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Margaret Skinner writes : > In June 1991, a friend of mine, the head of the ICRC delegation in Baghdad, with many years of work in > war situations, said in an interview to the New York Times: > > "I am absolutely sure that no Pentagon planner calculated the impact bombing the electrical plants would > have on pure drinking water supplies for weeks to come, and the snowball effect of this on public health." This quote was reproduced in Middle East Watch's 1991 report "Needless Deaths in the Gulf War". In his devastating critique of "Needless Deaths", Norman Finkelstein notes that "No evidence is cited [for the assertion] and, given the record assembled by Middle East Watch, the statement cannot be taken seriously." The authors of "Needless Deaths" note that : "the consequences for civilian health of bomb damage of water, sewer and refuse disposal facilities in Germany and Japan during World War II was documented in meticulous detail in the United States Strategic Bombing Survey. The Survey - a comprehensive study by US military and civilian experts of the effects of the air war on Germany - was ordered by President Rosevelt and established by the US Secretary of War on November 3, 1944. Among its numerous conclusions, the Survey found that there was a "reliable and striking" correlation between the disruption of public utilities and the willingness of the German population to accept unconditional surrender. The allied bombing of Germany during World War II deprived over one-third of the German pre-war population of utilities : 20 million of 69.8 million. Of this number, almost 5.8 million Germans were subjected to severe electricity deprivation, and 14.5 million to moderate deprivation. The Survey noted, for example, that damage to the environmental sanitation system in Germany created a situation that "was ripe for the development of disease into epidemic proportions ... disease would have become rampant had not the Germans been forced to surrender when they did. In any event, the dread of d isease and the hardships imposed by the lack of sanitary facilities were bound to have a demoralizing effect upon the civilian population" Similar effects have been documented following the allied bombardment of Iraq." Gabriel voices uk -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk Full details of CASI's various lists can be found on the CASI website: http://www.casi.org.uk