Posted on 06/18/2006 7:08:27 PM PDT by jveritas
Document CMPC-2003-000537 is a secret and personal memo written in November 1999 by the director of the Iraqi National Monitoring Department (NMD) and addressed to the Minister of the Iraqi Military Industrialization Commission (MIC). The memo talks about a Neutron Source Device with High Radioactive Activity that was found in one Iraqi University and the NMD is asking that it should be returned to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Organization. The Neutron Source Device can be also called Neutron Generator or Neutron Initiator. This Neutron Generator device was not declared to the UN inspectors all the time they were in Iraq from 1991 to late 1998 when they were kicked out of Iraq. In fact Neutron generators were prohibited to be used by the Iraqis according to this UN document ( http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/documents/S-2002-515.pdf page 133 of this UN document pdf, an * next to an item means it is porhibited).
Beginning of the Translation of page 1 and 2 of document CMPC-2003-000537
In the Name of God the Most Compassionate The Most Merciful
The Republic of Iraq
The Presidency of the Republic
The Military Industrialization Commission
The National Monitoring Department
Number 12/M/3/94
Date 18/11/1999
Secret and Personal
The Respected Minister of Military Industrialization
Subject: Neutron Source
The University of Al Mustansirya/Science Faculty informed us in its letter No. 2369 on 24/10/1999 of the existence of a Neutron Source (Am-Be) in one of its laboratories and was previously brought by Dr. Midhat Al Zubaidi one of the ex-researchers (currently retired) of Firnas Center and we did the following:
1. Send a team from the department to investigate this Source where it was revealed it a Source (P-Be) with a high radiation activity (Aciory) brought in the year 1996.
2. A meeting was held in our department on Sunday 14/11/1999 with all the people concerned from the Atomic Energy Agency and the Firnas company and the Science Faculty/Al Mustansirya University and the following was revealed:
A. The Atomic Energy Organization clarified that this Source was not documented in their archives because it was previously shrouded by secrecy and it was delivered to Dr. Midhat Al Zubaidi at the end of year 1989.
B. Dr. Midhat clarified that he received the Source from the Organization in 1993 during the period where the equipment from the previous program were returned to the Al Tuwaitha site and he transferred to the Engineering Faculty/Baghdad University and then it was returned to its current location in Al Mustansirya University in the year 1996.
3. Dr. Khaled Ibrahim Said clarified that it is possible that this Source can be used by the Fourth Group where Dr. Midhat Al Zubaidi was one of its members in the year 1989 and for the purpose of doing some experimentations.
4. Information about this Source was previously requested by the Agency because it was imported to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Organization under the name of Al Basra University. And the Organization sent a team to Al Basra University to investigate or try to find it without any results.
In light of these infractions we suggest the return of the Source to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Organization and including and declaring it among the Radioactive Sources that it possesses.
With regards… Sir
General Engineer
Hussam Ahmad Amin
18/11/1999
End of the Translation.
I also found in my reading of document ISGQ-2003-00000813.pdf which is a 2002 document that the Iraqi were working to produce TANTALUM COATED GRAPHITE as part of research activities for the year 2002. This very special coating of Graphite with Tantalum to create a highly corrosion resistant surface for graphite. The document by itself does not say what is the use for this but for sure one of the few applications is that this Tantalum coated graphite can be used with the highly corrosive UF6 or Uranium Hexafluoride which is the basic component for ENRICHED URANIUM. In fact A Tantalum coated Graphite was totally prohibited for use in Iraq since it falls under the prohibited nuclear activities per this UN document ( http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/documents/S-2002-515.pdf pages 84 and 133 of this UN document pdf, an * next to an item means it is prohibited).
Maybe they were mass producing AM antenna cores to get better reception during Rush Limbaugh.
/enemedia spin
bump!
prisoner6
Great job jveritas, you are what the Stone-age press used to call an Investigative Reporter. You are a true patriot.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
In this case under discussion, I don't buy the comments about divulging secrets. The papers written in Arabic were released by the government a good while ago and now are being translated and analyzed by our good freeper, JVeritas. For crying out loud what's going on here and why?
To me, the Administration is secretive even when it doesn't have to be. Can't it ever play hardball, EVER? Can't it ever point out triumphantly to public records (such as the papers Veritas is working on) which, properly explained, can put it in a good light for a change?
It makes me sick that the White House has a consistent record of fading away and almost forcing conservative TV pundits, radio talk show hosts and private citizens like Veritas and freepers to do the heavy lifting in both offense and defense.
I don't get it at all.
(......actually, I DO get it, and I don't like the answer one bit).
Leni
To whom (what reporters) have you all written with pointers to where this information can be found?
No cajones?
Tantalum coated graphite isn't only used in uranium processing. It is used in any process where you don't want to diffuse graphite into some process you are working (molten metal or certain corrosive gases). Obviously it applies to uranium processing, but that isn't the only thing.
Additionally, people are getting too upset about the neutron source. It really isn't a big deal. It really isn't practical to make a powerful neutron flux outside of a nuclear reactor. These 'Highly Radioactive' neutron sources are no doubt trivial by comparison, and by physics. If I recall correctly it takes something like a hundred thousand alpha decays to yield ~50 neutrons (for an Am-Be neutron source). Not a particularly efficient process. Even the tiniest nuclear reactor would blow away the largest Am-Be source (or any other alpha-Be neutron source) by many many orders of magnitude.
"Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have developed a tantalum carbide-graphite composite material ..."
____________________________________
If so, the Chinese also have it now...thanks to Presidential aspirant Richardson!
"How do you distribute your translations?"
Not to worry ...
These are commercially available devices, most commonly used to measure rock porosity. One of their common applications is in prospecting for oil fields. They have essentially zero military significance.
And I agree with a previous poster: the "tantalum coated graphite" is much more problematic.
Good work !
Great article
Indeed. But Jveritas keeps plugging along, showing just how pathetic most "journalists" really are.
One of the most interesting threads yet j. Thanks to all FReepers who made knowlegable contributions to the thread.
The mainstream media is too busy covering important issues like Brangelina's baby, Britney's pregnancy and Lindsay Lohan's partying to cover something as "trivial" as this. Gag.
Thank you very much for all your support.
Great work, jveritas and an important find.
Yesterday, Chris Wallace asked Tony Snow if he knew about the new information on WMD's in Iraq; Tony said he didn't.
I thought that was pretty interesting. Something may be percolating about this issue.
What are the other applications for the Tantalum Coated Graphite that Iraq was using it for? It definitely can be used for corrosive applications but as I said before and as you noticed from page 84 and 133 of the UN documents I posted this combination of Tantalum and Graphite was prohibited, period. The UN document was very clear on putting this under the “Prohibited Nuclear Activity” section. Also see my post # 22 regarding the hidden uranium enrichment activities and again you see both Tantalum and Graphite as part of these activities.
Iraqi Document: Highly Radioactive Atomic Neutron Device (Translation)
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Operation Iraqi Freedom Documents
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