Iraqis Say Museum Looting Wasn't as Bad as Feared

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Thursday, April 17, 2003 | YAROSLAV TROFIMOV

[TroutStalker]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Last week's looting of the Iraq National Museum, which saw numerous items disappear from a vast collection spanning eight millennia of Mesopotamian history, has provoked world-wide outcry -- and criticism of the U.S. military for its failure to protect Iraq's priceless cultural heritage.

[Howlin]

to the fury of Unesco and other international cultural organisations,

Why is that?

[aristeides]

They probably disapproved of the restoration plans.

[kevao]

Robert Fisk, call your office! Jeez, the hapless Fisk was wrong before the war (the Iraqi people didn't want to be liberated), during the war (Vietnam-style quagmire just five days into the campaign), and now after the war. Someone please tell me why he has ANY semblance of credibility left.

[Howlin]

Well, I have seen the insides of some of his palaces, so I could probably agree with them. :-)

[Grampa Dave]

This is incredible, Lt. Col. Schwartz, whose functions also include feeding the lions in the abandoned Baghdad Zoo next door, said he couldn't move into the museum compound and protect it from looters last week because his soldiers were taking fire from the building -- and were determined not to respond. There is an Iraqi army trench in the museum's front lawn, and Lt. Col. Schwartz said his troops found many Iraqi army uniforms inside. "If there is any dirty trick in the book," he said, "they sure used it."

[Rastus]

Donny George is hardly an Iraqi name. Where did they get him?

Wasn't he a New Kid on the Block?

Maybe his real name is Iraqi, but he picked up this pseudonym like Baghdad Bob did.

[sd-joe]

>> "If Hussein's palaces weren't so tacky, I'd presume he and his family looted the museums"

Oh good, the Elvis on velvet is still there then.

[alnick]

Oh, it's too bad that Clintonite resigned from the administration today citing how heartbroken he is about the looting of the museum as his reason. :-P

[SuziQ]

Hmmm. You reckon we'll see any of this info in the Old Grey Lady and the Washington ComPost? Maybe CNN will feature the story, whadda ya think? I, for one, won't be holding MY breath waiting for it.

[colorado tanker]

Ditto your thoughts. Interesting that the naysayers are using a Tailwind-type trumped-up story to crowd out the awful stories of the mass graves, childrens' prisons, torture chambers and the like.

[Porterville]

But I thought the US really messed-up, why can't a liberal ever win??

[JasonC]

Let's see - "We never thought it could be looted". That is why they had security guards, and supposedly scholars abroad had asked for US protection? Or has that bit of the story now gone away? Because, after all, if they knew it was going to be looted unless protected, they should have taken steps to protect things themselves before the old order broke down. But they didn't. Therefore, they can't have asked for US protection?

"secrecy long enveloped the museum -- where part of the collection had been siphoned off by Saddam Hussein's family and sold abroad". Oh, so Saddam looted the place already. And needs a pretext for items gone missing. Preferably one to blame on somebody else. Suddenly the Baathists have rather a lot to gain from a visible sacking, instead of being high minded guardians of the country's heritage.

"prompted a wave of anti-American anger. A belief often voiced in the streets of Baghdad holds that U.S. soldiers themselves stole the most-precious objects" Notice the passive voice? Nothing said about *who* is voicing such a belief. Perhaps, just perhaps, Baathists? Looking to blame anything on Americans? To excuse and cover their own thefts?

"Among the antiquities unaccounted for so far, Mr. George said, are the sacral vase of Warqa, from Sumerian times, and the bronze statue of Basitqi, from the Accadian civilization." 170,000 priceless items and records just became 2 objets d'art. In another report, I heard of a third. This was supposed to be the loss of the Alexandrian library all over again. Instead, one vase and one statue? Others to be filled in later.

"he couldn't move into the museum compound and protect it from looters last week because his soldiers were taking fire from the building". Oh. Just a little oversight there. A detail. So Iraqi *soldiers*, not museum workers, were last in the building? Armed? Shooting at our guys? *Then* it was looted? By Peter Pan no doubt. Certainly not by the armed Baathist hooligans trying to draw US fire on the place, deliberately to create a propagandistic atrocity.

They tried to goad us into blowing it up. We didn't play. They looted it themselves. Then blame it on us. If that won't stick, they blame us for not protecting it. While they were inside it, armed, doing the opposite of protecting it themselves.

This whole alleged incident now stinks to high heaven...

[Dog Gone]

bump for truth

[Grampa Dave]

I think that you are really on to something with your reply here:

Ditto your thoughts. Interesting that the naysayers are using a Tailwind-type trumped-up story to crowd out the awful stories of the mass graves, childrens' prisons, torture chambers and the like.

[wideminded]

"Warqa vase" does turn up at a couple of sites.

Apparently usually spelled "Warka". Lots of hits.

[Fifth Business]

Thanks much! Very, very happy to hear it!

[Orlando]

Does anybody know ,if this site is NOW secured ?, if not?
It should be!!

[Blood of Tyrants]

It is most likely that it wasn't just your run of the mill street looter who took the most valuable objects but theives who planned the looting weeks in advance. Not to mention that Saddam and his cronies stole anything they could sell to the French.

[Fifth Business]

This is a similar story from today's NY Times, posted here earlier today.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/894863/posts

[tell me]

I knew this story smelled from the very beginning. Plus, even if the ancient art and artifacts were really looted that day, they weren't worth the life of one american soldier. Nobody got to see those treasures anyway unless you were Saddam's good buddy.