Diaries could lead to Saddam's secret backers

The Times ^ | April 21, 2003 | Daniel McGrory

[MadIvan]

THE secrets of Saddam Hussein’s overseas business networks have been uncovered in the records of his eldest son, Uday, whose diary also reveals that he spied on his father.

British Intelligence got its hands on some of Uday’s prolific collection of records before looters could make off with them. They are hopeful that the diaries will identify businessmen in Britain who helped to keep the regime in Baghdad afloat.

A vain and temperamental figure, Uday insisted that every order he gave should be meticulously recorded in his office diaries, whether it be the Hollywood videos that he wanted to watch or the young women his aides had to procure.

Jealous of his younger brother, Qusay, who was his father’s favourite, the diaries reveal that Uday had embarked on a dangerous scheme of revenge by setting up a business empire to rival Saddam’s, which involved blackmailing and threatening some of the former Iraqi leader’s own emissaries.

He had spies in his father’s office and, just like Saddam, his diaries show how ruthless he was at playing off political rivals against each other, plotting against military commanders and using torture and murder to scare his own family, as well as close aides.

The diaries show that he had discovered the identities of businessmen working abroad who were used by his father to flout United Nations sanctions. Some are understood to have homes and bank accounts in Britain.

Inevitably, for a man regarded as a cruel playboy, his diaries devote a lot of space to his pornographic pursuits. While that will make compelling reading for investigators, of more value to them is the insight that these records give into how the regime maintained control for 30 years.

Uday clearly shared Saddam’s obsession with writing everything down. Some of this incriminating material was snatched by looters, although fortunately there was too much to carry and US troops reached this compound in time to save vital files.

Some of the records now in British hands could prove to be embarrassing to influential figures in the Arab world. There are notes from members of royalty from the Gulf and ministers in the emirates, who were meant to be sworn enemies of Iraq and yet here they were arranging business deals or hunting trips with Uday.

Some of Uday’s e-mails, which are also faithfully kept in these records, illustrate how he had paid informers working in sensitive departments of governments in the region.

It is, however, Uday’s own brutal behaviour that first catches the attention in these diaries. Never a day goes by without him threatening at least one of his key aides. He threatens in one note to have one of his three personal chefs shot because a meal was unsatisfactory.

The diaries were compiled in immaculate handwriting by Jassem Sabah Aly, his most-trusted aide, who apparently left them behind as he abandoned his office in what has been called Uday’s “love palace”. Aly never refers to his employer by name, calling him al-Ustaz (respected teacher).

The contents of the diaries show how much sex was a driving force in Uday’s life, more so in latter years as he tried to refute popular stories in Baghdad that he was left crippled and impotent after a botched assassination attempt.

There are photos of naked women, presumably some of his conquests. He pursues young women he has seen around the capital and orders them to be brought to his eight-bedroom palace. Some appear eager to volunteer their services. One, named as Nasrine Azizi, is described by the staff member sent to procure her as “a virgin, lovely and cute. She is ready to come to you.” The message continues that her mother is keen to offer her favours as well.

There are several photographs of the girl thought to be Uday’s latest wife. She is said to be a cousin and, from her picture, she can be no more than 15 or 16. He is 39. She is seen standing in her bridal gown between Saddam and his first wife, Uday’s mother, Sajida, who has rarely been seen in recent years. Sajida is a much plumper figure than in previous photographs, with her hair dyed blonde. The most striking thing about this family snap is that while Saddam is grinning, the bride looks terrified.

Uday is careful not to be photographed standing beside his bride, who, from pictures with the in-laws, is clearly taller than her husband. Her voluminous dress hides his legs, adding to speculation he is unable to stand or walk properly.

Even though he has recently married, Uday’s lusts apparently remained unsatisfied. He gives instruction for staff to “examine the girls for colon disease” before they are brought to him and demands that after these women shower at least twice, “the bathrooms must be sterilised”.

For all his obsession with sex, doubts remain about his own prowess. On the ground floor of this palace was what looks like a modern hospital ward, with a surgical bed, which is thought to be where he slept. There are various surgical instruments to help him to walk and a locked medicine cabinet stuffed with drugs including Prozac, lithium and saline fluid. Each treatment he was given is faithfully recorded.

On the top floor was what appears to have been his bride’s bedroom, decorated in white and gold, and heavy gilt furnishings with wardrobes full of expensive clothes and lingerie. None of this survived when the looters arrived.

The house was also stripped clean of the copious amounts of alcohol that Uday kept, the records of which are listed in the diaries.

To show how obsessive he was, he gave his three chefs — Johnny, Amar and Maran — marks of out ten for every dish they prepared, from the bananas mashed in milk that he insisted on for breakfast to other favoured delicacies such as Indian curries, boiled fish, snails and sheep’s testicles.

In one entry Uday details a recipe that he wants to be prepared and tells the cook: “If the quality is not good enough you will suffer.”

Every day there is a list of videos that he wants to be delivered. One of the last entries was for Behind Enemy Lines, Ocean’s Eleven, Vanilla Sky and Doctor Zhivago.

A staff member was beaten and jailed for failing to put a fresh box of tissues in one of his cars. He ordered the glasses to be changed daily in the cocktail cabinets of his fleet of luxury cars, parked in an underground garage close by. They, too, have been stolen, including his prized Rolls Royce Silver Shadows, two London taxis and a customised golf cart with gold fittings.

[MadIvan]

If Uday is dead, rejoice.

Oh by the way, a fair question: were the leftists comfortable with this lunatic inheriting the leadership of Iraq?

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[alnitak]

Let's hope he's been the victim of his own ultra-violence. So his Roller was nicked, eh? I have this vision of some young Arab guys cruising round Saddam City, hanging out of the windows and quaffing from his whiskey bottles, gangsta rap blaring !!!!

[Mr. Mulliner]

This is simply amazing stuff.

BTTT

[george wythe]

He gives instruction for staff to “examine the girls for colon disease” before they are brought to him and demands that after these women shower at least twice, “the bathrooms must be sterilised”.

LOL!

[American Soldier]

I recall the typical anti-regime change argument made by Bush the First one-worlders in '91 and by liberals thereafter that "We can't be sure that Saddam's family won't be replaced by someone worse if we overthrow them!"

All in all, I think it's a pretty safe bet that most any Iraqi Army officer chosen by lot would be a better pick than anyone from this twisted clan... If we can democratize the place, even better.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Aly never refers to his employer by name, calling him al-Ustaz (respected teacher).

More like al-Ungatz (total piece of sh*t).

[cyncooper]

I'm missing the humor you seem to find in that particular statement. I found it sickening and chilling.

[dinok]

Caligula by the Tigris.

[Mister Baredog]

They are hopeful that the diaries will identify businessmen in Britian France, Germany and Belgium who helped to keep the regime in Baghdad afloat.

I thought that sentence needed correcting.

[WOSG]

Some of Uday’s e-mails, which are also faithfully kept in these records, illustrate how he had paid informers working in sensitive departments of governments in the region.

Ah ... The Mother of All Intelligence Finds

We will have the number of every Arab leader. cool!

[Dutchgirl]

This reminds me of the diary of another very ambitious man.A current dem candidate for presidency, note the similar obsession with breakfast entries and bathroom habits. Source:click here

Samuel Pepys he is not, unless SOB and "mingling" mean something more ribald than Senate Office Building and chit chat. Maybe "dry-cleaning" is a code word for virgins...

Dear Diary . . .

Log 9.17.02 (Tuesday)

6:50 Awake at 3 ST TH (181) (his weight)

6:50-7:00 Apply scalp medication

7:00-7:40 Kitchen -- brew coffee - - prepare and drink breakfast (soy, skim milk, OJ, peach, banana, blueberries)

-- read Post

-- dress in gray suit

* * * 8:00 Al Cumming -- have not received CIA answers to Iraq Qs

8:15-8:20 Walk to HSOB (Hart Senate Office Building)

8:20 Hart SOB 524

-- transfer dictation to Beth Powers

8:25-9:00 Priorities review w Bryant Hall, Buddy Menn, Paul Anderson, John Provenzano

9:00-10:05 Hart SOB 219 -- conference room

-- briefing on Iraq, Cuba, DHS with Al Cumming, Bob Filippone, Lorenzo

10:05 Dirksen SOB 226

-- mingle

10:15 International Drug Caucus hearing on Andean Regional Initiative

12:10-12:20 Walk, elevator, subway to Capitol w Buddy Menn -- discuss EEF, Florida Gov's race

12:20-1:10 Capitol S-104

12:20-12:35 Review status of Apalachicola River + Forest, Miami Circle, Virginia Key beach w Amanda Wood, Kasey Gillette, Zev Simpser (Graham's environmental staffers)

12:35-1:00 Briefing on prescription drugs w Lisa Layman, Bryant Hall

1:00-1:10 Caroline Berver, Bryant Hall re Haitian detainees

1:10-2:15 Capitol S-211 (LBJ Room)

-- Demo caucus luncheon (salmon)

-- topics discussed: state of US economy -- DHS (Department Homeland Security) -- Iraq

2:15-2:25 Walk to HSOB w Senator Jay Rockeller -- discuss JIC (Joint Inquiry Committee) hearing on 9.19.02

2:25 Hart SOB 219

-- mingle

2:35-4:35 SSCI closed hearing on Iraq

-- witness: DCI George Tenet

4:55 conference room

4:55-5:00 Paul Anderson -- re JIC opening statement

5:00-5:35 George Tenet

(at 5:10) MC Goss & Pelosi; Senator Shelby; Stan Moskowitz (CIA congressional liaison)

-- re: WH cooperation

5:25-5:35 Walk, elevator, subway to Capitol

5:35-5:40 Senate chamber

-- vote aye on cloture on DHS

-- talk w Senator Miller re prescription drugs

5:40-6:30 Capitol H405

-- 5:40 John Provenzano will bring dry cleaning, reading materials to 3 ST TH

-- 5:45 Buddy Shorstein -- LVM (left voice mail)

-- 5:50 Geoff Garin -- w/CB (will call back) at H

-- 5:55-6:30 JIC Leadership: Senator Shelby, MC Goss, Pelosi, Eleanor Hill

-- review 9.18.02 format, schedule

-- 6:30 cloakroom -- no votes

6:30-6:45 Walk, elevator, subway to Florida House via HSOB

6:45-7:40 at Florida House -- attend reception hosted by (Cuban exile group that presented him with an award)

-- mingle

-- receive

-- intro MC Ike Skelton

7:40-7:45 Walk to 3 ST TH w John Provenzano

-- 7:40 Paul Kelly (asst sec of state) -- Deputy Secretary Armitage will appear 9.19? or Wolfowitz

7:45 3 St TH kitchen

-- drink supper -- see 9.17.02 7:00 a.m.

-- read news clips

8:30 Buddy Shorstein re: Governor's race; EEF (Educational Excellence for Florida, the ballot amendment Graham had developed to bring back the Board of Regents)

8:40-8:50 -- 3 St TH bedroom, bathroom

-- change to blue shorts

-- apply scalp medication

8:50-10:50 3 ST TH office

8:50-9:00 -- update notebook

9:00-10:50 review staff memos, miscellaneous dictation

9:30 Geoff Garin -- EEF poll

9:45 Adele -- OK w ML

10:50-11:15 3 St TH bedroom, bathroom

-- shower+ dress for sleep

-- read Post

11:20 Asleep at 3 St TH

[Lockbox]

Uday Hussein’s Agenda

8:00 am –Wake, shoot the women I woke with, anyone I have to kidnap to sleep with me is not worth dating.

8:15 am – Flog my personal attendant for not having my rubber duck in my bathtub.

8:30 am – Memo to shoot the store clerk who gave me the razor with which I used to shave, cut myself again. Must find store clerk with ‘good’ razors.

9:00 am – 9:01 am – feed Breakfast to official food taster and wait

9:05 am – Phone office, tell assistant to drive to newspaper and shoot newspaper editor due to my favorite cartoon not being funny. How many times do I have to tell the newspaper editors, need funny cartoons or else!

9:10 am - Eat Breakfast

9:12 am – Call office assistant on cell phone, while at newspaper put ad in paper for more Official Food Tasters. Run next to ad for Offical Girl Friend ad.

9:15 am – Plan day, Killings before Noon, Killings after lunch, Killings before drive home, Killings before going to bed.

10:00 am – Work Work Work...............

[COBOL2Java]

He pursues young women he has seen around the capital and orders them to be brought to his eight-bedroom palace. Some appear eager to volunteer their services.

Wonder if Baghdad Betty's name will be found in the diaries...

[ALS]

Who is it a secret to?

parlez vous ich bein traitorinski?

[Minty]

Of course she is! Look at her teeth, they are greenish, that thing kissed the living frog Uday. Eeeeeeeeeeeew the thought of it makes me sick.

[tillacum]

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM????

[Bonaparte]

"...and sheep’s testicles."

So why can't he eat hog's testicles like the rest of us? Not good enough for him? Never trust a man who won't eat hog's testicles.

[Tunehead54]

This is simply amazing stuff.

---

We need more. Screw the WMDs. We need documents detailing the horrors of their regime so the world can once again say "Never again" and mean it.