CIA exaggerated weapons information, Germans say

[Judi Lynn]

Nov. 19, 2005, 11:53PM
CIA exaggerated weapons information, Germans say
Iraqi defector's claims were often vague, they say


By BOB DROGIN and JOHN GOETZ
Los Angeles Times

BERLIN - The German intelligence officials responsible for one of the most important informants on Saddam Hussein's suspected weapons of mass destruction say that the Bush administration and the CIA repeatedly exaggerated his claims during the run-up to the Iraq war.

Five senior officials from Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, said in interviews with the Los Angeles Times that they warned U.S. intelligence authorities that the source, an Iraqi defector codenamed Curveball, never claimed to produce germ weapons and never saw anyone else do so.

According to the Germans, President Bush mischaracterized Curveball's information when he warned before the war that Iraq had at least seven mobile factories brewing biological poisons. Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell also misstated Curveball's claims in his pre-war presentation to the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003, the Germans said.

Not verified
Curveball's German handlers for the last six years said his information was often vague, mostly secondhand and impossible to confirm.
"This was not substantial evidence," said a senior German intelligence official. "We made clear we could not verify the things he said."

The German authorities, speaking about the case for the first time, also said that their informant suffered from emotional and mental problems. "He is not a stable, psychologically stable guy," said a BND official who supervised the case.
(snip/...)

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/3472878.html

[IndianaGreen]

1. So Curveball was delusional and had mental problems?

The Germans make Curveball fit the profile of Bush, delusional.

This article is rich!

[rodeodance]

8. THE CURVEBALL SAGA---How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of 'Curveball'

you will enjoy this article.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-curveball20nov20,0,1753730.story?coll=la-home-headlines
THE CURVEBALL SAGA
How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of 'Curveball'

The Iraqi informant's German handlers say they had told U.S. officials that his information was 'not proven,' and were shocked when President Bush and Colin L. Powell used it in key prewar speeches.
By Bob Drogin and John Goetz
Special to The Times

November 20, 2005

BERLIN — The German intelligence officials responsible for one of the most important informants on Saddam Hussein's suspected weapons of mass destruction say that the Bush administration and the CIA repeatedly exaggerated his claims during the run-up to the war in Iraq.

Five senior officials from Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, said in interviews with The Times that they warned U.S. intelligence authorities that the source, an Iraqi defector code-named Curveball, never claimed to produce germ weapons and never saw anyone else do so.

According to the Germans, President Bush mischaracterized Curveball's information when he warned before the war that Iraq had at least seven mobile factories brewing biological poisons. Then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell also misstated Curveball's accounts in his prewar presentation to the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003, the Germans said.

Curveball's German handlers for the last six years said his information was often vague, mostly secondhand and impossible to confirm.
.......

[rodeodance]

9. Tenet refused to comment to LA times on the article.

......Other warnings poured in. The CIA Berlin station chief wrote that the BND had "not been able to verify" Curveball's claims. The CIA doctor who met Curveball wrote to his supervisor shortly before Powell's speech questioning "the validity" of the Iraqi's information.

"Keep in mind that this war is going to happen regardless of what Curve Ball said or didn't say and the Powers That Be probably aren't terribly interested in whether Curve Ball knows what he's talking about," his supervisor wrote back, Senate investigators found. The supervisor later told them he was only voicing his opinion that war appeared inevitable.

Tenet has denied receiving warnings that Curveball might be a fabricator. He declined to be interviewed for this report.

[Tin Man]

20. I think the truth is finally beginning to stick to these slimeballs !

This info isn't new - we've been discussing this for months now on DU and elsewhere in cyberspace. What does appear to be new, however, is the developing interest of the corporate media in the story. The ball is rolling, and the momentum is building - finally, the administration's Iraq War Deception will be exposed in all its evil.

Nominated.

[rodeodance]

14. yes, yes yes

[cal04]

2. LA Times article

The Iraqi informant’s German handlers say they had told U.S. officials that his information was ‘not proven,’ and were shocked when President Bush and Colin L. Powell used it in key prewar speeches.

snip)
Then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell also misstated Curveball's claims in his pre-war presentation to the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003, the Germans said.

(snip)
After the CIA vouched for Curveball's accounts, Bush declared in his 2003 State of the Union speech that Iraq had "mobile biological weapons labs" designed to produce "germ warfare agents." Bush cited the mobile germ factories in at least four prewar speeches and statements, and other world leaders repeated the charge. Powell also highlighted Curveball's "eyewitness" account when he warned the United Nations Security Council on the eve of war that Iraq's mobile labs could brew enough weapons-grade microbes "in a single month to kill thousands upon thousands of people." The senior BND officer who supervised Curveball's case said he was aghast when he watched Powell misstate Curveball's claims as a justification for war."We were shocked," the official said. "Mein Gott! We had always told them it was not proven ... It was not hard intelligence."

(snip)
Curveball also said he could not identify what microbes the trucks were designed to produce."He didn't know ... whether it was anthrax or not," said the BND supervisor. "He had nothing to do with actual production of agent. He was in the equipment testing phase. And the equipment worked." David Kay, who read the Curveball file when he headed the CIA's search for hidden weapons in 2003, , said Curveball's accounts were maddeningly murky. "He was not in charge of trucks or production," Kay said. "He had nothing to do with actual production of biological agent. He never saw them actually produce agent." The CIA and the White House overlooked the holes in the story, however.

(snip)
British intelligence also warned that spy satellite images taken in 1997 when Curveball claimed to be working at Djerf al Nadaf conflicted with his descriptions. The photos showed a wall around most of the main warehouse, clearly blocking trucks from getting in or out. U.S. and German officials feared that Ahmad Chalabi had coached Curveball after the defector said his brother had worked as a bodyguard for the controversial Iraqi exile leader. But they found no evidence.
Curveball "had very little contact with his brother," the BND supervisor said. "They are not close.'' More problematic were the three sources the CIA said had corroborated Curveball's story. Two had ties to Chalabi. All three turned out to be frauds.
(Chalabi involved what a surprise)



rest of the article, 13 pages long with so much info
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-curveball20nov20,0,1753730.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[rodeodance]

15. "Mein Gott! --is this German for "MY GOD"!! ?

.....The senior BND officer who supervised Curveball's case said he was aghast when he watched Powell misstate Curveball's claims as a justification for war."We were shocked," the official said. "Mein Gott! We had always told them it was not proven ... It was not hard intelligence."

[CentralEuropeanDude]

16. Yes. nt

[rodeodance]

18. thanks, nice to know.

[RamboLiberal]

3. LAT: How U.S. Fell Under the Spell of 'Curveball' (Extensive Article)

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-curveball20nov20,0,1753730.story?coll=la-home-headlines

The German intelligence officials responsible for one of the most important informants on Saddam Hussein's suspected weapons of mass destruction say that the Bush administration and the CIA repeatedly exaggerated his claims during the run-up to the war in Iraq.

Five senior officials from Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, said in interviews with The Times that they warned U.S. intelligence authorities that the source, an Iraqi defector code-named Curveball, never claimed to produce germ weapons and never saw anyone else do so.

According to the Germans, President Bush mischaracterized Curveball's information when he warned before the war that Iraq had at least seven mobile factories brewing biological poisons. Then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell also misstated Curveball's accounts in his prewar presentation to the United Nations on Feb. 5, 2003, the Germans said.

Curveball's German handlers for the last six years said his information was often vague, mostly secondhand and impossible to confirm.

"This was not substantial evidence," said a senior German intelligence official. "We made clear we could not verify the things he said."

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[awoke_in_2003]

6. As a life long fan

(1968), now in texas, all I can say is they better not go ANYWHERE. Not to worry, though- they have a loyal fan base (like the browns did), but they have an owner that is not a sloth. The Rooneys aren't going anywhere

[Roland99]

24. [Curveball was]“not a stable, psychologically stable guy”

Oh, that’s ok. The Propagandist is “not a stable, psychologically stable guy” either. He says he talks to God for crying out loud.

And, we also know that Russia and France weren’t keen on a swift invasion. They wanted inspections to continue. But, the Propagandist KNEW that if inspections were continued, nothing would have been found and, therefore, his entire justification for invading Iraq would have vanished into thin air.

Too bad George decided to listen to the voices in his head instead of the voices of reason.

[sofa king]

4. This is beginng to sound like a Saturday Night Live skit.

In particular, remember the one where Tom Hanks was dressed as a cowboy ice skater in the Winter Olympics, and he falls... and falls... and falls... and the announcer has to keep interrupting himself, saying "ohhh!," "ohhh!," "ohhh!"?

That's what I think we're seeing here: "President Bush addresses troops on Vet--ohhh!" "President Bush speaks out against revisioni--ohhh!" "President Bush visits Ch--ohhh!"

[rodeodance]

7. a guest on Fox and Friends just now actually said that the caveats

were left out of the reports of the WH. yes, he actually said it--this was after the Fox hosts tried to find excuses for the WH--.

It was great.

They were talking of the LA times article.

[rodeodance]

10. nominated.

[rodeodance]

11. LA times did a good job--although I think Cheney's name should be

in the headline.--Or Tenet!!

[rodeodance]

12. Fox is reporting on this now-again.

[rodeodance]

13. they made the point at the end that Curveball can not be interviewed

at this time as he suffers from emotional problems.

[Lochloosa]

17. Time to take a look at the Downing Street Memos one more time

Assholes!

[rodeodance]

19. I just the wish the MSM would take a look for the FIRST time!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

21. Imagine how useful this would have been 3 years ago.

:banghead:

[Rose Siding]

22. "Vague", "impossible to confirm" and so we went to war

U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 2083
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 10
Total 2093
DoD Confirmation List
Latest Coalition Fatality: Nov 20, 2005

[OKthatsIT]

23. This is Bush BS coming from Germany, alittle help from his friends

Come on...its Bush targeting the non-existent ex-CIA, again. He can use a dismantled agency for any excuse. Blaming the old CIA is just so cushy for Bush. The CIA was suppose to know if the guy was unstable or reliable...but noooooooo...the CIA was lame and arent you glad its gone?

I think the timing of this announcement is a joke.

[Up2Late]

25. "He is not a stable, psychologically stable guy," said a BND official....

Oh, this is good. Harry Shearer just read from this article on his "LeShow" radio program.

Note: if you do click on LeShow, he sometimes has musical interludes.

On now at these links <http://www.kcrw.com/>

"Live" streaming at this link:
<http://www.kcrw.com/grid/>

[rodeodance]

26. Kay said he was assigned to a windowless office without a working telephon

Kay's findings

In December 2003, Kay flew back to CIA headquarters. He said he told Tenet that Curveball was a liar and he was convinced Iraq had no mobile labs or other illicit weapons. CIA officials confirm their exchange.

Kay said he was assigned to a windowless office without a working telephone.

On Jan. 20, 2004, Bush lauded Kay and the Iraq Survey Group in his State of the Union Speech for finding "weapons of mass destruction-related program activities…. Had we failed to act, the dictator's weapons of mass destruction program would continue to this day."

Kay quit three days later and went public with his concerns. ...