Saddam's Poisonous Papers
Just days before the anthrax attacks of 2001 started in the
While the memo does not state the nature of the poison, due to the context of the memo it seems to indicate some type of chemical or biological agent would be embedded on the paper, which would then be submitted to government offices. An Arabic linguist informs this researcher that the original Arabic term for 'poisonous papers' is not used metaphorically and almost certainly refers to some type of literal deadly agent.
This new information comes from a document captured in
Begin Translation for CMPC—2003—006051
Page 1
In the name of Allah the Merciful
Republic ofIraq Presidency of the Republic
The Secretary
Top secret and personal
Number: K/9320
Date:
17 September 2001
To: Respected Director of the Intelligence Service
Respected Director of the General Military Intelligence
Respected Director of General Security
Subject: Information
We have received information saying that agents, following instructions from their Iranian masters have instructed their followers to go to official and semi—official government offices to follow up on paper work. They were instructed to submit personal files containing poisonous papers that were specially prepared to target the officials and the important places in the security, (Baath) party, and administrative offices in all the provinces of the country.
Please be informed and respond as needed.
With respects.
Colonel
Dr. Abd Hamid Khattab
Secretary of the President of the Republic
16 September 2001
Page 2
Republic ofIraq Presidency of the Republic
Intelligence Service
Top secret and personal
Announcement
Date:
19 September 2001 Number: 4637
Respected Assistant Director of the Operations of Intelligence.
Enclosed is the photocopy of the letter of the Presidency of the Republic—Secretary 9320 on 17 September 2001, regarding information about targeting the officials through submitting forms containing poisonous papers.
Please review...With respects
Enclosed: Letter
Signed by; M.M 1
18th September 2001
Copy to:
Respected Mr. M. A. M 4
Respected Mr. M. A. M 5 Enclosed copy of the mentioned letter
Respected Mr. M. M 40 With respects.
Respected Mr. M. M 6
Respected Mr. M. M 16
End Translation
While the evidence presented here is not conclusive, it raises some interesting questions. There are a few different scenarios that could explain why Saddam was sending out this alert the day before a similar attack occurred in the
One theory would be to take the memo at face value. Perhaps the Iraqi government actually picked up information that the Iranians were planning this attack. In that case, it raises the level of suspicion that the Iranians were possibly involved with the attack on the
On the other hand it could be a ploy by Saddam, who is well known to have had biological weapons in stockpile during the 90's, to turn his enemies against each other. If Saddam had knowledge of the impending attacks in the
To Prevent
's Different Groups From Coming Together To Challenge His Regime, Saddam Undertook A Deliberate Strategy Of Maintaining Power By Dividing The Iraqi People: Iraq —region>
He brutally repressed different Iraqi communities and pitted them against one another. By displacing communities and dividing Iraqis, Saddam sought to establish himself as the only force that could hold the country together.
And it was not uncommon for Saddam as the culprit to portray himself as the victim. A prime example of this strategy coming from
Despite United Nations environmental surveys that show DU munitions have negligible environmental impact, Saddam continually claimed that DU was causing wide spread health problems in Iraq. Many experts attribute these problems to Saddam's own use of chemical weapons in
It is worth noting that according to Iranian state run media, two of its newspapers received anthrax mailings in December of 2001. This could have been a ploy by the Iranians to deflect suspicion, but in this case it occurred after the American anthrax attack. The article does not make it clear whether the mailings were actual anthrax or were a hoax.
Of course, this alert may be just one instance of numerous security alerts that just happened to fall on a date that makes it appear suspiciously like there is a relationship between it and the
It should also be noted that Saddam was thinking about a biological attack on
"Terrorism is coming. I told the Americans," Saddam is heard saying, adding he "told the British as well'. 'In the future, what would prevent a booby trapped car causing a nuclear explosion in —region> or a germ or a chemical one?" Saddam said. "This story is coming, but not from Washington ," he said. Iraq —region>
Ray Robison is an occasional contributor to American Thinker, and proprietor of the eponymous blog Ray Robison.