[Rhodes22-list] Need To Know - Nuclear materials 'vanish' in Iraq

[Roger Pihlaja]

Guys,

1st of all, let me admit I have no specific knowledge in this instance
regarding the disappearance of nuclear materials in Iraq.  However, during
the 1st Gulf War, I held a DoD security clearance at the level of SECRET, as
a consequence of certain projects I was working on.  I have a little
understanding of how sensitive security matters are handled, especially in
time of war.  No matter your security clearance level, everyone is not told
everything that is going on that their security clearance level might
entitle them to know.  Some one with an appropriate security clearance must
approve an individual's "need to know".  i.e., this individual needs to know
something in order to save their life or do their job.

Saddam Hussein also apparently had a highly compartmentalized or "need to
know' security philosophy regarding how he ran Iraq's WMD programs.
Since the UN weapons inspection program had tagged these Iraqi facilities,
the US certainly knew about them.  I will make a fearless prediction that it
is
the US that is dismantling & removing those sites.  If I were in charge of
that
effort, I would not announce it until after all the sites were gone & the
materials in them secure.  Because of Sadaam's highly compartmentalized
security system and the number of folks captured during & since the war,
the Iraqi insurgents may not be aware of these sites.  Why make security
more difficult for the highly specialized teams dismantling these sites by
announcing their locations to the Iraqi insurgents?

Likewise, the UN does not have a "need to know" while the dismantling
operation is on going.  They do not have any personnel at risk in the
operation & their knowing about it only creates another potential security
leak which might put American personnel at risk.

I would not be surprised to hear the US make an announcement regarding
the dismantling & removal of these sites in the near future.  With prior
knowledge from the UN weapons inspectors regarding these sites, if the
US allowed them to fall into enemy hands; then, this would amount to a
criminal level of incompetence.  Heads should roll if we screwed up that
badly!  Of course, stranger things have happened.  Stay tuned!

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve" <rhodes2282 at yahoo.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 11:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Nuclear materials 'vanish' in Iraq


>
>
>
> Good question there at the end, Brad:-)
> Steve
>
> --- brad haslett <flybrad at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Wait a minute. I thought good old Saddam lost all
> > interest in his nuclear program and WMD.  Aluminum
> > tubes, what aluminum tubes?  Sec. of State Powell
> > was
> > lying or had bad evidence, right?  The Communist
> > News
> > Network did not break this story, it came from
> > Rueters
> > and was published in the NY Times as well.  Their
> > source is a UN agency, those Oil-for-Food
> > trustworthy
> > souls.  If you go back to the news articles of May
> > 2003 you will find that the US forces were days late
> > arriving at nuclear sites and some barrels of waste
> > material was dumped out so the locals could use the
> > barrels for drinking water.  Too bad for them, the
> > health problems are starting to appear.  Dual use
> > equipment?  What do you need?  The French, Germans,
> > Russians, and Chinese will sell you whatever you
> > want.
> >
> > Look, it is bad that these items are unaccounted for
> > but this is hardly news.  The timing is a bit
> > suspicious though.  Read the letter to the editor to
> > the New York Times from Saddam's bomb builder.
> > Here's
> > the link.
> >
> > http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1227547/posts
> >
> > So what's the logic here?  You feel less safe
> > because
> > nuclear materials are missing but you would feel
> > more
> > safe if Saddam was still in power and knew where
> > they
> > were?  Huh?
> >
> > Brad Haslett
> > "CoraShen"
> >
> > --- "Gardner, Douglas (LNG-DAY)"
> > <douglas.gardner at lexisnexis.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Well, here's one cost of instability in Iraq.
> > >
> > > Each of us will come to our own conclusions about
> > > what this means (or
> > > doesn't mean), but I for one don't feel safer now
> > > than when I woke up this
> > > morning.
> > >
> > >
> >
> http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/11/iraq.nuclear/index.html
> > >
> > >
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