Iraq, WMDs and Troubling Revelations |
FrontPageMagazine.com | May 29, 2006
Just recently, Saddam Hussein's former southern regional commander, Gen. Al-Tikriti,
gave the first videotaped testimony confirming thatJohn Loftus, president of the Intelligence Summit, a non-profit, non-partisan charity to support our intelligence community and a frequent commentator on terrorism for network news. For 25 years, he has been a pro bono lawyer for whistleblowers inside US and NATO intelligence. He held a Q clearance for nuclear weapons, special access to NATO Cosmic, and a codeword clearance for special intelligence. He handled intelligence research for the
Paul (Dave) Gaubatz, a former U.S. Federal Agent (Arabic linguist/counter-terrorist specialist) who was deployed to
Ryan Mauro, who spoke at the recent 2006 International Intelligence Summit on
FP: Dave Gaubatz, Ryan Mauro and John Loftus, welcome to Frontpage Sympsoium.
Ryan Mauro, your site just recently ran the first videotaped testimony, never-before-seen, of Gen. Al-Tikriti (covered in silhouette and voice modified) discussing how
Tell us about it.
Mauro: General Al-Tikriti was known as the "Butcher of Basra" and was a southern regional commander for Saddam Hussein, a friend of his. He defected shortly before the Gulf War but has maintained contacts inside
He has confirmed in previous interviews that
In this videotape, he has his voice modified and face blacked out. However, I have sources who were at the taping, and who confirmed with the Iraqi embassy that he is legit. In this tape, he confirms that
FP: John Loftus what do you think of this videotape? And what do your sources tell you about
Loftus: At first, there was more than a bit of skepticism. Some of my sources reported that the general had left Iraq three years earlier, and so was not in a position to know anything first hand. However, other sources say that Ryan found a bit of a gem here, and the story is legit.
It all is just a piece in the bigger puzzle, a tile in the mosaic of intelligence analysis. John Shaw, who was a deputy to the undersecretary of defense at the time of the
All the pieces fit, the Russians threw sand in our eyes. They moved the WMD across the border while we went digging holes in the desert. Nice allies.
FP: These revelations destroy the Left’s main arguments and vindicate the Bush administration. Why isn’t the administration talking about this? Are we afraid of a confrontation with the Russians? Are we going to do anything about this?
Mr. Gaubatz? Before you help us with some of these questions, tell us about what your own sources are saying.
Gaubatz: My sources confirm much of the information that is stated by the individual who claims to be "General Al-Tikriti", but they are suspicious of anyone they can't see or can't hear in their natural voice. Arabic is such a distinctive language that native Arabic speakers can tell a lot about the person by the words, tone, and mannerisms displayed during the conversation. There is little doubt Saddam had WMDs and that the Russians were involved in hiding them and possibly also removing them.
I feel Mr. Loftus, Mr. Mauro, myself, and many others realize WMDs were/are in
Based on my extensive conversations with the Congressmen and their staff, they are afraid that if they searched the suspected sites in
FP: Thank you.
Ryan Mauro?
Mauro: The reason General Al-Tikriti's testimony needs to be heard is because he was in a position to know what would happen in the event of an invasion of Iraq and plans to hide WMD, and because we have additional information from people like General Georges Sada, the former #2 man in Saddam's air force; Jack Shaw, as Mr. Loftus pointed out; and Ion Pacepa, the former chief of Romanian intelligence, who described plans for Russia to activate a plan to move and hide WMDs out of their rogue state allies should a Western invasion be feared.
While he defected in 1990, it appears that defectors are often better at obtaining information from inside tyrannical regimes than the CIA is. I agree with Mr. Gaubatz that this silhouette won't convince the masses. I've conveyed that concern to Al-Tikriti and discussions are underway to reveal more of what he knows and how best to move forward. I am also working on several other stories that may bring forth additional evidence of a WMD transfer to
The release of documents found in
FP: John Loftus, a comment on the discussion thus far? And what fight do we have ahead now?
Loftus: What fight? I don’t see anyone with a will to fight. Seems like this administration just surrendered to the Russians and Chinese on the
"Someone" in
The Americans used to own the night, due to our night vision equipment, but "someone" in
The Kremlin would have us believe that these incidents were caused by corrupt civilians, not by the Russian military. Of course, the Russians count as civilians anyone who temporarily swaps their uniform for civvies, such as the Spetznatz units in
Every senior member of a Western, European or Asian intelligence service whom I have ever met all agree that the Russians moved the last of the WMDs out of Iraq in the last few months before the war. A Syrian journalist who defected to
The Russians sold their WMD support to Saddam for oil. That is why
The problem is only partly with a lazy and indolent media. The problem is that this State Department has decided that all Russian peccadillos must be overlooked for the greater good of preventing
The Pentagon knows the truth about appeasement and is planning for war. The Iranians know we know and they are planning for war too, only a war against
FP: This is truly a depressing picture. The Russians, if this is all true, are literally our enemies. The Cold War never ended. We just got the War on Terror on top of it now.
Gaubatz: The interview with General Al-Tikriti needs to be shown, but it would be much better if he would not disguise his voice. I can somewhat understand a silhouette, but see no purpose in disguising his voice. His voice could be analyzed by experts and more people would support our beliefs.
In my intelligence reports during the war I advised all Departments of DOD, DOJ, CIA, etc.... that not only were the Russians involved in many aspects of daily life in Iraq (weapons factories, businesses, supplying non conventional technology/weapons to Iraq) but the Iranians were coming into southern Iraq by the thousands. There was no intelligence failure, only an intelligence dissemination failure.
I have been fighting a 3 year battle to have four suspected WMD sites inspected in southern
I can't quit until I pound the media a bit. I read and watch all news everyday, and just shake my head at some of the crap. We have spent weeks on the NSA phone records issue, and all of this was based on an "anonymous source". Yet I contact the media (for the sole purpose of having WMD sites searched so our children will not experience a WMD attack, and everyone of them want me to produce classified documents (which I don't have), they want every Iraqi source identified to talk on TV (they are fearful for their lives), they want pictures of the WMD. If it were that easy I would have carried the barrels on my back to get them out of the terrorists’ hands. Greta Van Susteran can spend 1.5 years of almost daily airtime on one possible homicide in
I am just thankful we have people like Jamie Glazov and FrontPageMag who make every attempt to get the truth out.
FP: Well thank you David Gaubatz, we try our best, but it is warriors and soldiers like you gentlemen that courageously get the truth to put in our hands. Ryan Mauro?
Mauro: My Iraqi sources do believe some WMD remain in
I know for a fact that a lot of people in government, military and intelligence believe and have supporting information for this issue. I know average citizens of the
If any readers of this Symposium have information and can legally do so, step up and help us press this issue. FrontPage has a very educated and influential readership and together, we can get the truth out to mainstream
FP: John Loftus?
Loftus: Ryan has covered a lot of territory in his book and in his talks that some government agencies simply do not want to discuss. Dave may have uncovered weapons sites so embarrassing that no bureaucrat wants to find them, A lot of folks inside the beltway have bet their careers that no WMD will be found in Iraq. Their careers are more important to them than the truth or the national interest.
As President of the Intelligence Summit, I was appalled to find that so many agencies tried to suppress what Bill Tierney had to say at our conference in February. Bill's expert translation of the long-forgotten Saddam wiretaps shows that this is a very controversial topic to say the least. As a result of Bill's heroic efforts, the President ordered his intelligence community to reverse course, reopen the wmd issue, and accelerate the translation of the documents and tapes we captured from saddam.
All is not last. We have quiet heroes among us. Gary Metz of RegimeChangeIran.com is a key link between Iranian dissidents and American readers. Yet, Gary never gets a cent of compensation from the US Government, despite the fact that his website is read by virtually every iranian desk officer in US intell. Gary is going quietly broke, and will go under unless he gets some financial sponsors from private individuals.
Another quiet hero of mine is Eric Shawn. His new book, "The U.N. Exposed" does just that. The problem of indifference is not confined to American bureacrats, it is endemic at the international level. Still, somehow, we will muddle through. Perhaps because we have such people as Dave, Ryan and Eric who fight for the truth. They are the kind of people who still believe in the meaning behind the words inscribed on the wall at the CIA: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
It has been my honor to be in their company.
FP: Dave Gaubatz, final word goes to you.
Gaubatz: I have respect for Mr. Mauro and Mr. Loftus. Each of us need to continue pressing the issue of WMD in Iraq. There is much more to do before we can say there never was WMD in Iraq. I think all of us agree that the Russians have some involvement and our State Department and other leaders need to press them to come forward. Since I don't see this happening I will continue to get my message out to the American public the best way I possibly can. Right now it is my website, www.davegaubatz.com.
FP: And it has been an honor for me to be in your gentlemen's company. Dave Gaubatz, Ryan Mauro and John Loftus, thank you for joining Frontpage Symposium.