1999, 2000 Iraqi memos: Procurement of 50000 Aluminum Tubes That Can Be Used For URANIUM ENRICHMENT.

Pentagon/FMSO website for Iraq Pre-war documents ^ | April 24 2006 | jveritas

[jveritas]

This document CMPC-2004-004404 contains memos dated from 1999 and 2000 about Saddam regime procurements of 81 mm in Diameter, 900 mm in Lenght HIGH STRENGTH AND HIGH QUALITY ALUMINUM TUBES. As many of you know the issue of 81 mm High Strength, High Quality Aluminum Tubes were subject for an intensive debate since 2002 because this type of tubes can be used in GAS CENTRIFUGES FOR URANIUM ENRICHMENT. Although the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) said in its final report in 2004 the following about the procurement of these tubes “ Baghdad’s interest in high-strength, high-specification aluminum tubes—dual-use items controlled under Annex 3 of the Ongoing Monitoring and Verification Plan as possible centrifuge rotors—is best explained by its efforts to produce 81-mm rockets”. However the ISG could not prove definitively that these very special tubes were not used as part of Saddam Regime attempt to build its Nuclear Programs and Projects (see link to ISG report http://www.cia.gov/cia/reports/iraq_wmd_2004/chap4.html#sect6). In fact the ISG in its report says also the following “ The limited information found by ISG that ties Iraqi nuclear entities to the tubes also appears related to the 81-mm rocket program and the ISG report also says ” Purported high-level interest in aluminum tubes by Saddam and Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister—a potential indicator of a program of national importance, such as a centrifuge program.. A 6 March 2003 letter from the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate (NMD) to the IAEA’s Iraq Nuclear Verification Office (INVO) notes that the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) conducted material composition testing on a sample aluminum tube in early 2001 and In another translated memo “http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1620262/posts ” that talks about a secret project by the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission to re-instate the “Nuclear Reactor Simulators” using equipments from the “Old TAMUZ (OZIRAQ) Nuclear Reactor”. All this is a clear indication of Saddam intent to restart the Nuclear Programs.

I will translate the first two pages of this 11 pages document. The first two pages are the Quotation Bid regarding these Special Aluminum Tubes by a company called AL Bashair addressed to Al Rasheed General Company which is a division of the Iraqi Military Manufacturing Commission. Page 3 of the document has the Technical Specification written in English of these Aluminum tubes, Diameter, Length, Specification, Chemical Composition, Price, Manufacturing origin etc,,

Beginning of the Partial Translation of document CMPC-2004-004404

In the Name of God the Most Merciful The Most Compassionate

Al-Bashair Trading Co. LTD

Date: 2/11/1999

To: Al Rasheed General Company

Subject: Proposal

Following up to our two letters numbered T 2484 and T 2504 on 30/10 and 1/11/1999 consecutively and attached with it proposals numner/3 related to your invitation numbered (75/3/13) included is our forth proposal related to it:

Please study with the other proposals sent to by our letter above and inform us..

With Regards

Signature…

Mounir Mamdooh Awed

Acting Director

4/11/1999

Best Salute

Indicating to your overture addressed to us regarding the bid numbered (725/99) we are pleased to offer our proposal included and are shown its details of the Technical Specifications, Prices, and the required quantity by you.

Knowing that the cost of a single tube delivered to your respected company warehouses is estimated (105 dollar) one hundred and five American Dollars,

Please take in consideration the following issues:

1. The Manufacturing Origin of the tubes German/European.

2. The equipping will be achieved within a period of 8 months from the date to deposit the amount in our interest and in the order of partial shipments divided during the equipping period above, where the first shipment begins within four months from the period of equipping indicated above.

3. The quantity of tubes required for equipping is 50,000 Tubes.

We hope that our proposal will receive your approval… with the continuous corporation with you to serve the general interest… with regards

Attachments. Schedule of Technical Specifications with prices.

TUBE ALUMUNIUM ALLOY

1. SPECIFICATION: AL-ZN-MG-CU 215/ NO. 7075

2. DIMENSION OF TUBE:

Outside Diameter = 81.0 mm

Inside Diameter = 74.4 mm

Thickness = 3.3 mm

Length = 900 mm.

3. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

NB ALL TUBES ARE SUBJECTED TO CHEMICAL COATNG IONADIZATION PROCESS TO PREVENT AND SUSTAIN SCRATCHES AND CORROSIONS.

4. PRICE: FOR EACH TUBE = USD 105

5. MANUFACTURING OF ORIGIN: GERMANY OR E.E.C

[blaster88]

And furthermore: 2.C.1. Aluminium alloys having both of the following characteristics:

a. 'Capable of' an ultimate tensile strength of 460 MPa or more at 293 K (20 °C); and

b. In the form of tubes or cylindrical solid forms (including forgings) with an outside diameter of more than 75 mm.

Technical Note: In Item 2.C.1. the phrase 'capable of' encompasses aluminium alloys before or after heat treatment.

[jveritas]

Thank you for the clarification.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Pinging some others from that thread....

[jveritas]

WOW!!! Great points by General Powell.

[Marine_Uncle]

I am sure you have a very good reason for presenting the melting points of aluminum verse various types steel. I am not sure how it enters in. If you are thinking about the high temperature exhausts gas, then fine. A cermic or steel sleeve at the end of the tube would suffice to keep the tubes from melting at the exhaust end. But it does seem rather weird they would require tubes of such high standards for little short range rockets.

[XJarhead]

It's tough stuff, really. I'm a former artilleryman, but couldn't translate one word of those documents. You are the only one here, of whom I'm aware, who can do those translations. So we are all in your debt.

I figure the role of us on the sidelines is to add a drop of subject matter expertise where appropriate, so I hope you take it in the sense it was meant. Just an effort to make sure the discussion doesn't go off on a tangent.

For what it is worth, I think there's a very good chance those weren't intended for rockets.

[Marine_Uncle]

Thanks for the detailed description. I intend to download the pdf document.

[jveritas]

Thank you for all your comments XJ, I greatly appreciate it.

[jveritas]

Amen.

[RobFromGa]

this thread has been linked from NRO's the Corner by Jonah Goldberg at 1:28pm today:

ALUMINUM TUBES [Jonah Goldberg]

Have popped up in the Iraqi doc dump. I don't have time to decipher all this right this second, but if this is your cup of tea, check out Freerepublic.


Posted at 01:28 PM

[avacado]

---But in either case, the question remains. Under the UN sanctions, was Iraq permitted to obtain these tubes for either of the proposed reasons. That is the issue, at least from my viewpoint.---

UN Resolutions 686 and 687 forbid dual-use equipment. Saddam was in breach of those resolutions with those tubes. But this breach was known back then when the issue first surfaced.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

But it does seem rather weird they would require tubes of such high standards for little short range rockets.

Trying to arrive at what this procurement is for via deductive logic and elimination is always tough, but I haven't seen anything to eliminate their possible use in centrifuges, and the number 50,000 is consistent with that,

The quality level seems high for use in munitions....etc....

[jveritas]

I greatly appreciate your comments and support. However if you link at what some freepers posted on this thread about Powell statements on these Aluminum tubes, it makes me think more and more that they were not intended for conventional 81 mm rockets.

[eyespysomething]

Wow, all the knowledge of FReepers really comes in handy doesn't it?

I love the dissection of these documents. It lets all the aspects be covered, and like I said earlier - when you take all of what the documents tell us together, it really is damning for the Ba'athist Hussein regime. And affirms what Bush said all along.

[jveritas]

Thanks Rob.

[Irish Eyes]

How would Zinni spin and lie about this?

IMO Zinni is spinnning as fast as he can so that he will have his word to the media first. He thinks that the media will take take little interest in these translated documents if they have an important source getting an alternative statement out there first.

[ElkGroveDan]

wouldn't the meaningful dimension of the tube/barrel from which that round was launched be the inner diameter, and not the outer diameter?

Just guessing, but it appears that under that alternative scenario, the tubes would have comprised the projectile not the launcher -- hence the lightweight aluminum composition. I'm still not convinced that these tubes would have been effective as rockets though.

[Marine_Uncle]

Your post #101. I need time to read the downloaded document. Thanks. I am sure this is going to be very interesting reading.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Regarding the Powell comments, what we may have here is information that SOS Powell DID NOT HAVE....a procurement memo for 50,000 High quality aluminum tubes, anodized....

I think that is significant even if nothing in the document says exactly what they were to be used for....

[Marine_Uncle]

" But this breach was known back then when the issue first surfaced."
But his attempt to procure them prior to the invasion was known, so any way we split it, the bastard was caught with his pants down.