Spoetnik
14-02-05, 16:52
An Australian scientist involved in the US search for weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq today said the CIA censored his reporting so that it suggested the weapons existed.
He also accused the head of Britain’s Joint Intelligence Committee of wanting to to make the report “sexier.”
Rod Barton, a microbiologist who worked for Australian intelligence for more than 20 years, told Australian TV he quit the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) in disgust at the censorship of its interim report presented to the US Congress in March last year.
“We left the impression that, yes, maybe there were ... WMD out there,” Barton said. “So I thought it was dishonest.”
Barton, an experienced weapons hunter who joined the UN search for Saddam Hussein’s illicit arsenal in 1991, said the censorship in the US investigation began after Charles Duelfer became the new head of ISG in February 2004.
Barton said Duelfer wanted “a different style of report altogether” which he had discussed with President George Bush and the CIA.
Barton said the report was to have no conclusions.
“I said to him, ’I believe it’s dishonest,”’ Barton said. “If we know certain things and we’re asked to provide a report, we should say what we found and what we haven’t found and put that in the report.”
Duelfer’s staff and senior CIA staff had stipulated what ”politically difficult” information could not be included in the report, Barton said.
The ISG was allowed to mention a find of aluminium pipes but were not allowed to mention that their probable intended use was not nuclear.
The pipes had earlier been publicly described as likely components for centrifuges to be used for nuclear enrichment and were highlighted by the US-led coalition of the willing in the case for war against Iraq.
The report was not allowed to mention two trailers held at the ISG camp which the CIA had previously labelled mobile biological weapon laboratories, Barton said.
“They were nothing to do with biology,” he said. “We believed that they were hydrogen generators.”
He added, “Charles’ attitude was he did not want to inspect them or know. Then he could genuinely say to Washington that he doesn’t know what they are for.”
Barton said the draft report was circulated to Washington and London.
Duelfer refused a request from John Scarlett, chairman of the United Kingdom’s Joint Intelligence Committee, to include new elements, Barton said, without saying what the new elements were.
“Both Washington and London wanted other things put in and to make it – I can only use these words – to make it sexier,” Barton said.
Barton said he quit immediately after the report was completed and stated in his resignation letter that it was because the process was dishonest.
Barton said Duelfer asked him to return in September last year, saying he was working on an “honest report.” Barton returned and said he was happy with the final report.
Duelfer’s final report in October last year said Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction, had not made any since 1991 and no capability of making any.
Barton said he was going public with his allegations only now, “partly ’cause I’m at the end of this process now, and partly because I think the world should know some of the truths which at times I would’ve liked the world to have known, but I couldn’t say anything.”
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4130247
Bewijst eens te meer dat er geen sprake was van een vergissing, maar van misleiding. Ook door Tony.
Iraq today said the CIA censored his reporting so that it suggested the weapons existed.
He also accused the head of Britain’s Joint Intelligence Committee of wanting to to make the report “sexier.”
Rod Barton, a microbiologist who worked for Australian intelligence for more than 20 years, told Australian TV he quit the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) in disgust at the censorship of its interim report presented to the US Congress in March last year.
“We left the impression that, yes, maybe there were ... WMD out there,” Barton said. “So I thought it was dishonest.”
Barton, an experienced weapons hunter who joined the UN search for Saddam Hussein’s illicit arsenal in 1991, said the censorship in the US investigation began after Charles Duelfer became the new head of ISG in February 2004.
Barton said Duelfer wanted “a different style of report altogether” which he had discussed with President George Bush and the CIA.
Barton said the report was to have no conclusions.
“I said to him, ’I believe it’s dishonest,”’ Barton said. “If we know certain things and we’re asked to provide a report, we should say what we found and what we haven’t found and put that in the report.”
Duelfer’s staff and senior CIA staff had stipulated what ”politically difficult” information could not be included in the report, Barton said.
The ISG was allowed to mention a find of aluminium pipes but were not allowed to mention that their probable intended use was not nuclear.
The pipes had earlier been publicly described as likely components for centrifuges to be used for nuclear enrichment and were highlighted by the US-led coalition of the willing in the case for war against Iraq.
The report was not allowed to mention two trailers held at the ISG camp which the CIA had previously labelled mobile biological weapon laboratories, Barton said.
“They were nothing to do with biology,” he said. “We believed that they were hydrogen generators.”
He added, “Charles’ attitude was he did not want to inspect them or know. Then he could genuinely say to Washington that he doesn’t know what they are for.”
Barton said the draft report was circulated to Washington and London.
Duelfer refused a request from John Scarlett, chairman of the United Kingdom’s Joint Intelligence Committee, to include new elements, Barton said, without saying what the new elements were.
“Both Washington and London wanted other things put in and to make it – I can only use these words – to make it sexier,” Barton said.
Barton said he quit immediately after the report was completed and stated in his resignation letter that it was because the process was dishonest.
Barton said Duelfer asked him to return in September last year, saying he was working on an “honest report.” Barton returned and said he was happy with the final report.
Duelfer’s final report in October last year said Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction, had not made any since 1991 and no capability of making any.
Barton said he was going public with his allegations only now, “partly ’cause I’m at the end of this process now, and partly because I think the world should know some of the truths which at times I would’ve liked the world to have known, but I couldn’t say anything.”
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4130247
Bewijst eens te meer dat er geen sprake was van een vergissing, maar van misleiding. Ook door Tony.