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Arash

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Oct 25, 2005, 7:24:45 AM10/25/05

AntiWar
October 25, 2005

Fixing and Forging

Dr. James Gordon Prather
Nuclear weapons physicist
Nuclear bomb tester at Lawrence Livermore
Technical director of nuclear bomb testings at Sandia
Chief scientist of the U.S. Army
U.S. Navy veteran

On May 6, 2003, the New York Times published a column by Nicholas Kristof ("Missing
in Action: Truth") that began:

I rejoice in the newfound freedoms in Iraq. But there are indications that the
U.S. government souped up intelligence, leaned on spooks to change their conclusions
and concealed contrary information to deceive people at home and around the world.

Let's fervently hope that tomorrow we find an Iraqi superdome filled with 500
tons of mustard gas and nerve gas, 25,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of
botulinum toxin, 29,984 prohibited munitions capable of delivering chemical agents,
several dozen Scud missiles, gas centrifuges to enrich uranium, 18 mobile biological
warfare factories, long-range unmanned aerial vehicles to dispense anthrax and proof
of close ties with al-Qaida. http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0506-02.htm

Everything Nicholas Kristof (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_D._Kristof)
itemizes above had been "reported" – beginning in September 2002 – to exist in Iraq
by Judith Miller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Miller_%28journalist%29) of the
New York Times.

Judith Miller has since admitted that her reports – all of which turned out to be
wrong – were based upon "intelligence" provided to her by Ahmad Chalabi. But Judith
Miller claims she got confirmation of that "intelligence" from various high-level
Bush-Cheney administration officials.

We now know – from the Downing Street Memos
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downing_Street_memo) – that the Bush-Cheney White House
and the Rumsfeld-Wolfowitz-Feith-Perle Pentagon had begun to "fix the intelligence"
to justify a war against Iraq almost a year before the war officially began.

The White House Iraq Group
(http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=White_House_Iraq_Group) was founded in
September 2002 to promote support for the war against Iraq.

How?

Largely, by providing "fixed intelligence" to Judith Miller and other neo-crazy media
sycophants, here and abroad.

Turn again to the May 6, 2003, column by Nicholas Kristof:

Consider the now-disproved claims by President Bush and Colin Powell that Iraq
tried to buy uranium from Niger so it could build nuclear weapons. As Seymour Hersh
noted in The New Yorker, the claims were based on documents that had been forged so
amateurishly that they should never have been taken seriously.

I'm told by a person involved in the Niger caper that more than a year ago the
vice president's office asked for an investigation of the uranium deal, so a former
U.S. ambassador to Africa was dispatched to Niger.

In February 2002, according to someone present at the meetings, that envoy
reported to the CIA and State Department that the information was unequivocally wrong
and that the documents had been forged.

Now, what is curious about Nicholas Kristof's column is he has "someone" reporting
that the envoy reported that "the documents had been forged".

Yet, in an op-ed piece authored by ambassador Joseph Wilson
(http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0706-02.htm) two months after Kristof's column,
"envoy" ambassador Wilson says he was sent to Niger because of an "intelligence
report" in Cheney's possession that referred to a memorandum of agreement documenting
the sale of uranium yellowcake by Niger to Iraq in the late 1990s.

Ambassador Joseph Wilson said he never saw the intelligence report. Nor did he ever
see the memorandum of agreement.

Perhaps because, at that time, it didn't exist.

In late 2001, the Italian Military Intelligence and Security Service (SISMI) had
informed the CIA that the Iraqi ambassador to the Vatican had reportedly attempted on
a visit to Niger to arrange the purchase of yellowcake.

There was, at that time, no documentation.

In February 2002, ambassador Joseph Wilson and others went to Niger and reported back
that the Italian report was without foundation
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowcake_forgery).

Hence, in early October, 2002, CIA Director George Tenet asked that a reference to
the alleged purchase of yellowcake by Iraq be removed from a speech President Bush
was to give on October 7.

Guess what happened next.

The "documentation" for the arranged purchase of yellowcake by Iraq from Niger was
delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Rome on October 9.

The next day, Congress approved the Joint Congressional Resolution Authorizing the
Use of U.S. Armed Forces Against Iraq.

And Bush, Cheney and Condi Rice began referring to the Niger documents as proof that
Saddam was reconstructing his nuclear weapons program.

The documents were provided the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in March
2003 and within hours were determined to be forgeries.

Days later, Bush invaded Iraq.

Result?

The IAEA had been right. There had been no attempt whatsoever to reconstruct Saddam's
nuclear weapons program.

Furthermore, ambassador Joseph Wilson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plame_affair)
revealed that a year before the invasion he had found no evidence in Niger that
Saddam had even thought of reconstructing it.

So, now you know why someone forged the Niger yellowcake documents. But who forged
them? And when did they forge them?

Here's a hint: Maybe "fixing" intelligence includes "forging".

* Physicist James Gordon Prather has served as a policy implementing official for
national security-related technical matters in the Federal Energy Agency, the Energy
Research and Development Administration, the Department of Energy, the Office of the
Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Army. Dr. Prather also served as
legislative assistant for national security affairs to U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon,
R-Okla. --ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and member of the Senate
Energy Committee and Appropriations Committee. Dr. Prather had earlier worked as a
nuclear weapons physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(http://www.llnl.gov) in California and Sandia National Laboratory
(http://www.sandia.gov) in New Mexico. http://www.antiwar.com/prather

IAEA and Iran
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaIran/index.shtml

IAEA is doing Israel's bidding
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/953912efce75cbd9?hl=en

After 2 years of intrusive go-anywhere see-anything ask-anybody inspections!
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/a545047699722ca7?hl=en

Nobel's peaceful kick to the groin
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/22f9662d106ce9c4?hl=en

Bolton the Peacemaker
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/de17232f52db3933?hl=en

Saving Face
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7da8706c13c8a059?hl=en

West does not seek the elimination of nukes, but rather the establishment of nuclear
monopoly
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/502efbdfaa7622f7?hl=en

Unratified additional protocol
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1b2b77819b38d9e3?hl=en

The high price of hounding Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7c854d944d6e061d?hl=en

Such a Blot
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/43ee2e2149e17310?hl=en

Weapons of Mass Murder
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0f3f87b645a72fde?hl=en

Neocrazies Foiled
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/86df9c0e9c38d475?hl=en

Iran knocks Europe out
By Pepe Escobar
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/497a81cb3c315c65?hl=en

UN opens a Pandora's Box of "Iran exceptionalism"
Dr. Kaveh Afrasiabi
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/24bfe5a318d9a222?hl=en

There is Nothing to refer to UN Security Council
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/76824d9387903d4a?hl=en

WMD Postmortem
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0d02537756cafca8?hl=en

No wonder the West is so mad at Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/83e63797f1a1af3b?hl=en

Bolton in a China Shop
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/9927bb4f65924e34?hl=en

JEW media sycophants & 36% HEU - IRAN told the truth, yet JEW keeps lying
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f90a6eef507f10a0?hl=en

Past Arguments Don't Square With Current Iran Policy
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f53d3a05bc5403c1?hl=en

The fuel behind Iran's nuclear drive
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/2fcf81313deb4ae0?hl=en

The U.S. and Iran: Democracy, Terrorism, and Nuclear Weapons
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0d0dcf76abbaafb1?hl=en

NO Nuclear double standards
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/8e41f4a8a1a3e04c?hl=en

Backlash Builds Against Cheney's 'Guns of August'
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/8286b2b389247d0a?hl=en

An offer Iran MUST refuse
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/743b96400831f8a1?hl=en

Zero Tolerance
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1641ae424fde5b89?hl=en

Sino-Russian Guarantees?
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/bd8f5389ab0e8956?hl=en

More neo-crazy media sycophant LIES about Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/d3fe84a9b64d20bc?hl=en

What The Neo-Crazies Knew
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/6b45fabf57726a03?hl=en

EU vs. Iran - Who's Right?
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/cbce70a3093360fb?hl=en

Iran should refer U.S. to Security Council for violating UNSCR-984
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0d54ef8e41b971bf?hl=en

Castration of NPT - U.S. instantly tore up NPT for India, so why should Iran obey a
torn up agreement!
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/2c234f4a148cd298?hl=en

U.S. ripped NPT into pieces; Iran must withdraw from this annulled treaty
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/fbf55e939908b2c2?hl=en

U.S. proliferation rhetoric and reality
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7d8c268ee51c07be?hl=en

Ambassador Bolton's Agenda
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1ca916601b7a7bc8?hl=en

Iran's INALIENABLE RIGHT to uranium enrichment
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/245f6081b4e3d019?hl=en

A Palliative for Neo-Crazy Lies
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1b7968f98173938d?hl=en

Inalienable right without discrimination
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/5012a673328fa044?hl=en

U.S. doesn't want to disarm even though it promised to do so
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/c0b86cad11cb9413?hl=en

UN Referral – Not
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/bddc928154c8c96a?hl=en

What Iranian obligations? What breaches? America's lies, lies, lies...
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/9535c4a90df98471?hl=en

Memo to slimy senators
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/7065ffd57b51a959?hl=en

U.S. promised in 2000, to get rid of it's nukes!
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/1e23bafecdac9e82?hl=en

U.S. has violated Iran's NPT rights!
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/02f1f48fafcac2b6?hl=en

Iran's diplomatic masterpiece
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f532352654efee1d?hl=en

Bush to sabotage NPT
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/6386adef83860d3e?hl=en

West's repeated violations of "Article IV & I" against Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0123ceb12dd47321?hl=en

Israel guns for Iran - Why?
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/2c0274540f3957b7?hl=en

U.S. wants definition of NPT 'noncompliance' changed!!!
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/2abab5a7b8bce4c5?hl=en

NTP for dummies
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f317bb918ca244da?hl=en

CNN's Wolf Blitzer & David Albright: Jews global campaign against Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/44fcd2a53218eb52?hl=en

The Real Threat From John Bolton
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/16fb61c3cca32703?hl=en

81-mm smoking rockets
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/fb2c580ba00d79a6?hl=en

U.S. plans to destroy NPT
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/760abaff1d8ac7c2?hl=en

Nuts to Bush
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/de936f823b4dfb11?hl=en

Iran's logic proven correct to the entire World
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/a5798de678dad2a9?hl=en

Sandbagging the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group)
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/238000abe8fe032e?hl=en

What Noncompliance?
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/32f537772749ecc2?hl=en

Sandbagging the EU
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/bb437d1ee00ad1e9?hl=en

Bye-Bye, NPT
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/eb8e9f617d0e0867?hl=en

Jew tells Bush to lie about Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/c96849f55f92353e?hl=en

Targeting Non-existent Nukes?
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/e25e86754767e3ef?hl=en

Blindly Backing Israel Against Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/ca49370dcc1f41a4?hl=en

Condi Desperate to Stop EU-China-Iran Chain Reaction
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/26e6a24b43339654?hl=en

The Impossible Dream in the State of the Union Address
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/74938ea7958d0764?hl=en

Targeting Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/dbb46af7ff3f0b66?hl=en

Bay of Pigs part 2, CIA-Israeli-MEK
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/b58f2a1d8b2290ff?hl=en

Threatening Iran - despite the evidence
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/ce6e09919da68cbb?hl=en

Virtual Nukes
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/c245e595ad17ae57?hl=en

Iran's having the capability to enrich uranium is not even tantamount to having the
capability to produce the essentially pure uranium-235 required to make a nuke
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/303c3ca53b67c0a7?hl=en

Dangerous Delusions About Iran
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/42c57f2ae0cdb3b0?hl=en

Thwarting the Neo-Crazies
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/66c79d721fd588d4?hl=en

Trashing the IAEA Again
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f8c610f6cc9e1fda?hl=en

U.S. keeps lying about Iran again & again
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/e9f480b192bd425e?hl=en

Iran's Stealthy Nukes
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/e47cc87d2b268368?hl=en

Uranium-Enrichment Myths Busted
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/f7ebc6f4bed9d13a?hl=en

Iran Plays by the Rules - No Fair!
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/25be300601cc8984?hl=en

Nuclear Bait and Switch
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0a0dc80ca3b8e98f?hl=en

The myth of Iranian nukes
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/bf78503a661673e9?hl=en

North Korea has what Iraq didn't
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/56f613221080276e?hl=en

Iran has absolute right to enrich uranium
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/0a8ac2dc599976ba?hl=en

Iran is in full compliance with NPT & IAEA
http://groups.google.ca/group/soc.culture.iranian/msg/737b74e86ba897cb?hl=en