Iraq WMD dossier was 'reviewed' to match Labour spin, memo reveals

[deminks]

Source: Guardian/Observer

A Foreign Office official involved in drafting the discredited dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction suggested that he might have to review an assessment of Saddam's nuclear capabilities so that it was in line with briefings from Labour spin doctors, an internal Whitehall memo shows.

The March 2002 memo, written by Tim Dowse, head of the Foreign Office non-proliferation department, and sent to a special adviser to the then foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has been obtained by the Observer under the Freedom of Information Act.

In the memo, Dowse complains his department had been given "no forewarning" of a paper the special adviser used to brief the Parliamentary Labour Party and later the cabinet, which effectively contradicted the official assessment of Iraq's nuclear capability.

Dowse's memo, which was copied to officials including Sir Michael (now Lord) Jay, then the top civil servant at the Foreign Office, complains that while the briefing claimed that "if Iraq's weapons programmes remain unchecked, Iraq could … develop a crude nuclear device in about five years", the government's official line was that "the Iraqi nuclear programme is not 'unchecked' ". This was an acknowledgement that sanctions against Saddam's regime had constrained his nuclear ambitions.

(snip)

Dowse notes that the official line on Saddam's nuclear capability is used "in the draft public dossier on 'WMD programmes of concern' which the Cabinet Office are producing at No 10's request". He adds: "We clearly will now have to review that text, to avoid exposing differences with your paper."

(end snips)

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/05/iraq-war-inquiry-iraq

[Diclotican]

1. deminks

deminks

Not of this, are news.. It was known by rumors allerady long before the Iraq war started.. As a person who was active on some forums, where the Iraq was disgussed, before, under and after the US/UK invation in 2003, this was up in clear sight in our parts of the world, and it was also disgussed in detail when the US was up in arms, and the US media for the most part was glad and happy about going to war... And the opposisjon was, at least mute

But, its good that it is coming to light then, the sad part, is that most americans would never read it, and no one in any form of power would do anything.. anything to even try to recrify what they have been doing for the last decade..

And we all have to pay the bill for this misdeeds

Its just criminal, and so unfair that they who wanted the war, got it, and get the spoils... When the rest of the world is paying the bills for the crimes they have doing

I for one hope Bush and Blair and the rest of the gang, who started it, wil go to a warm place in hell, when their time on earth is up...

Diclotican

[deminks]

2. I appreciate that this has been suspected by everyone for a very long time.

We, too, have followed the "dodgey dossier" with great interest. What is news is that the Observer now has obtained a memo that proves that the "sexed up dossier" was indeed "sexed up."

Proof positive, no doubt, no spin. The intelligence was cooked. Now we know.

from the OP article:

In the Observer in July, Carne Ross, the UK's Iraq expert at the United Nations from 1997 to 2002, said the Foreign Office tried to dissuade him from referring to the memo in his written evidence to the Chilcot inquiry. Ross said: "It's safe to assume that they realised that this document is a clearly smoking gun, illustrating how the public exaggeration of the WMD threat proceeded."
(snip)

The smoking gun. That is the news.

[Diclotican]

4. deminks

deminks

The WMD dossiers, and the other dossiers who should show that Iraq, and Saddam Hussain was a grave danger to the world, was sexiet up and most sentient peopole should have undestood that... The whole thing was a big fat lie from the get go. But many, also intelligent pepole fall for it all, all the lies, all the fat bullying lies who was shown as evidences...

But its great we now KNOW it was coocked, even tho the evidences was clear for everyone who wanted to know... Or at least would be able to read between the lines... That is a fact no one can denie


The SMOKING GUN was the favorite fantacy from the Administration, and to a large degree also from the Blair government, that the smoing gun about how dangrous Iraq was, armed to the teeth, and brisling with nuclear weapons, (or at least chemical and biological weapons) and who had the intent of using it, Blair also claimed that Iraq would, or have the abillity to hit parts of Europe as north as London, in 45-50 minutes...

It was just a dam lie, a horrible set of lies put front, becouse they could, and becouse most pepole was to scared to say othervice... Many who was scared to say what they belived - know the truth... But was scared to be branded unpatriotic, or un-american.. Many learned the "codes" in the 1950s... When McCharty was playing havoc with public, or private life in US for allmoust a decade.. It was first when he attaced the armed forces, and the then President Eisenhower he got into problems... You dosen't piss off a tree star general, who was suprime commander when the allied forces was at Normandie... Not when you are without meritt youself... But the americans learned their leasson, who was not rock the boat, and not go opposite the popular vote...

Diclotican

[go west young man]

3. In other words they fucked with the evidence. They lied. They deceived.

And all the while Blair is running around the planet acting like Joe Christian
who will save the Middle East. These guys have not an ounce of moral fiber.

[Diclotican]

5. go west young man

go west young man

Maybe he is trying to repend for his sins, as an politican and a man in power?... Wel he can try, but Im not sure that he wil do anything more than most have been doing in the middle east, before or after they have steped down from governance...

And I hope, that the brits have the guts to get him arrested, and put on trial for his crimes.. They have started out rather good, to at least try to get to a degree of facts.. Even tho Blair et all is trying their best to distord and to blure out the truth...

Diclotican

[go west young man]

6. I do think the English people would like to have his head but

the Lords that run the country would never have it. They are, like the U.S.
Congress, complicit in the crimes committed by their leader. Look at the
Hutton Inquiry. Sealed records for 70 years. To me, and I say this as an
Englishman, England is the 52nd state. And Israel is the 53rd. Sadly, for
the Iraqi people, no justice will be forthcoming.

[Diclotican]

7. go west young man

go west young man

You are proberly right, but we can dream can't we?.. And as the news is coming to light more and more that the intel for Iraq was coocked, the demand for more openness and more cases brought to the criminal justice system, even the Lords of the Land can't demand that seals would not be open for 70 year... The whole point, that the Hutton Inqurity results have a 70 year old seal on it, is quit telling for the explosive content of it... And for some reason I really doubt in this days and age that the seal wil hold for 70 year.. It was far more easy before, becouse then you could close down a fycial document.. Today that is not the case, most information is stored eletronical - and therefore more easy to acess...

Its a pitty, when the old English crown is starting to act as the 52 state of US.. I fear that old Churchill and the other great prime ministers would turn in their graves if they had known.. And if they, they might turn in their graves as we speak... But Im pretty sure that Old GB is still alive, and something like Honor even today have a form of meaning..And if honor is there still in old England - then the Hutton Inqurity would not be keept under rugs for 70 year... Someday, not to long in the future, the truth about what the inqurity was making, wil be make public, and posible chake the fundation on the relationship between UK, and US.. In more than one way...

The Lords who rule, maybe have won this round, but the war are not over yet, even when Obama is telling so.. The real war is just starting, to se who would Rule Iraq when the dust settle sometime in the future... And Im afraid that would NOT be a friendly regime to US.. In fact Im afraid that the 50.000 americans soldiers who are still in Iraq, and the contractors and diplomatic coups would posible end up in a nightmare withouth end.. Last time I checked, its a lot of dessert out there, and even tho its a long time since the 10.000s was out messing around in the Mesopotaniam dessert its still a large stroll for the modern army... The greeks allmoust failed when they was there (after Alexandes death, many soldiers found themself in less than friendlier areas, and had to flee true what is today Iraq and some parts of Tyrky and Syria, to be save.. It started out as a force of 10.000 soldiers, and maybe half the force got into friendly areas where the greeks had been for a long time... )

Diclotican

[primavera]

8. Just like us

Sigh.