ANOTHER “WILD CONSPIRACY THEORY” PROVEN TRUE….

HOW THE 20-YEAR WAR STARTED

 

CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL:

Classified Cable Proves US Ok’d Saddam’s Kuwait Invasion

February 1, 2011

Veterans Today

Editor’s note:  Though Ron Paul totally sidesteps his previous statements on 9/11 and the role of Israel and its friends in both conflicts, choosing instead to push blame on to the Republican party and a cabal of oil companies, there are telling facts to be gleaned from the Wikileak cable meant to discredit the United States.  

When a reasonable and acute thinker quickly comes to the conclusion that the influence of Israel is far greater in Washington than any oil company and the rationale for targeting Iraq served only the strategic interests of Israeli expansionism and was not, in any way, related to accessing oil openly available on the world market, we can escape the artifices of Mr. Assange and his handlers along with the “soft soap” of Ron Paul and his “kow-tow” to AIPAC.”

[Congressional Record: January 26, 2011 (House)] [Page H503]

“The SPEAKER pro tempore. 

Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, how did the 20-year war get started?

It had been long assumed that the United States Government, shortly before Iraq invaded Kuwait in August of 1990, gave Saddam Hussein a green light to attack. A State Department cable recently published by WikiLeaks confirmed that U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie did indeed have a conversation with Saddam Hussein one week prior to Iraq’s August 1, 1990, invasion of Kuwait.

Amazingly, the released cable was entitled,

“SADDAM’S MESSAGE OF FRIENDSHIP TO PRESIDENT BUSH.” (published below)

In it, Ambassador Glaspie affirmed to Saddam that “the President had instructed her to broaden and deepen our relations with Iraq.” As Saddam Hussein outlined Iraq’s ongoing border dispute with Kuwait, Ambassador Glaspie was quite clear that, “we took no position on these Arab affairs.”

There would have been no reason for Saddam Hussein not to take this assurance at face value. The U.S. was quite supportive of his invasion and war of aggression against Iran in the 1980s. With this approval from the U.S. Government, it wasn’t surprising that the invasion occurred. The shock and surprise was how quickly the tables were turned and our friend, Saddam Hussein, all of a sudden became Hitler personified.

The document was classified, supposedly to protect national security, yet this information in no way jeopardized our security. Instead, it served to keep the truth from the American people about an event leading up to our initial military involvement in Iraq and the region that continues to today.

{time} 1440

The secrecy of the memo was designed to hide the truth from the American people and keep our government from being embarrassed. This was the initial event that had led to so much death and destruction ~ not to mention the financial costs ~ these past 20 years.

Our response and persistent militarism toward Iraq was directly related to 9/11, as our presence on the Arabian Peninsula–and in particular Saudi Arabia–was listed by al Qaeda as a major grievance that outraged the radicals (sic) who carried out the heinous attacks against New York and Washington on that fateful day.

Today, the conflict has spread through the Middle East and Central Asia with no end in sight.

Saddam Hussein, Deceived

The reason this information is so important is that if Congress and the American people had known about this green light incident 20 years ago, they would have been a lot more reluctant to give a green light to our government to pursue the current war ~ a war that is ongoing and expanding to this very day.

The tough question that remains is was this done deliberately to create the justification to redesign the Middle East, as many neo- conservatives desired, and to secure oil supplies for the West; or was it just a diplomatic blunder followed up by many more strategic military blunders? Regardless, we have blundered into a war that no one seems willing to end.

Julian Assange, the publisher of the WikiLeaks memo, is now considered an enemy of the state. Politicians are calling for drastic punishment and even assassination; and, sadly, the majority of the American people seem to support such moves.

But why should we so fear the truth? Why should our government’s lies and mistakes be hidden from the American people in the name of patriotism? Once it becomes acceptable to equate truth with treason, we can no longer call ourselves a free society.”

Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
90BAGHDAD4237	1990-07-25 12:12	2011-01-01 21:09	SECRET	Embassy Baghdad

O 251246Z JUL 90

FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4627

INFO AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI IMMEDIATE

AMEMBASSY CAIRO IMMEDIATE

AMEMBASSY KUWAIT IMMEDIATE

AMEMBASSY RIYADH IMMEDIATE

ARABLEAGUE COLLECTIVE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 05 BAGHDAD 04237

E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR

TAGS: MOPS PREL US KU IZ

SUBJECT: SADDAM'S MESSAGE OF FRIENDSHIP TO PRESIDENT BUSH

¶1. SECRET - ENTIRE TEXT.

¶2. SUMMARY: SADDAM TOLD THE AMBASSADOR JULY 25

THAT MUBARAK HAS ARRANGED FOR KUWAITI AND IRAQI

DELEGATIONS TO MEET IN RIYADH, AND THEN ON

JULY 28, 29 OR 30, THE KUWAITI CROWN PRINCE WILL

COME TO BAGHDAD FOR SERIOUS NEGOTIATIONS. "NOTHING

WILL HAPPEN" BEFORE THEN, SADDAM HAD PROMISED

MUBARAK.

--SADDAM WISHED TO CONVEY AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO

PRESIDENT BUSH: IRAQ WANTS FRIENDSHIP, BUT DOES

THE USG? IRAQ SUFFERED 100,000'S OF CASUALTIES

AND IS NOW SO POOR THAT WAR ORPHAN PENSIONS WILL

SOON BE CUT; YET RICH KUWAIT WILL NOT EVEN ACCEPT

OPEC DISCIPLINE. IRAQ IS SICK OF WAR, BUT KUWAIT

HAS IGNORED DIPLOMACY. USG MANEUVERS WITH THE UAE

WILL ENCOURAGE THE UAE AND KUWAIT TO IGNORE

CONVENTIONAL DIPLOMACY. IF IRAQ IS PUBLICLY

HUMILIATED BY THE USG, IT WILL HAVE NO CHOICE

BUT TO "RESPOND," HOWEVER ILLOGICAL AND SELF

DESTRUCTIVE THAT WOULD PROVE.

--ALTHOUGH NOT QUITE EXPLICIT, SADDAM'S MESSAGE

TO US SEEMED TO BE THAT HE WILL MAKE A MAJOR PUSH

TO COOPERATE WITH MUBARAK'S DIPLOMACY, BUT WE MUST

TRY TO UNDERSTAND KUWAITI/UAE "SELFISHNESS" IS

UNBEARABLE. AMBASSADOR MADE CLEAR THAT WE CAN

NEVER EXCUSE SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES BY OTHER THAN

PEACEFUL MEANS. END SUMMARY.

¶3. AMBASSADOR WAS SUMMONED BY PRESIDENT

SADDAM HUSAYN AT NOON JULY 25. ALSO PRESENT

WERE FONMIN AZIZ, THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE

DIRECTOR, TWO NOTETAKERS, AND THE IRAQI

INTERPRETER.

¶4. SADDAM, WHOSE MANNER WAS CORDIAL,

REASONABLE AND EVEN WARM THROUGHOUT THE ENSUING

TWO HOURS, SAID HE WISHED THE AMBASSADOR TO

CONVEY A MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT BUSH. SADDAM

THEN RECALLED IN DETAIL THE HISTORY OF IRAQ'S

DECISION TO REESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

AND ITS POSTPONING IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT

DECISION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR, RATHER THAN BE

THOUGHT WEAK AND NEEDY. HE THEN SPOKE ABOUT THE

MANY "BLOWS" OUR RELATIONS HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO

SINCE 1984, CHIEF AMONG THEM IRANGATE. IT WAS

AFTER THE FAW VICTORY, SADDAM SAID, THAT IRAQI

MISAPPREHENSIONS ABOUT USG PURPOSES BEGAN TO

SURFACE AGAIN, I.E., SUSPICIONS THAT THE U.S. WAS

NOT HAPPY TO SEE THE WAR END.

¶5. PICKING HIS WORDS WITH CARE, SADDAM SAID

THAT THERE ARE "SOME CIRCLES" IN THE USG,

INCLUDING IN CIA AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT,

BUT EMPHATICALLY EXCLUDING THE PRESIDENT AND

SECRETARY BAKER, WHO ARE NOT FRIENDLY TOWARD

IRAQ-U.S. RELATIONS. HE THEN LISTED WHAT HE

SEEMED TO REGARD AS FACTS TO SUPPORT THIS

CONCLUSION: "SOME CIRCLES ARE GATHERING

INFORMATION ON WHO MIGHT BE SADDAM HUSAYN'S

SUCCESSOR;" THEY KEPT UP CONTACTS IN THE GULF

WARNING AGAINST IRAQ; THEY WORKED TO ENSURE

NO HELP WOULD GO TO IRAQ (READ EXIM AND CCC).

¶6. IRAQ, THE PRESIDENT STRESSED, IS IN SERIOUS

FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES, WITH 40 BILLION USD DEBTS.

IRAQ, WHOSE VICTORY IN THE WAR AGAINST IRAN

MADE AN HISTORIC DIFFERENCE TO THE ARAB WORLD

AND THE WEST, NEEDS A MARSHALL PLAN. BUT "YOU

WANT THE OIL PRICE DOWN," SADDAM CHARGED.

¶7. RESUMING HIS LIST OF GRIEVANCES WHICH HE

BELIEVED WERE ALL INSPIRED BY

"SOME CIRCLES" IN THE USG, HE RECALLED THE

"USIA CAMPAIGN" AGAINST HIMSELF, AND THE

GENERAL MEDIA ASSAULT ON IRAQ AND ITS PRESIDENT.

¶8. DESPITE ALL THESE BLOWS, SADDAM SAID, AND

ALTHOUGH "WE WERE SOMEWHAT ANNOYED," WE STILL

HOPED THAT WE COULD DEVELOP A GOOD RELATIONSHIP.

BUT THOSE WHO FORCE OIL PRICES DOWN ARE ENGAGING

IN ECONOMIC WARFARE AND IRAQ CANNOT ACCEPT SUCH

A TRESPASS ON ITS DIGNITY AND PROSPERITY.

¶9. THE SPEARHEADS (FOR THE USG) HAVE BEEN KUWAIT

AND THE UAE, SADDAM SAID. SADDAM SAID CAREFULLY

THAT JUST AS IRAQ WILL NOT THREATEN OTHERS, IT

WILL ACCEPT NO THREAT AGAINST ITSELF. "WE HOPE

THE USG WILL NOT MISUNDERSTAND:" IRAQ ACCEPTS,

AS THE STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID, THAT ANY

COUNTRY MAY CHOOSE ITS FRIENDS. BUT THE USG KNOWS

THAT IT WAS IRAQ, NOT THE USG, WHICH DECISIVELY

PROTECTED THOSE USG FRIENDS DURING THE WAR--AND THAT

IS UNDERSTANDABLE SINCE PUBLIC OPINION IN THE USG,

TO SAY NOTHING OF GEOGRAPHY, WOULD HAVE MADE IT

IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE AMERICANS TO ACCEPT 10,000 DEAD

IN A SINGLE BATTLE, AS IRAQ DID.

¶10. SADDAM ASKED WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE USG

TO ANNOUNCE IT IS COMMITTED TO THE DEFENSE OF

ITS FRIENDS, INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY.

ANSWERING HIS OWN QUESTION, HE SAID THAT TO IRAQ

IT MEANS FLAGRANT BIAS AGAINST THE GOI.

¶11. COMING TO ONE OF HIS MAIN POINTS, SADDAM

ARGUED THAT USG MANEUVERS WITH THE UAE AND KUWAIT (SIC)

ENCOURAGED THEM IN THEIR UNGENEROUS POLICIES. THE

IRAQI RIGHTS, SADDAM EMPHASIZED, WILL BE RESTORED

ONE BY ONE, THOUGH IT MAY TAKE A MONTH OR MUCH

MORE THAN A YEAR. IRAQ HOPES THE USG WILL BE

IN HARMONY WITH ALL THE PARTIES TO THIS DISPUTE.

¶12. SADDAM SAID HE UNDERSTANDS THAT THE USG IS

DETERMINED TO KEEP THE OIL FLOWING AND TO

MAINTAIN ITS FRIENDSHIPS IN THE GULF. WHAT HE

CANNOT UNDERSTAND IS WHY WE ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO

ARE DAMAGING IRAQ, WHICH IS WHAT OUR GULF MANEUVERS

WILL DO.

¶13. SADDAM SAID HE FULLY BELIEVES THE USG WANTS

PEACE, AND THAT IS GOOD. BUT DO NOT, HE ASKED,

USE METHODS WHICH YOU SAY YOU DO NOT LIKE,

METHODS LIKE ARM-TWISTING-

¶14. AT THIS POINT SADDAM SPOKE AT LENGTH ABOUT

PRIDE OF IRAQIS, WHO BELIEVE IN "LIBERTY OR DEATH."

IRAQ WILL HAVE TO RESPOND IF THE U.S. USES THESE

METHODS. IRAQ KNOWS THE USG CAN SEND PLANES AND

ROCKETS AND HURT IRAQ DEEPLY. SADDAM ASKS THAT

THE USG NOT FORCE IRAQ TO THE POINT OF HUMILIATION

AT WHICH LOGIC MUST BE DISREGARDED. IRAQ DOES NOT

CONSIDER THE U.S. AN ENEMY AND HAS TRIED TO BE

FRIENDS.

¶15. AS FOR THE INTRA-ARAB DISPUTES, SADDAM SAID

HE IS NOT ASKING THE USG TO TAKE UP ANY PARTICULAR

ROLE SINCE THE SOLUTIONS MUST COME THROUGH ARAB

AND BILATERAL DIPLOMACY.

¶16. RETURNING TO HIS THEME THAT IRAQ WANTS

DIGNITY AND FREEDOM AS WELL AS FRIENDSHIP WITH THE

U.S., HE CHARGED THAT IN THE LAST YEAR THERE WERE

MANY OFFICIAL STATEMENTS WHICH MADE IT SEEM THAT

THE U.S. DOES NOT WANT TO RECIPROCATE. HOW, FOR

EXAMPLE, SADDAM ASKED,CAN WE INTERPRET THE

INVITATION FOR ARENS TO VISIT AT A TIME OF CRISIS

IN THE GULF? WHY DID THE U.S- DEFENSE MINISTER

MAKE "INFLAMMATORY" STATEMENTS?

¶17. SADDAM SAID THAT THE IRAQIS KNOW WHAT

WAR IS, WANT NO MORE OF IT--"DO NOT PUSH US TO IT;

DO NOT MAKE IT THE ONLY OPTION LEFT WITH WHICH WE

CAN PROTECT OUR DIGNITY."

¶18. PRESIDENT BUSH, SADDAM SAID, HAS MADE NO MISTAKE

IN HIS PRESIDENCY VIS-A-VIS THE ARABS. THE DECISION

ON THE PLO DIALOGUE WAS "MISTAKEN," BUT IT WAS

TAKEN UNDER "ZIONIST PRESSURE" AND, SADDAM SAID, IS

PERHAPS A CLEVER TACTIC TO ABSORB THAT PRESSURE.

¶19. AFTER A SHORT DIVERSION ON THE NEED FOR THE

U.S. TO CONSIDER THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF 200,000

ARABS WITH THE SAME VIGOR AND INTEREST AS THE HUMAN

RIGHTS OF THE ISRAELIS, SADDAM CONCLUDED BY

RESTATING THAT IRAQ WANTS AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP

"ALTHOUGH WE WILL NOT PANT FOR IT, WE WILL DO OUR

PART AS FRIENDS."

¶20. SADDAM THEN OFFERED AN ANECDOTE TO ILLUSTRATE

HIS POINT. HE HAD TOLD THE IRAQI KURDISH LEADER

IN 1974 THAT HE WAS PREPARED TO GIVE UP HALF OF

THE SHATT AL-ARAB TO IRAN TO OBTAIN ALL OF A

PROSPEROUS IRAQ. THE KURD HAD BET THAT SADDAM WOULD

NOT GIVE HALF THE SHATT--THE KURD WAS WRONG. EVEN

NOW, THE ONLY REAL ISSUE WITH IRAN IS THE SHATT, AND

IF GIVING AWAY HALF OF THE WATERWAY IS THE ONLY

THING STANDING BETWEEN THE CURRENT SITUATION AND

IRAQI PROSPERITY, SADDAM SAID HE WOULD BE GUIDED

BY WHAT HE DID IN 1974.

¶21. THE AMBASSADOR THANKED SADDAM FOR THE

OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS DIRECTLY WITH HIM SOME OF

HIS AND OUR CONCERNS. PRESIDENT BUSH, TOO, WANTS

FRIENDSHIP, AS HE HAD WRITTEN AT THE 'ID AND ON

THE OCCASION OF IRAQ'S NATIONAL DAY. SADDAM

INTERRUPTED TO SAY HE HAD BEEN TOUCHED BY THOSE

¶22. AMBASSADOR RESUMED HER THEME, RECALLING THAT

THE PRESIDENT HAD INSTRUCTED HER TO BROADEN AND

DEEPEN OUR RELATIONS WITH IRAQ. SADDAM HAD REFERRED

TO "SOME CIRCLES" ANTIPATHETIC TO THAT AIM. SUCH

CIRCLES CERTAINLY EXISTED, BUT THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION

IS INSTRUCTED BY THE PRESIDENT. ON THE OTHER HAND,

THE PRESIDENT DOES NOT CONTROL THE AMERICAN PRESS;

IF HE DID, CRITICISM OF THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD NOT

EXIST. SADDAM AGAIN INTERRUPTED TO SAY HE UNDERSTOOD

THAT. THE AMBASSADOR SAID SHE HAD SEEN THE DIANE

SAWYER SHOW AND THOUGHT THAT IT WAS CHEP AND UNFAIR.

BUT THE AMERICAN PRESS TREATS ALL POLITICIANS

WITHOUT KID GLOVES--THAT IS OUR WAY.

¶23. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS

VERY RECENTLY REAFFIRMED HIS DESIRE FOR A BETTER

RELATIONSHIP AND HAS PROVEN THAT BY, FOR EXAMPLE,

OPPOSING SANCTIONS BILLS. HERE SADDAM INTERRUPTED

AGAIN. LAUGHING, HE SAID THERE IS NOTHING LEFT

FOR IRAQ TO BUY IN THE U.S. EVERYTHING IS

PROHIBITED EXCEPT FOR WHEAT, AND NO DOUBT THAT WILL

SOON BE DECLARED A DUAL-USE ITEM- SADDAM SAID, HOWEVER,

HE HAD DECIDED NOT TO RAISE THIS ISSUE, BUT RATHER

CONCENTRATE ON THE FAR MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES AT HAND.

¶24. AMBASSADOR SAID THERE WERE MANY ISSUES HE

HAD RAISED SHE WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON, BUT

SHE WISHED TO USE HER LIMITED TIME WITH THE

PRESIDENT TO STRESS FIRST PRESIDENT BUSH'S DESIRE

FOR FRIENDSHIP AND, SECOND, HIS STRONG DESIRE, SHARED

WE ASSUME BY IRAQ, FOR PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE MID

EAST. IS IT NOT REASONABLE FOR US TO BE CONCERNED

WHEN THE PRESIDENT AND THE FOREIGN MINISTER BOTH

SAY PUBLICLY THAT KUWAITI ACTIONS ARE THE

EQUIVALENT OF MILITARY AGGRESSION, AND THEN WE

LEARN THAT MANY UNITS OF THE REPUBLICAN GUARD

HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE BORDER? IS IT NOT REASONABLE

FOR US TO ASK, IN THE SPIRIT OF FRIENDSHIP, NOT

CONFRONTATION, THE SIMPLE QUESTION: WHAT ARE YOUR

INTENTIONS?

¶25. SADDAM SAID THAT WAS INDEED A REASONABLE

QUESTION. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE SHOULD BE

CONCERNED FOR REGIONAL PEACE, IN FACT IT IS OUR

DUTY AS A SUPERPOWER. "BUT HOW CAN WE MAKE THEM

(KUWAIT AND UAE) UNDERSTAND HOW DEEPLY WE ARE

SUFFERING." THE FINANCIAL SITUATION IS SUCH THAT

THE PENSIONS FOR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS WILL HAVE

TO BE CUT. AT THIS POINT, THE INTERPRETER AND

ONE OF THE NOTETAKERS BROKE DOWN AND WEPT.

¶26. AFTER A PAUSE FOR RECUPERATION, SADDAM SAID,

IN EFFECT, BELIEVE ME I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING: WE

SENT ENVOYS, WROTE MESSAGES, ASKED FAHD TO

ARRANGE QUADRAPARTITE SUMMIT (IRAQ, SAG, UE,

KUWAIT). FAHD SUGGESTFD OIL MINISTERS INSTEAD AND

WE AGREED TO THE JEDDAH AGREEMENT ALTHOUGH IT WAS

WELL BELOW OUR HOPES. THEN, SADDAM CONTINUED,

TWO DAYS LATER THE KUWAITI OIL MINISTER ANNOUNCED

HE WOULD WANT TO ANNUL THAT AGREEMENT WITHIN TWO

MONTHS. AS FOR THE UAE, SADDAM SAID, I BEGGED

SHAYKH ZAYID TO UNDERSTAND OUR PROBLEMS (WHEN

SADDAM ENTERTAINED HIM IN MOSUL AFTER THE BAGHDAD

SUMMIT), AND ZAYID SAID JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET

BACK TO ABU DHABI. BUT THEN HIS MINISTER OF OIL

MADE "BAD STATEMENTS."

¶27. AT THIS POINT, SADDAM LEFT THE ROOM TO TAKE

AN URGENT CALL FROM MUBARAK. AFTER HIS RETURN,

THE AMBASSADOR ASKED IF HE COULD TELL HER IF

THERE HAS ANY PROGRESS IN FINDING A PEACEFUL WAY

TO DEFUSE THE DISPUTE. THIS WAS SOMETHING PRESIDENT

BUSH WOULD BE KEENLY INTERESTED TO KNOW. SADDAM

SAID THAT HE HAD JUST LEARNED FROM MUBARAK THE

KUWAITIS HAVE AGREED TO NEGOTIATE. THE KUWAITI

CROWN PRINCE/PRIME MINISTER WOULD MEET IN RIYADH

WITH SADDAM'S NUMBER TWO, IZZAT IBRAHIM, AND THEN

THE KUWAITI WOULD COME TO BAGHDAD ON SATURDAY,

SUNDAY OR, AT THE LATEST, MONDAY, JULY 30.

¶28. "I TOLD MUBARAK," SADDAM SAID, THAT "NOTHING

WILL HAPPEN UNTIL THE MEETING," AND NOTHING WILL

HAPPEN DURING OR AFTER THE MEETING IF THE KUWAITIS

WILL AT LAST "GIVE US SOME HOPE."

¶29. THE AMBASSADOR SAID SHE WAS DELIGHTED TO HEAR

THIS GOOD NEWS. SADDAM THEN ASKED HER TO CONVEY

HIS WARM GREETINGS TO PRESIDENT BUSH AND TO

CONVEY HIS MESSAGE TO HIM.

¶30. NOTE: ON THE BORDER QUESTION, SADDAM REFERRED

TO THE 1961 AGREEMENT AND A "LINE OF PATROL" IT

HAD ESTABLISHED. THE KUWAITIS, HE SAID, HAD TOLD

MUBARAK IRAQ WAS 20 KILOMETERS "IN FRONT" OF THIS

LINE. THE AMBASSADOR SAID THAT SHE HAD SERVED IN

KUWAIT 20 YEARS BEFORE; THEN, AS NOW, WE TOOK NO

POSITION ON THESE ARAB AFFAIRS.

¶31. COMMENT: IN THE MEMORY QF THE CURRENT

DIPLOMATIC CORPS, SADDAM HAS NEVER SUMMONED AN

AMBASSADOR. HE IS WORRIED.

ACCORDING TO HIS OWN POLITICAL THEORIZING

(U.S. THE SOLE MAJOR POWER IN THE MIDDLE EAST),

HE NEEDS AT A MINIMUM A CORRECT RELATIONSHIP

WITH US FOR OBVIOUS GEOPOLITICAL REASONS,

ESPECIALLY AS LONG AS HE PERCEIVES MORTAL

THREATS FROM ISRAEL AND IRAN. AMBASSADOR

BELIEVES SADDAM SUSPECTS OUR DECISION SUDDENLY

TO UNDERTAKE MANEUVERS WITH ABU DHABI IS A

HARBINGER OF A USG DECISION TO TAKE SIDES.

FURTHER, SADDAM, HIMSELF BEGINNING TO HAVE AN

INKLING OF HOW MUCH HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT

THE U.S., IS APPREHENSIVE THAT WE DO NOT

UNDERSTAND CERTAIN POLITICAL FACTORS WHICH

INHIBIT HIM, SUCH AS:

--HE CANNOT ALLOW HIMSELF TO BE PERCEIVED AS

CAVING IN TO SUPERPOWER BULLYING (AS U/S HAMDUN

FRANKLY WARNED US IN LATE 1988);

--IRAQ, WHICH LOST 100,000'S OF CASUALTIES, IS

SUFFERING AND KUWAIT IS "MISERLY" AND "SELFISH."

¶32. IT WAS PROGRESS TO HAVE SADDAM ADMIT

THAT THE USG HAS A "RESPONSIBILITY" IN THE

REGION, AND HAS EVERY RIGHT TO EXPECT AN

ANSWER WHEN WE ASK IRAQ'S INTENTIONS. HIS

RESPONSE IN EFFECT THAT HE TRIED VARIOUS

DIPLOMATIC/CHANNELS BEFORE RESORTING TO

UNADULTERATED INTIMIDATION HAS AT LEAST THE

VIRTUE OF FRANKNESS. HIS EMPHASIS THAT HE

WANTS PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT IS SURELY SINCERE

(IRAQIS ARE SICK OF WAR), BUT THE TERMS SOUND

DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. SADDAM SEEMS TO WANT

PLEDGES NOW ON OIL PRICES AND PRODUCTION TO

COVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.

GLASPIE