Research for THE FIRE THIS TIME audio project

1) 1977: US Senator Henry Jackson’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee concluded:

"A US commitment to the defence of the oil resources of the gulf, and to political stability in the region constitutes one of the most vital and enduring interests of the United States."

*DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECORDING OF THIS HEARING?

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2) During the Iran/Contra hearings Colonel North elaborated on a conversation with Iran/Contra players Richard Secord, Albert Hakim and an Iranian government official in Frankfurt, 1985.

"One of the things we would like to do is that we would like to become actively engaged in ending the [Iran/Iraq] war in such a way that it becomes very evident to everybody that the guy who is causing the problem is Saddam Hussein. If I were to talk to any other Muslim leader, they wouldn’t say Saddam Hussein is the problem. They’d say Iran is the problem……What we’re talking about is a process by which all of the rest of the Arab world comes quickly to realise that Iraq is not a threat to them, Iran is not going to overrun Kuwait. Iran is not going to overthrow the government of Saudi Arabia. That the real problem in preventing peace in the region is Saddam Hussein. And we’ll have to take care of that".

{Report of Congressional Committee investigating the Iran/Contra affair}

[Washington DC government printing office 1987. Vol. 1 appendix A: Source documents Frankfurt meeting, tape 12, page 1500]

*DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECORDING OF THIS SPECIFIC TESTIMONY IN THE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS?

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3) 24th July 1990: US State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutweiller told US reporters:

"We do not have any defence treaties with Kuwait, and there are no special defence or security commitments to Kuwait."

*DOES ANYONE HAVE A VIDEO TAPE OR RECORDING OF THIS STATEMENT?

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4) 31st July 1990 : The Defence Intelligence Agency detected Iraqi forces moving fuel, water, and ammunition to troops on the border. On the same day, Assistant US Secretary of State John Kelly told a House Sub-committee hearing:

"We have no defence treaty relationships with any of those countries. We have historically avoided taking a position on border disputes or on internal OPEC deliberations."

Kelly was questioned in the House by Representative Lee Hamilton.

Hamilton: "If Iraq, for example, charged across the border into Kuwait, for whatever reason, what would be our position with regard to the use of US forces? [….] In that circumstance, is it correct to say [….] that we do not have a treaty commitment which would oblige us to engage US forces?

Kelly: "That is correct."

*DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECORDING OF KELLY'S STATEMENT, AND THE EXCHANGE BETWEEN HIM AND HAMILTON?

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5) October 10 1991 : A 15 year old girl, known only as ‘Nayriah,’ testified before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus that she had witnessed Iraqi troops taking babies from incubators in Kuwati hospitals and leaving them on the cold floor to die. Amnesty International repeated the story in December, and it was frequently used by Bush, who claimed that 312 babies had died.

*DOES ANYONE HAVE RECORDINGS OF NAYRIAH'S TESTIMONY OR OF ANY OF BUSH'S SUBSEQUENT REFERENCES TO IT?

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6) January 111991 : Congress voted on bill legislating for use of force in line with Resolution 678, which the administration put before Congress only days before the deadline for Iraq to withdraw. Having secured UN backing and with 540,000 troops in place there was great pressure on Congress to support the President. Senate Minority Leader Robert Dole argued during the debate that Congress should not interfere:

"…Now, at the 11^th hour, having been AWOL for these three or four months, and try to change the direction of our policy that President Bush has so patiently and successfully put together."

The Senate votes 52 to 47 to authorise enforcement of Resolution 678.

The House of Representatives votes 250 to 193.

*DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECORDING OF DOLE'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS, AND OF THE VOTE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES? (I already have the Senate vote)

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7) January 16 1991 : Bush ‘officially’ ordered bombing to begin.

Congressman Henry Gonzalez moved to impeach Bush on five counts:

"Bush has conspired to engage the US in a massive war against Iraq [.....] Bush has committed the US without congressional consent and contrary to the UN Charter to an act of war [….] Bush has conspired to commit crimes against peace in violation of the charters of the UN, Nuremberg and the US constitution."

*DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECORDING OF GONZALES' ATTEMPT TO IMPEACH BUSH?

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8) January 23rd 1991: Colin Powell, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced on television attacks on Iraqi nuclear facilities, without any regard for the UN General Assembly vote or the Geneva Convention.

"Two operating reactors […] are both gone. They’re down. They’re finished. "

*DOES ANYONE HAVE VIDEOTAPE OR A RECORDING OF THIS STATEMENT BY POWELL?

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9) After the war PEOPLE MAGAZINE apparently voted/polled Norman Schwarzkopf as "AMERICA'S SEXIEST MAN."

*CAN ANYONE CONFIRM THIS AND PROVIDE THE DATE OF THE ISSUE....... OR BETTER YET SEND ME A COPY OF THE COVER OF THE MAGAZINE. IF YOU HAVE A COPY, PLEASE E-MAIL IT AT HIGHEST J-PEG QUALITY.

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10) After the war, the US apparently made radio broadcasts into Iraq directly to encourage an uprising in the South and elsewhere.

*CAN ANYONE CONFIRM IF AND WHEN THESE BROADCASTS WERE MADE? WHO MADE THEM? WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE 'STATION'. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY RECORDINGS OF THEM?

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11) After the war, the US apparently flooded, or attempted to flood, the Iraqi economy with counterfeit currency.

*CAN ANYONE CONFIRM THIS? IN WHAT TIME FRAME DID THIS TAKE PLACE? WHO AUTHORISED IT? WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF THIS INFORMATION?

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12) James Baker said on January 9th 1991: "We will return you to the pre-industrial age"

*WHO DID HE SAY THIS TO? DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECORDING OF THIS STATEMENT?

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13) NormanSchwarzkopf said on November 1st 1990: "The US might obliterate Iraq"

*WHO DID HE SAY THIS TO? DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECORDING OF THIS STATEMENT?

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14) After the war Queen Elizabeth of England apparently arranged for an honorary knighthood to be hand delivered to Schwarzkopf.

*CAN ANYONE CONFIRM THIS? ON WHAT DATE WAS IT DELIVERED?

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Contact Grant Wakefield directly:

grant@wakefieldcam.freeserve.co.uk