freethefly 6 #1 April 28, 2005 Arming Iraq: A Chronology of U.S. Involvement By: John King, March 2003 What follows is an accurate chronology of United States involvement in the arming of Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war 1980-88. It is a powerful indictment of the president Bush administration attempt to sell war as a component of his war on terrorism. It reveals US ambitions in Iraq to be just another chapter in the attempt to regain a foothold in the Mideast following the fall of the Shah of Iran. rming Iraq and the Path to War A crisis always has a history, and the current crisis with Iraq is no exception. Below are some relevant dates. September, 1980. Iraq invades Iran. The beginning of the Iraq-Iran war. [8] February, 1982. Despite objections from congress, President Reagan removes Iraq from its list of known terrorist countries. [1] December, 1982. Hughes Aircraft ships 60 Defender helicopters to Iraq. [9] 1982-1988. Defense Intelligence Agency provides detailed information for Iraq on Iranian deployments, tactical planning for battles, plans for air strikes and bomb damage assessments. [4] November, 1983. A National Security Directive states that the U.S would do "whatever was necessary and legal" to prevent Iraq from losing its war with Iran. [1] & [15] November, 1983. Banca Nazionale del Lavoro of Italy and its Branch in Atlanta begin to funnel $5 billion in unreported loans to Iraq. Iraq, with the blessing and official approval of the US government, purchased computer controlled machine tools, computers, scientific instruments, special alloy steel and aluminum, chemicals, and other industrial goods for Iraq's missile, chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs. [14] October, 1983. The Reagan Administration begins secretly allowing Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt to transfer United States weapons, including Howitzers, Huey helicopters, and bombs to Iraq. These shipments violated the Arms Export Control Act. [16] November 1983. George Schultz, the Secretary of State, is given intelligence reports showing that Iraqi troops are daily using chemical weapons against the Iranians. [1] Donald Rumsfeld -Reagan's Envoy- provided Iraq with chemical & biological weapons December 20, 1983. Donald Rumsfeld , then a civilian and now Defense Secretary, meets with Saddam Hussein to assure him of US friendship and materials support. [1] & [15] July, 1984. CIA begins giving Iraq intelligence necessary to calibrate its mustard gas attacks on Iranian troops. [19] January 14, 1984. State Department memo acknowledges United States shipment of "dual-use" export hardware and technology. Dual use items are civilian items such as heavy trucks, armored ambulances and communications gear as well as industrial technology that can have a military application. [2] March, 1986. The United States with Great Britain block all Security Council resolutions condemning Iraq's use of chemical weapons, and on March 21 the US becomes the only country refusing to sign a Security Council statement condemning Iraq's use of these weapons. [10] May, 1986. The US Department of Commerce licenses 70 biological exports to Iraq between May of 1985 and 1989, including at least 21 batches of lethal strains of anthrax. [3] May, 1986. US Department of Commerce approves shipment of weapons grade botulin poison to Iraq. [7] March, 1987. President Reagan bows to the findings of the Tower Commission admitting the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for hostages. Oliver North uses the profits from the sale to fund an illegal war in Nicaragua. [17] Late 1987. The Iraqi Air Force begins using chemical agents against Kurdish resistance forces in northern Iraq. [1] February, 1988. Saddam Hussein begins the "Anfal" campaign against the Kurds of northern Iraq. The Iraq regime used chemical weapons against the Kurds killing over 100,000 civilians and destroying over 1,200 Kurdish villages. [8] April, 1988. US Department of Commerce approves shipment of chemicals used in manufacture of mustard gas. [7] August, 1988. Four major battles were fought from April to August 1988, in which the Iraqis massively and effectively used chemical weapons to defeat the Iranians. Nerve gas and blister agents such as mustard gas are used. By this time the US Defense Intelligence Agency is heavily involved with Saddam Hussein in battle plan assistance, intelligence gathering and post battle debriefing. In the last major battle with of the war, 65,000 Iranians are killed, many with poison gas. Use of chemical weapons in war is in violation of the Geneva accords of 1925. [6] & [13] August, 1988. Iraq and Iran declare a cease fire. [8] August, 1988. Five days after the cease fire Saddam Hussein sends his planes and helicopters to northern Iraq to begin massive chemical attacks against the Kurds. [8] September, 1988. US Department of Commerce approves shipment of weapons grade anthrax and botulinum to Iraq. [7] September, 1988. Richard Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State: "The US-Iraqi relationship is... important to our long-term political and economic objectives." [15] December, 1988. Dow chemical sells $1.5 million in pesticides to Iraq despite knowledge that these would be used in chemical weapons. [1] July 25, 1990. US Ambassador to Baghdad meets with Hussein to assure him that President Bush "wanted better and deeper relations". Many believe this visit was a trap set for Hussein. A month later Hussein invaded Kuwait thinking the US would not respond. [12] August, 1990 Iraq invades Kuwait. The precursor to the Gulf War. [8] July, 1991 The Financial Times of London reveals that a Florida chemical company had produced and shipped cyanide to Iraq during the 80's using a special CIA courier. Cyanide was used extensively against the Iranians. [11] August, 1991. Christopher Droguol of Atlanta's branch of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro is arrested for his role in supplying loans to Iraq for the purchase of military supplies. He is charged with 347 counts of felony. Droguol is found guilty, but US officials plead innocent of any knowledge of his crime. [14] June, 1992. Ted Kopple of ABC Nightline reports: "It is becoming increasingly clear that George Bush Sr., operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980's, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into [an aggressive power]." [5] July, 1992. "The Bush administration deliberately, not inadvertently, helped to arm Iraq by allowing U.S. technology to be shipped to Iraqi military and to Iraqi defense factories... Throughout the course of the Bush administration, U.S. and foreign firms were granted export licenses to ship U.S. technology directly to Iraqi weapons facilities despite ample evidence showing that these factories were producing weapons." Representative Henry Gonzalez, Texas, testimony before the House. [18] February, 1994. Senator Riegle from Michigan, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, testifies before the senate revealing large US shipments of dual-use biological and chemical agents to Iraq that may have been used against US troops in the Gulf War and probably was the cause of the illness known as Gulf War Syndrome. [7] August, 2002. "The use of gas [during the Iran-Iraq war] on the battle field by the Iraqis was not a matter of deep strategic concern... We were desperate to make sure that Iraq did not lose". Colonel Walter Lang, former senior US Defense Intelligence officer tells the New York Times. [4] This chronology of the United States' sordid involvement in the arming of Iraq can be summarized in this way: The United States used methods both legal and illegal to help build Saddam's army into the most powerful army in the Mideast outside of Israel. The US supplied chemical and biological agents and technology to Iraq when it knew Iraq was using chemical weapons against the Iranians. The US supplied the materials and technology for these weapons of mass destruction to Iraq at a time when it was know that Saddam was using this technology to kill his Kurdish citizens. The United States supplied intelligence and battle planning information to Iraq when those battle plans included the use of cyanide, mustard gas and nerve agents. The United States blocked UN censure of Iraq's use of chemical weapons. The United States did not act alone in this effort. The Soviet Union was the largest weapons supplier, but England, France and Germany were also involved in the shipment of arms and technology. References: Washingtonpost.com. December 30, 2002 Jonathan Broder. Nuclear times, Winter 1990-91 Kurt Nimno. AlterNet. September 23, 2002 Newyorktimes.com. August 29, 2002 ABC Nightline. June9, 1992 Counter Punch, October 10, 2002 Riegle Report: Dual Use Exports. Senate Committee on Banking. May 25, 1994 Timeline: A walk Through Iraq's History. U.S. Department of State Doing Business: The Arming of Iraq. Daniel Robichear Glen Rangwala. Labor Left Briefing, 16 September, 2002 Financial Times of London. July 3, 1991 Elson E. Boles. Counter Punch. October 10, 2002 Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988. Iranchamber.com Columbia Journalism Review. March/April 1993. Iraqgate Times Online. December 31, 2002. How U.S. Helped Iraq Build Deadly Arsenal Bush's Secret Mission. The New Yorker Magazine. November 2, 1992 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia: Iran-Contra Affair Congressional Record. July 27, 1992. Representative Henry B. Gonzalez Bob Woodward. CIA Aiding Iraq in Gulf War. Washington Post. 15 December, 1986 Case Study: The Anfal Campaign."...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rottenmilk 0 #2 May 1, 2005 Hello freethefly (and all other political enthusiasts)! I spent the final year of my undergraduate studies analyzing American involvement in the Iran-Iraq War that essentially summarizes the aforementioned facts. If anyone is interested, I would love to send a copy for your reading enjoyment and illicit responses. Although perhaps not explicitly mentioned in the paper, I would argue that U.S. actions during the conflict greatly contributed to current geopolitical tensions. Indeed, it would have been quite pragmatic to reflect upon previous regional initiatives within a post 9-11 environment prior to the fulfillment of a misguided foreign policy. J. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slug 1 #3 May 1, 2005 "My enemies enemy is my friend" R.I.P. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #4 May 2, 2005 Quote"My enemies enemy is my friend" R.I.P. WRIT LARGE, EXTRA LARGE. mh ."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #5 May 8, 2005 Evidently however, the USA was not alone in arming Iraq. Also, when we did arm Iraq, we were being urged to by other Arab countries, who wanted to see Saddam kick Ayatollah Khomeini's ass. Not saying that we should have done it, just that the Arab countries are just as guilty as we are. ---- Here are the figures for arms shipped to Iraq from 1980 to 2002, measured in 1990 (millions of) US dollars ...and percent of total: Total '80 - 02 % share USSR 17503 50.78% France 5221 15.15% China 5192 15.06% Czechoslovakia 1540 4.47% Poland 1626 4.72% Brazil 724 2.10% Egypt 568 1.65% Romania 524 1.52% Denmark 226 0.66% Libya 200 0.58% USA 200 0.58% ---- source = Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,026 #6 May 8, 2005 QuoteEvidently however, the USA was not alone in arming Iraq. Also, when we did arm Iraq, we were being urged to by other Arab countries, who wanted to see Saddam kick Ayatollah Khomeini's ass. Not saying that we should have done it, just that the Arab countries are just as guilty as we are. ---- Here are the figures for arms shipped to Iraq from 1980 to 2002, measured in 1990 (millions of) US dollars ...and percent of total: Total '80 - 02 % share USSR 17503 50.78% France 5221 15.15% China 5192 15.06% Czechoslovakia 1540 4.47% Poland 1626 4.72% Brazil 724 2.10% Egypt 568 1.65% Romania 524 1.52% Denmark 226 0.66% Libya 200 0.58% USA 200 0.58% ---- source = Stockholm International Peace Research Institute USSR ceased to exist in, what, 1991? Does that mean post-1991 Russia (not on the list) provided no arms? Besides, how many of the above have now adopted the "holier than thou" attitude that we have?... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #7 May 8, 2005 QuoteUSSR ceased to exist in, what, 1991? Does that mean post-1991 Russia (not on the list) provided no arms? um... just checked the pdf file I have, and there are no numbers for "USSR" after 1990. Russia is not listed at all. Actually there are no numbers for anyone from 1991 on. Makes sense, since that was the time of the Gulf War, after which no-one was allowed to sell/give arms to Iraq due to the UN sanctions. QuoteBesides, how many of the above have now adopted the "holier than thou" attitude that we have? UM, the "holier-than-thou" attitude from other countries was exactly the reason I posted this!! Not saying that our invasion of Iraq was the right thing to do, I still believe it was not. My point in posting this is to illustrate that America is not the only one that was involved in bad international decisions, such as the arming of Iraq. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #8 May 8, 2005 Lets see if I can post the original pdf file. OK here it is. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #9 May 16, 2005 http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/washpost/20050516/pl_washpost/oil_for_food_benefited_russians__report_says Iraq's biggest arms supplier & the oil-for-food program. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
