IRAQGATE-Secret Message From James Baker to Tariq Aziz

[Jcrowley]

Secret Message From James Baker to Tariq Aziz

This October 21, 1989 cable carries the text of a secret message from Secretary of State James Baker to Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz. Baker informs Aziz, whose government 13 months previously had gassed Kurdish villages, that "the United States seeks a broadened and deepened relationship with Iraq." President Bush's policy, writes Baker, "is to work to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Iraq whenever possible."


PAGE 03 OF 04 STATE 338562 C12/25 009007 NOD191

AS I SAID IN OUT MEETING, THE UNITED STATES SEEKS A BROADENED AND DEEPENED RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAQ ON THE BASIS OF MUTUAL RESPECT. THAT IS THE POLICY OF THE PRESIDENT.

IN THIS REGARD, THE PRESIDENT HAS ASKED ME TO SAY TO YOU AND THROUGH YOU TO PRESIDENT HUSSEIN, IN THE MOST DIRECT WAY POSSIBLE, THAT THE UNITED STATES IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY EFFORT TO WEAKEN OR DESTABILIZE IRAQ. HAVING LOOKED INTO THE MATTER, AND DISCUSSED IT WITH THE PRESIDENT, I CAN TELL YOU THIS WITH THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY. SUCH AN ACTION WOULD BE COMPLETELY CONTRARY TO THE PRESIDENT'S POLICY, WHICH IS TO WORK TO STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND IRAQ WHENEVER POSSIBLE. IF YOU ARE IN A POSITION TO PROVIDE MORE DETAILED INFORMATION I HOPE YOU WILL DO SO. I WANT TO BE VERY SURE THAT THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS IN THE MIND OF THE IRAQI LEADERSHIP.

MR. MINISTER, YOU ALSO ASKED ME TO LOOK INTO THE ISSUE OF THE CCC CREDIT GUARANTEES. I AM DOING SO ON AN URGENT BASIS AND WILL GIVE YOU A FINAL RESPONSE AS SOON AS I CAN. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDER WAY, AND IN ALL CANDOR THERE ARE SOME SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS THAT NEED TO BE EXAMINED FURTHER. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT OUR ACTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE CCC PROGRAM ARE NOT IN ANY WAY MOTIVATED BY POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS. THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ HAS SET A HIGH STANDARD ON ISSUES OF INTEGRITY OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND CORRUPTION AND I AM SURE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE DETERMINATION OF MY GOVERNMENT TO BE THOROUGH. AT THE SAME TIME, I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEMS WHICH HAVE ARISEN QUICKLY AND TO CONTINUE WITH THIS IMPORTANT PROGRAM, AS YOU REQUESTED.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2265.htm

[rodeodance]

1. umm. so SD was not a brutal dictator then.

[Jcrowley]

2. How The United States Illegally Armed Saddam Hussein

How The United States Illegally Armed Saddam Hussein

 U.S. forces in Baghdad might now be searching high and low for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, but in the past Saddam was seen by U.S. intelligence services as a bulwark of anti-communism and they used him as their instrument for more than 40 years, according to former U.S. intelligence diplomats and intelligence officials.

United Press International has interviewed almost a dozen former U.S. diplomats, British scholars and former U.S. intelligence officials to piece together the following account. The CIA declined to comment on the report.

While many have thought that Saddam first became involved with U.S. intelligence agencies at the start of the September 1980 Iran-Iraq war, his first contacts with U.S. officials date back to 1959, when he was part of a CIA-authorized six-man squad tasked with assassinating then Iraqi Prime Minister Gen. Abd al-Karim Qasim.

In July 1958, Qasim had overthrown the Iraqi monarchy in what one former U.S. diplomat, who asked not to be identified, described as "a horrible orgy of bloodshed."

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2849.htm

[blm]

3. This came AFTER the Dem congress said No more money for Saddam, he's crazy

and kills his own people.

BushInc didn't care and THAT IS WHY Iraqgate was such an important issue when Clinton took office, but he chose to disregard its import, and did not aggressively pursue investigations or court cases that were already in motion at the time.

Robert Parry referred to it in his piece Hey Democrats, Truth Matters at consortiumnews.

[Jcrowley]

5. Remember The Teicher Affidavit?

The Teicher Affidavit: Iraq-Gate

Following is the sworn court declaration of former NSC official Howard Teicher, dated 1/31/95, regarding 'Iraqgate.' The document is currently under seal by the US District Court, Southern District of Florida. The original document bears Teicher's dated signature.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff,

v. Case
No.:

93-241-CR-HIGHSMITH
CARLOS CARDOEN,
FRANCO SAFTA,
JORGE BURR,
INDUSTRIAS CARDOEN LIMITADA, DECLARATION OF
a/k/a INCAR, HOWARD TEICHER
SWISSCO MANAGEMENT GROUP, INC.
EDWARD A. JOHNSON
RONALD W. GRIFFIN, and
TELEDYNE INDUSTRIES, INC.,
d/b/a,
TELEDYNE WAH CHANG ALBANY,

)
Defendents.
_____________________________________________

<snip>

6. In June, 1982, President Reagan decided that the United States
could not afford to allow Iraq to lose the war to Iran. President Reagan
decided that the United States would do whatever was necessary and legal
to prevent Iraq from losing the war with Iran. President Reagan formalized
this policy by issuing a National Security Decision Directive ("NSDD") to
this effect in June, 1982. I have personal knowledge of this NSDD because
I co-authored the NSDD with another NSC Staff Member, Geoff Kemp. The
NSDD, including even its indentifying number, is classified.

7. CIA Director Casey personally spearheaded the effort to ensure
that Iraq had sufficient military weapons, ammunition and vehicles to
avoid losing the Iran-Iraq war. Pursuant to the secred NSDD, the United
States actively supported the Iraqi war effort by supplying the Iraqis
with billions of dollars of credits, by providing U.S. military
intelligence and advice to the Iraqis, and by closely monitoring third
country arms sales to Iraq to make sure that Iraq had the military
weaponry required. The United States also provided strategic operational
advice to the Iraqis to better use their assets in combat. For example,
in 1986, President Reagan sent a secret message to Saddam Hussein telling
him that Iraq should step up its air war and bombing of Iran. This
message was delivered by Vice President Bush who communicated it to
Egyptian President Mubarak, who in turn passed the message to Saddam
Hussein. Similar strategic operational military advice was passed to
Saddam Hussein through various meetings with European and Middle Eastern
heads of state. I authored Bush's talking points for the 1986 meeting
with Mubarak and personally attended numerous meetings with European and
Middle East heads of state where the strategic operational advice was
communicated.

8. I personally attended meetings in which CIA Director Casey or
CIA Deputy Director Gates noted the need for Iraq to have certain weapons
such as cluster bombs and anti-armor penetrators in order to stave off the
Iranian attacks. When I joined the NSC staff in early 1982, CIA Director
Casey was adamant that cluster bombs were a perfect "force multiplier"
that would allow the Iraqis to defend against the "human waves" of Iranian
attackers. I recorded those comments in the minutes of National Security
Planning Group ("NSPG") meetings in which Casey or Gates participated.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1413.htm

[blm]

8. And did you know the "lone wolf" bank manager BushInc pinned it on, Drogoul,

who was only 35 years old at the time, supposedly died of natural causes in prison, but the prison didn't inform any press until a week after Drogoul allegedly died?

[Hubert Flottz]

4. They were all For Saddam, Before They Were Against Him...

Ask Kathrine Harris how they are!

Edit..."Tariq Aziz!" Gesundheit!

[butterfly77]

6. Frank Gaffeney is angry about this ...

I heard him on Savage sounding like he was losing his mind...I know don't listen to repugs. I listen to hear their spin and they are turning on each other.

[Jcrowley]

7. Listen to this mind boggling interview

One of the more riveting interviews ever on Dem Now! I immediately went out to the local bookstore and ordered Friedman's amazing and comprehensive book. Below is the link to hear the interview.

Over 10 years ago a reporter for the Financial Times named Alan Friedman uncovered the shocking story. He revealed that:
• President Bush and Secretary of State James Baker had committed billions of taxpayer dollars to assist Saddam Hussein.
• Bush and Baker allowed the export of U.S. technology that would directly help Baghdad build a massive arsenal of chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons. The arms were given to help Iraq fight Iran.
• The CIA helped orchestrated illegal arms deals that involved Pinochet supporters in Chile, the apartheid regime in South Africa as well as most of the major NATO allies in Europe.
All of this was to prop up a man that President Bush and later his son would compare to Hitler.

"If the United States and its other allies had not provided a steady and thorough and substantial buildup of Iraq through the 1980s and right through Operation Desert Storm, Iraq today would not be a country with vast mobile missile launchers, good inertial navigation missile technology, rough, crude radioactive potential plutonium, chemical and biological weapons technology, and an assortment of other hardware and arsenal they've had," Friedman told Democracy Now!

The scandal was known as Iraqgate. Today it is a mostly forgotten story even though it was a topic of concern of many leading politicians 10 years ago.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1412.htm