don't forget: Reagan made sure Saddam had WMDs, chem & bioweapons

[EdGy]

For all the details go here:

http://www.casi.org.uk/info/usdocs/usiraq80s90s.html

1982

Despite intelligence reports that Iraq still sponsored groups on the SD's terrorist list, and "apparently without consulting Congress", the Reagan Administration removed Iraq from the State terrorism sponsorship list in 1982.<3> The removal made Iraq eligible for U.S. dual-use and military technology.<4>

<snip>

1983

Analysts recognized that "civilian" helicopters can be weaponized in a matter of hours and selling a civilian kit can be a way of giving military aid under the guise of civilian assistance.<8> Shortly after removing Iraq from the terrorism sponsorship list, the Reagan administration approved the sale of 60 Hughes helicopters.<9> Later, and despite some objections from the National Security Council (NSC), the Secretaries of Commerce and State (George Baldridge and George Shultz) lobbied the NSC advisor into agreeing to the sale to Iraq of 10 Bell helicopters,<10> officially for crop spraying. See "1988" for note on Iraq using U.S. Helicopters to spray Kurds with chemical weapons.
Later in the year the Reagan Administration secretly began to allow Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt to transfer to Iraq U.S. howitzers, helicopters, bombs and other weapons.<11> Reagan personally asked Italy’s Prime Minister Guilio Andreotti to channel arms to Iraq.<12>

<snip>

1984

According to the Washington Post, the CIA began in 1984 secretly to give Iraq intelligence that Iraq uses to "calibrate" its mustard gas attacks on Iranian troops. In August, the CIA establishes a direct Washington-Baghdad intelligence link, and for 18 months, starting in early 1985, the CIA provided Iraq with "data from sensitive U.S. satellite reconnaissance photography...to assist Iraqi bombing raids." The Post’s source said that this data was essential to Iraq’s war effort.<17>
The United States re-established full diplomatic ties with Iraq on 26 November,<18> just over a year after Iraq’s first well-publicized CW use and only 8 months after the UN and U.S. reported that Iraq used CWs on Iranian troops.

<snip>

1988

Following the Halabja attack and Iraq’s August CW offensive against Iraqi Kurds, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed on 8 September the "Prevention of Genocide Act of 1988" the day after it is introduced.<31> The act cuts off from Iraq U.S. loans, military and non-military assistance, credits, credit guarantees, items subject to export controls, and U.S. imports of Iraqi oil.<32>

Immediately after the bill’s passage the Reagan Administration announced its opposition to the bill,<33> and SD spokesman Charles Redman called the bill "premature".<34> The Administration works with House opponents to a House companion bill, and after numerous legislation compromises and end-of-session haggling, the Senate bill died "on the last day of the legislative session".<35>

<much more>

[billbuckhead]

1. I wonder if Saddam and Osama will get to go to the funeral

Let's not let it be forgotten who really was responsible.

[keithyboy]

2. These are facts that the Freepers don't want to deal with...like

Reagan, not Clinton, is responsible for 9/11 because Saddam was behind 9/11 and we gave Saddam the weapons. You know, they can't have it all ways. If Saddam was responsible for 9/11 like 60% of the public has been led to believe by Rush/Hannity/O'Reilly etc., then thay have to hold Reagan, their idol, responsible for 9/11 because we all know who gave Saddam the weapons and the support to kill all those 'nasty Iranians' and thousands of those simple Iraqis who opposed Saddam when he was "our man in Iraq."

[el_gato]

3. Another relevant link compliments of Henry B. Gonzales

http://fas.org/spp/starwars/congress/1992/h920224g.htm

The most important event early in United States-Iraq relations was the Reagan administration's removal of Iraq from the list of nations supporting terrorism in 1982. By removing Iraq from this list, the administration granted Saddam Hussein instant access to United States agriculture assistance and opened the door for Iraqi participation in Eximbank programs as well as making sophisticated United States technology available to the Iraqi military.

While most of the transactions were relatively small, the largest transaction approved by Eximbank was the Aqaba oil pipeline project. Eximbank guaranteed $484 million of the $1 billion project led by the giant firm Bechtel. For unknown reasons this project was never consummated, but later in this presentation I will reveal that this was the first time then Vice President Bush intervened at the Eximbank to win approval for an Iraqi project.

[Spoon]

4. I've never really looked into the story of the US giving

Iraq chem/bio weapons. I went to your link, and what I read isn't nearly as clear cut as some have made it out to be. It's a knock on Iraqi scientists to say we did everything for them, when that just wasn't the case.

[EdGy]

5. check out the original sources this is based upon

Reagan indeed DID provide Saddam with all kinds of stuff that are classified as WMDs, including precursors to biological weapons in states that were not "weakened," and that could have been used to produce bioweapons. No shame to the Iraqi scientists in that. ANd after the first Gulf War, UN inspectors found those items and confirmed that they were from US sources.

Reagan also prevented the US Senate and the UN Security Council from condemning Saddam after he used chemical weapons.

Reagan and Bush also continued to supply military-related materials and financial aid to Saddam while he was doing the torturing and gassing etc

All of this is clear and absolute fact.

For more details you can check:

Mark Phythian, Arming Iraq: How the U.S. and Britain Secretly Built Saddam's War Machine, (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997)

Bruce W. Jentleson, With Friends Like These: Reagan, Bush, and Saddam, 1982-1990, (New York: W.W. Norton, 1994)

Alan Friedman, Spider's Web: Bush, Saddam, Thatcher and the Decade of Deceit, (London: Faber, 1993)

U.S. Senate Report by chairman Donald W. Riegle, Jr. and ranking member Alfonse M. D'Amato of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, "U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War," May 25, 1994

[SlingBlade]

6. Yes, And WHY is this not published

More often ?
It’s like America’s dirty little secret.