. In the future, countries will hesitate to help us knowing you will publish classified information. Keller and Michael R. Gordon will probably win an award for publishing this story, because it's detrimental to the United States of America. In the future American soldiers or civilians will die because you needed that award. You should be proud. Personally, I can't wait until the NY Slimes goes under.

[Capt. Tom]

What is the news here? That the Germans helped the USA with pre-war intelligence. I guess this might piss off the Green Party in Germany or something, but other than that is it important?

Or am I missing the key point here?

The subliminal message is: You Americans weren't all that clever Militarily in beating Saddam's army in such a quick fashion and losing so few American troops doing it. You had a cheat sheet provide by the Germans.

You remember the Germans, who wouldn't put one soldier in combat to help us on Iraq. They should be your heroes now. - Tom

[wolf78]

There are two previous threads in the forums:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1586205/posts (German Intelligence Gave U.S. Iraqi Defense Plan, Report Says)

and

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1586365/posts (Germany denies handing U.S. Saddam's war plan)

[Jambe]

DID -

DID NOT -

DID -

DID NOT -

DID -

DID NOT -

Get the picture?

[Michael81Dus]

No, the point is not "you Americans needed our help" but "Schröder´s ´government of peace(-niks)´ wasn´t so pacifist at all". That can bring trouble to the current Foreign Minister Steinbrück, who was Chief of the Chancellery and Coordinator of the German Intelligences in the former government. The opposition is likely to start a parliamentary investigation - with all the publicity!