Rumsfeld & Hussein in 1984

[michaeledward]

Apparently, our current Secretary of Defence visited Saddam Hussein in March of 1984 to privately tell him the United States strong condemnation of his Chemical Weapons usage in the Iran-Iraq war was not going to jeapordize the US-Iraq relations.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001819146_rumsfeld19.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,866942,00.html

 

[arnisador]

Well...even if so, that was before the invasion of Kuwait, for example.

 

[Elfan]

michaeledward, what is "new" news about the visit? Just that it was a personal one?

 

[michaeledward]

Originally posted by Elfan
michaeledward, what is "new" news about the visit? Just that it was a personal one?

Until December 18, 2003, parts of this trip remained classified as 'Secret'.

One version of this document was previously published as Document 48 in "Shaking Hands with Saddam," but that version was entirely missing the second page with the crucial instruction to Rumsfeld that U.S. interests in improving U.S.-Iraq ties "remain undiminished" despite revelations of Iraq's use of chemical weapons.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB107/iraq07.pdf