[alloysteel]

Russia was just coming in to get a little repo work done before the Americans got there....

Saddam was looking to ditch the stuff before the Americans found it anyway.

And how hard would it be to make up a phony UN IAEA seal and substitute a lock on those bunkers after they got cleaned out? We really only have the word of the inspectors that they did a full and reasonably substantiated inspection anyway - considering the degree to which the UN authorities were in the pockets of the Oil-for-Food scandal already, it is no large stretch of the imagination to suggest a little collusion was going on.

[rodguy911]

Now that you mention it, RE the repo aspect of things, Iraq did owe the Russians several suitcases of rubles from what I understand. The Ruskies were probably just trying to get whatever they could before we took over.

It's hard to believe what other countries we have helped o ver the years like France, Russia and Germany will do for a little gold, disgusting isn't it.