Posted: 3/21/2003 2:38:17 PM EDT
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I'm debating a guy and want to know the truth behind "America's military and technological support of Hussein." What was the nature of our relationship with him? Cites and precise facts needed urgently!! Thanks. |
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Most of his arms and defense stuff is French (Mirages), Chinese (SAMs) and Russian (Tanks). His pilots were trained by Russians, french and pakistanis. Other stuff came from South Africa. Germans and French nuclear aid. We tried to maintain a balance of power in the area previous to Gulf War |
| Yes, but did we actually supply him with weapons or technology? I need absolute accuracy. Cites and online sources would be great. I'm running a search right now but all I can find is left-wing baloney that makes all kinds of declarations without backing the claims with documentation. |
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The CIA help the Ba'ath party overthrow the Iraqi government in 1963. For his efforts during that time Saddam was made Vice President, his uncle was the President. Saddam had failed in an attempt to kill the prior President, and was the only conspiritor to escape. I believe Saddam took his Uncle out to. That is how he came to power. During the Iran-Iraq was the United States allegedly provided "technical assistance" to Iraq. That is most likely in the form of recon. from satelites. As far as actively providing weapons, I don't think we did. Of course the Iraqi's obtained South African made guns, 155's I believe that were/are signifigantly longer range than US guns. They were designed by an armaments genius, a Canadian, who was later assasinated while working on 200+mm fixed guns for the Iraqi's that would have had incredible range. We also were engaged in "friendly" trading with Iraq, including materials for medical research, from the CDC or other sources. Which is where the legend of the biological weapons comes from. I don't believe we ever sold arms directly to Iraq. |
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Thanks, that helps (that's actually what I had "heard" a while ago). What I really need are cites and sources. I want to roast this guy. All of the sites I've been able to find online so far are leftist blog pages that make claims that we sold him biological weapons and that we were trying to help him build nukes, etc. Google searching churns up a lot of unsubstantiated crap. |
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Quoted: Thanks, that helps (that's actually what I had "heard" a while ago). What I really need are cites and sources. I want to roast this guy. All of the sites I've been able to find online so far are leftist blog pages that make claims that we sold him biological weapons and that we were trying to help him build nukes, etc. Google searching churns up a lot of unsubstantiated crap. PBS's Frontline just had a show on Iraq, with a lot of info, footage of Saddam's rise to power. Try searching PBS's site(?) |
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They were designed by an armaments genius, a Canadian, who was later assasinated while working on 200+mm fixed guns for the Iraqi's that would have had incredible range. That would be Gerald Bull. He was actually a naturalized U.S. citizen. He'd been involved in some CIA operations and was left holding the bag and wound up spending a couple of years in Federal prison. After he was released, he started helping out some fringe third-world countries. There was a lot of spooky stuff surrounding him. A VERY interesting cat. |
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Quoted: They were designed by an armaments genius, a Canadian, who was later assasinated while working on 200+mm fixed guns for the Iraqi's that would have had incredible range. That would be Gerald Bull. He was actually a naturalized U.S. citizen. He'd been involved in some CIA operations and was left holding the bag and wound up spending a couple of years in Federal prison. After he was released, he started helping out some fringe third-world countries. There was a lot of spooky stuff surrounding him. A VERY interesting cat. It was my understanding that somebody (wink, wink, nudge, nudge [i]Mossad[/i]) assassinated him before he could complete the Iraqi super-gun program. |