US sifts Saddam spy files

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031103/pl_afp/us_iraq_weapons&cid=1521&ncid=1473 ^

[deanjames]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US intelligence experts are examining tonnes of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s intelligence files hoping to trace the regime's alleged weapons of mass destruction, press reports said.

The documents seized after the fall of Baghdad were a trove comparable to the files of Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, which collapsed in 1989, an anonymous source told The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

The Central Intelligence Agency (news - web sites) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation refused to comment on the reports.

According to The Wall Street Journal, some information gleaned from the files had already permitted the FBI (news - web sites) to open new criminal and espionage investigations in the United States.

The documents also show Saddam's intention to acquire North Korean missiles with a greater range than the 150 kilometers (93 miles) allowed by the United Nations (news - web sites).

Names of nearly all of Saddam's intelligence agents inside and outside Iraq (news - web sites) were found in the files, the two dailies said, along with their written reports, evaluations of their work and payments made to influence officials of other countries.

The recipients of the payments included many high-ranking officials, businessmen and politicians who had agreed to defend Saddam and the regime in public, the newspapers said.

I'd love to see that list.....

[tractorman]

Paging Dan Blather, paging Dan Blather: your flight to France is departing at gate 13.

[Huck]

another version of this item

[maestro]

'State' and 'INS' must be going absolutely nuts!

:-(

[Peace will be here soon]

According to The Wall Street Journal, some information gleaned from the files had already permitted the FBI (news - web sites) to open new criminal and espionage investigations in the United States

---

I wonder how many people in Washington are feeling a little uneasy about now? A few names come to my mind.

[b4its2late]

payments made to influence officials of other countries.

Hello Frenchies?

[RaginRak]

Jacques "cash the check" Chirac

[tractorman]

I would imagine there’s a whole bunch of people sweating major bullets right about now. This should get very interesting and enlightening.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Wonder how much they paid Scott Ritter?

[b4its2late]

Checks he cashed may not have bounced at the time, but hopefully he'll be bouncing all the way to the slammer......

[oceanview]

he was likely "paid" with access to teenagers.

[maestro]

I would imagine there?s a whole bunch of people sweating major bullets right about now.

Right,........Al-Kanada.....for sure!

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Do the names Joseph Wilson and Valeri Plame show up, by chance?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Do the names Joseph Wilson and Valeri Plame show up, by chance?

Wouldn't that be interesting!

[mathluv]

Do you think that may be why Bob Graham withdrew from the presidency race, and won't run again for the Senate?

[diamondjoe]

Graham was the most anti-Saddam member of the Senate for many years. I think he withdrew from the race because he was way to the right of most of those guys when it comes to defense.

[mathluv]

That may be why he withdrew from the presidential race, but not from the Senate.

[Gritty]

I would expect a lot of Democrats not running next year for "personal family reasons".

[Ben Hecks]

I think you were linking to this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1013595/posts

Let's hope that DoD has originals of all the documents so that the rogue elements in the State Dept. and CIA will not be able to pick and choose which documents survive.

[Fresh Wind]

Chirac c'est la catin de la France.