Lie After Lie: What Colin Powell Knew Five Years Ago Today, and What He Told the World

Colin Powell presented the case against Iraq to the UN Security Council five years ago today, on February 5, 2003.

As much criticism as Powell has received for this--he calls it "painful" and something that will "always be a part of my record"--it hasn't been close to what's justified. Powell was far more than just horribly mistaken: the evidence is conclusive that he fabricated evidence and ignored repeated warnings that what he was saying was false.

Unfortunately, Congress has never investigated Powell's use of the intelligence he was given. Even so, what's already in the public record is extremely damning. So while the corporate media has never taken a close look at this record, anyone can go through Powell's presentation line by line to examine the chasm between what he knew, and what he told the world. As you see below, there's quite a lot to say about it.

Powell's speech can be found on the State Department website here. All other sources are linked below.

PUBLIC CERTAINTY, PRIVATE DOUBT

On that February 5th in front of the UN Security Council, was Colin Powell certain what he was saying was accurate? He certainly was:

POWELL: My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.

Later, regarding whether Iraq had reconstituted a nuclear weapons program, he said:

POWELL: [T]here is no doubt in my mind...

That's in public. What about in private? Larry Wilkerson, Powell's then-chief of staff, explained to CNN in 2005 what Powell had been thinking two years earlier:

WILKERSON: [Powell] had walked into my office musing and he said words to the effect of, I wonder how we'll all feel if we put half a million troops in Iraq and march from one end of the country to the other and find nothing.

UNAMBIGUOUS LIES

This is some of what Powell said about the infamous aluminum tubes purchased by Iraq, supposedly meant for their covert nuclear weapons program:

POWELL: [I]t strikes me as quite odd that these [aluminum] tubes are manufactured to a tolerance that far exceeds U.S. requirements for comparable rockets. Maybe Iraqis just manufacture their conventional weapons to a higher standard than we do, but I don't think so.

Powell's own intelligence staff, the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), prepared two memos for him, commenting on drafts of the presentation. The memos were later quietly released as appendices to the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on WMD intelligence.

The second INR memo was written on February 3rd, two days before Powell's UN appearance on the 5th. It told Powell this:

Our key remaining concern is the claim that the tubes are manufactured to a tolerance that "far exceeds US requirements for comparable rockets." In fact, the most comparable US system is a tactical rocket--the US Mark 66 air-launched 70mm rocket--that uses the same, high-grade (7075-T6) aluminum, and that has specifications with similar tolerances. Note that the Mk 66 specifications are unclassified, and the Department is planning to share them with the IAEA.

FABRICATED EVIDENCE

Powell played an intercept of a conversation between Iraqi army officers about the UN inspections. However, when he translated what they were saying, he knowingly embellished it, turning it from evidence Iraq was complying with U.N. resolutions to evidence Iraq was violating them. This appears in Bob Woodward's book Plan of Attack:

[Powell] had decided to add his personal interpretation of the intercepts to the rehearsed script, taking them substantially further and casting them in the most negative light...Concerning the intercept about inspecting for the possibility of "forbidden ammo," Powell took the interpretation further: "Clean out all of the areas... Make sure there is nothing there." None of this was in the intercept.

Here's the conversation as Powell presented it at the UN. As Woodward reported, the underlined sentences were simply added by Powell:

POWELL: "They're inspecting the ammunition you have, yes.''

"Yes."

"For the possibility there are forbidden ammo."

"For the possibility there is by chance forbidden ammo?''

"Yes."

"And we sent you a message yesterday to clean out all of the areas, the scrap areas, the abandoned areas. Make sure there is nothing there.''

Powell then explained:

This is all part of a system of hiding things and moving things out of the way and making sure they have left nothing behind.

According to the official State Department translation (and confirmed for me by Imad Khadduri), the Iraqi soldier merely said:

"And we sent you a message to inspect the scrap areas and the abandoned areas."

And it's no surprise the Iraqi said this. Here's what the Duelfer report found about what was going on within the Iraqi government just before the January 30th intercepted conversation:

The NMD director met with Republican Guard military leaders on 25 January 2003 and advised them they were to sign documents saying that there was no WMD in their units, according to a former Iraqi senior officer. Husam Amin told them that the government would hold them responsible if UNMOVIC found any WMD in their units or areas, or if there was anything that cast doubt on Iraq's cooperation with UNMOVIC. Commanders established committees to ensure their units retained no evidence of old WMD.

Again: Powell took evidence of the Iraqis doing what they were supposed to do--i.e., searching their gigantic ammunition dumps to make sure they weren't accidentally holding onto banned chemical weapons--and doctored it to make it look as if Iraq were hiding banned weapons.

Since the State Department was questioned about this by journalist Gilbert Cranberg, the translation at variance with Powell's version has disappeared from its site. It's now available only via archive.org.

DECEPTION BY OMISSION

Powell's presentation left out extremely important information, as here:

POWELL: Iraq's record on chemical weapons is replete with lies. It took years for Iraq to finally admit that it had produced four tons of the deadly nerve agent, VX. A single drop of VX on the skin will kill in minutes. Four tons.

The admission only came out after inspectors collected documentation as a result of the defection of Hussein Kamal, Saddam Hussein's late son-in-law.

As far as this went, this was accurate. However, Kamel, the head of Iraq's WMD programs, defected in 1995. Iraq had produced this VX before the Gulf War, in 1991--and according to Kamel, Iraq had secretly destroyed it soon after the war. Then they lied about ever producing it (until his defection). But according to Kamel, they weren't lying when they said they no longer had it.

Indeed, in the UN's notes from Kamel's debriefing, he says Iraq had no remaining WMD of any kind:

KAMEL: All chemical weapons were destroyed. I ordered destruction of all chemical weapons. All weapons -- biological, chemical, missiles, nuclear were destroyed.

And if that weren't enough, Kamel also said this in an interview on CNN:

SADLER: Can you state here and now -- does Iraq still to this day hold weapons of mass destruction?

KAMEL: No. Iraq does not possess any weapons of mass destruction. I am being completely honest about this.

But in 1996 Kamel returned to Iraq, where he was killed by Saddam's regime. Thus the U.S. could safely take a witness who truthfully had said Iraq had no remaining banned weapons, and pretend his testimony indicated the exact opposite.

Did Powell know what he was doing at the time? It's unclear. Here's a transcript of an exchange between Powell and Sam Husseini in Washington in December, 2006, with video below:

HUSSEINI: You cited Hussein Kamel in your U.N. testimony. Did you know he said there were no WMDs?

POWELL: I only knew what the intelligence community told me.

HUSSEINI: But did you know that fact?

POWELL: Of course not!

HUSSEINI: You didn't know that, even though it was reported?

POWELL: I've answered your question!

As you can see in the video, Powell was not happy to explore this line of questioning. (He's also never shown any inclination to find out who purportedly steered him wrong; when asked by Barbara Walters asked who was responsible for the mistakes in the overall presentation, Powell stated "I don't have the names.")

IGNORED WARNINGS

As mentioned above, the State Department's intelligence staff, called the INR, prepared two memos on the presentation. They directly contradicted Powell on the aluminum tubes issue, but also warned him many of his claims were "weak," "not credible" or "highly questionable." Here are some (amazingly enough, not all) of the examples the memos give.

Powell at the UN:

POWELL: We know that Saddam's son, Qusay, ordered the removal of all prohibited weapons from Saddam's numerous palace complexes.

The first INR memo, from January 29, 2003, flagged this claim as "WEAK":

second bullet. WEAK. Qusay order to remove prohibited items from palaces.

Powell at the UN:

POWELL: [K]ey files from military and scientific establishments have been placed in cars that are being driven around the countryside by Iraqi intelligence agents to avoid detection.

The first INR memo:

last bullet. WEAK. Sensitive files being driven around in cars, in apparent shell game. Plausibility open to question.

This claim was again flagged in the second INR memo, from February 3, 2003:

Page 4, last bullet, re key files being driven around in cars to avoid inspectors. This claim is highly questionable and promises to be targeted by critics and possibly UN inspection officials as well.

Powell at the UN:

POWELL: [W]e know from sources that a missile brigade outside Baghdad was disbursing [sic] rocket launchers and warheads containing biological warfare agents to various locations, distributing them to various locations in western Iraq.

January 29, 2003 INR memo:

last bullet. WEAK. Missiles with biological warheads reportedly dispersed. This would be somewhat true in terms of short-range missiles with conventional warheads, but is questionable in terms of longer-range missiles or biological warheads.

February 3, 2003 INR memo:

Page 5. first para, claim re missile brigade dispersing rocket launchers and BW warheads. This claim too is highly questionable and might be subjected to criticism by UN inspection officials.

At the UN, Powell described a satellite picture this way:

The two arrows indicate the presence of sure signs that the bunkers are storing chemical munitions...

The truck you [...] see is a signature item. It's a decontamination vehicle in case something goes wrong.

January 29, 2003 INR memo:

***/WEAK. We support much of this discussion, but we note that decontamination vehicles--cited several times in the text--are water trucks that can have legitimate uses...

...Iraq has given UNMOVIC what may be a plausible account for this activity--that this was an exercise involving the movement of conventional explosives; presence of a fire safety truck (water truck, which could also be used as a decontamination vehicle) is common in such an event.

Powell at the UN:

POWELL: These are facts, corroborated by many sources, some of them sources of the intelligence services of other countries.

February 3, 2003 INR memo:

Numerous references to humint as fact. (E.g., "We know that...) We have been told that some are being adjusted, but we gather some others--such as information involving multiple-corroboration--will stay...In the Iraq context, "multiple corroboration" hardly guarantees authenticity of information.

Powell at the UN:

POWELL: [I]n mid-December weapons experts at one facility were replaced by Iraqi intelligence agents who were to deceive inspectors about the work that was being done there.

January 29, 2003 INR memo:

last bullet. **/WEAK. Iraqi intelligence officials posing as WMD scientists. Such claims are not credible and are open to criticism, particularly by the UN inspectorates.

Powell at the UN:

POWELL: A dozen [WMD] experts have been placed under house arrest, not in their own houses, but as a group at one of Saddam Hussein's guest houses.

January 29, 2003 INR memo:

second bullet. WEAK. 12 experts reportedly under house arrest... Highly questionable.

Powell at the UN:

POWELL: UAVs outfitted with spray tanks constitute an ideal method for launching a terrorist attack using biological weapons.

January 29, 2003 INR memo:

...the claim that experts agree UAVs fitted with spray tanks are "an ideal method for launching a terrorist attack using biological weapons" is WEAK.

• • •

Now, with that for context, it's useful to look back at what Powell told Barbara Walter in a November, 2005 interview:

There was some people in the intelligence community who knew at that time that some of these sources were not good and shouldn't be relied upon, and they didn't speak up. That devastated me.

That can be contrasted with this October, 2003 exchange from 60 Minutes II with Greg Thielmann, who headed the office of Strategic, Proliferation, and Military Affairs in the INR until September 2002:

PELLEY: If the secretary took the information that his own intelligence bureau had developed and turned it on its head, which is what you're saying, to what end?

Mr. THIELMANN: I can only assume that he was doing it to loyally support the president of the United States and build the strongest possible case for arguing that there was no alternative to the use of military force.

Powell's loyalty to George Bush appears to have extended to a willingness to deceive the United Nations, Americans, and the coalition troops about to be sent to kill and die in Iraq. He has never been held accountable for his actions, and it's extremely unlikely he ever will be.
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Comments

[raptor]

"He was a man of integrity". Your proof?

[louexis]

Colin Powell was a fool to allow Bush to make him Sec of State. He was a man of integrity and his involvement with the 2000 Bush campaign was one of the reasons Bush won. After Bush had used and destroyed Powells integrity Bush dumped Powell after the 2004 election. Powell has no right to speak now unless he tells the truth about what went on as Sec of State. He wrote a book before 2000, maybe he should write one now that explains his actions.

[darthmaul]

There have been professional soldiers who have gone against the wishes of their political bosses. Perhaps most famously was Erwin Rommel's refusal to comply with an order from Hitler to execute Jewish POWs. This isn't a perfect analogy, as Powell wasn't acting in the capacity of a soldier when he was working for little Bush. Still a soldier or politician owes their ultimate allegiance to the best interest of the country and the rule of law, and not their political paymasters. Anyone who has risen to the rank of General, should be familiar with the concept of "the fog of war." Or in short, the intelligence you have about an enemy and the situation may be incorrect, incomplete or difficult to understand. Powell just chose to believe "the evidence" so he could be on the "team." He is therefore culpable in the tragedy of the Iraq war

[Smokr]

What I don't understand is why this man and the BushCo Oil Administration are still doing walking free.

[hmmmmm]

If he had only told the truth, he could now EASILY be the Republican presidential nominee.

He hasn't been held accountable for sure, but he has paid a huge price in terms of aborting what could have been an historical career in politics. He can't get elected president of his homeowners association now.

[sonofloud]

Thank you very much for writing this.

I am so sick of Powell being portrayed as some kind of hero. He went along with the lie just like all of them.

[readerK]

Jonathan Schwartz has done a great service for the country by exposing the fraudulence of the presentation by Powell that helped push us into invading Iraq.

But we were all implicated in the illegal war against Iraq. Lest we forget, Iraq was complying, in March, 2003, with the new U. N. resolution 1441 when Bush kicked UNMOVIC (the inspectors) out, just a day before he invaded.

And we collectively never uttered a word against the trashing of 1441 by Bush and his English poodle Tony Blair. We fumed at France, boycotted French goods, and some even substituted "Freedom Fries" for "French Fries." France's crime? She dared to suggest that more inspectors and more time were needed in Iraq so the inspections could proceed quickly.

Didn't many of us cheer when Bush pulled off his "Mission Accomplished" stunt? We won't admit it, but our collective psyche has been so sensitized to militarism that we love to lionize militaristic exertions by our leaders. readerK.

[BUSHsurvivor]

I have lost so much respect for him. It's sad.

[prmaven]

There was something intrinsically honest about CP. I think the Bush/Cheney regime used that and disgarded it. Wikepedia quotes him last year as saying he spent two hours trying to discourage Bush from going to war. He is not at liberty to tell the whole truth now. He picked the wrong party.

[Macready]

the entire bush administration belongs in the dock at the Hague . . . but first pelosi has to put impeachment on the agenda . . . the illegal invasion of Iraq was based on lies lies and more lies . . .

I hope those of you who are against the Iraq war have written to your Congressmen and pelosi to put impeachment on the agenda and that you have not voted for hillary . . . a vote for hillary means you support the Iraq war . . she voted for it . . . and has never accepted responsibility for her vote . . she still blames the chimp for misleading her . . . she knew .. .she voted the way she wanted to vote . . .

[Not Blind]

While Powell was a decorated soldier, he did participate in and attempt to cover up the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, a stark indicator of his moral character. The tortures at Abu Ghraib would have stayed hidden from the public were it not for the photos that slipped out. In both instances, the low-level soldiers took the fall, while those who gave the orders, set the policy were rewarded and promoted. That the CIA destroyed evidence of torture, and now our president wants to retroactively immune telecoms from illegal warrantless surveillance is an indicator that silence, deception and propaganda (using the media) can achieve any goals, while truth and moral character are out-dated in this country.
The media, in large part, share the blame for the wrong-doings of this administration. Their corporate owners and sponsors have enabled the fiasco by suppressing the truth, spinning, and betraying their own integrity (investigative journalism, questioning and researching policies rather than just repeating government quotes). The MSM also misled the public and profited by their lack of integrity and professionalism. Only a brave few have questioned or exposed the scandalous behavior of this regime.

[researcher]

the man was a general he only knew how to say yes sir. how do you think he got to be general?

when americans wanted him to run for president I could not beleive it. win an easy war were everyone surrenders on the other side and you get to pres in america.

popularity contest and in america the land of imperialists and war mongers win an easy war and americans love you.

as the saying goes we are our own worst enemy. we worry about other countries taking over america and we are self destructing from within.

history has shown that greed and arrogance and war mongering will do a country in.

he is and was a traitor to this country and should be put up for war crimes like bush jr rummy cheney and condi. hope he sleeps well at night. not.

[brooklyncitizen]

Like the possee thst sorrounded Hitler, each individual in this administration bears a portion of the blame in this travesty. However the greater portion lies with Bush and Israel whose Prime minister Netenyahoo presented in 1996, a paper titled "A Clean Break" which outlined the invasion of Iraq and Iran as a shift in policy. THis paper was presented in the Clinton era to a joint session of Congress. (Vanity Fair)

When Bush ran in 1999 he was approached by ne-cons such as Richard Perle who presented this "plan and vision" for the ME and Bush was sold and committed to doing this when the opportunity arose.

THis is why Richard Clarke made references to Bush's insistence that Iraq be linked to 9/11. Their moment had come.

Powell was a willing pawn as is Condi and all the rest. Disgusting ,but they are not the engineers, just the footsoldie­rs/enabler­s.

[tbone99]

Except for Shisenki it seems many generals and top brass believed it was a mistake and a disaster militarily and strategically , although they didn't lie they didn't say anything, until they retired.
He's not the only one-what kind of integrity do our top officials have ?

[JBS]

You're getting the cart before the horse. Powell isn't a liar because of what he said at the UN; he said what he did because he was already a liar.