“Okay, I can just about buy that,” Ali had answered at the time. The President of Iraq was always one for grand gestures designed to show his military power even to the point of comparing himself as a modern day reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar, a sixth century B.C. Babylonian king who had built his kingdom into the most powerful nation in the world by ruthlessly annexing the neighboring countries around his own.
“But an invasion!” he had said, not quite believing even Saddam would go that far. “Listen to these, then make up your mind,” the source had answered, handing over to Ali the set of tapes that Arafat had asked him to transcribe from the small personal tape recorder he had carried on him throughout his meetings and visits to the facilities with Saddam. That meant this intelligence alone was pure gold.
Yet it was only when Ali had returned to Langley from Tunis with the tape recordings and had heard the voices on the tapes that the asset had bravely copied, did both David and he change their minds; Leaving them in no doubt that it was just a question of when the invasion was going to happen, not if!
“Iraq has the chemical weapons it successfully used against the Iranians during the eight-year War, and I promise you, my dear, I won’t hesitate to use them against Tel Aviv,” Saddam’s voice had said on the tape. “This missile enables us to strike at Israel.”
“You mean military targets?” Arafat had asked. “No, my dear, we consider every city within Israel a target!”
“When will you use such a weapon, my friend?” the Leader of the PLO had fawningly replied.
“It will be kept in reserve so as to deter the Americans or the Israelis from using their chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons on the homeland and to prevent any invader from ever marching on Baghdad,” the President of Iraq had said proudly and with authority.
“Ali,” David had said, pausing the tape for a moment. “We need to confirm where and how many of these missiles Saddam has!” he had instructed.
“Walid indicated that this was the only one so far.”
“How is he so sure?” David had asked.
“According to Arafat?”
“Yes!” Answered Ali, “It seemed Saddam indicated to Yasser that he had been experiencing problems getting the necessary software microchip for the missile,” He then continued in an effort try to put his superior at ease before they completed the review of the rest of the transcripts from Yasser’s visit. “And You believe that?” David had doubtfully questioned at the time.
“It isn’t exactly the sort of chip you can buy off the back of the bus!” continued Ali, “However, we are aware that IIS agents have been in Japan trying to purchase chips via the Yazuka and have made visits to North Korea over the last three months, so for once evidence suggest that Saddam is telling Yasser the truth.”
Yet despite this, it was only when Saddam invaded Kuwait did the “powers that be” at the Agency finally begin to take the Middle East and Near East desk’s intelligence seriously.
The direct benefit of which for Ali had been a promotion and a career boost for David as it had caused the instant firing of his immediate superior he reported to because he had chosen not to pass the information up the line to the President’s National Security Council via the Director.
“Amazing,” Ali had said as the pair had continued to plough through the tapes.
“He’s likening the situation with Kuwait to fighting in the playground!” Ali had continued while shaking his head in disbelief at one of Saddam’s comments during one of his dinners with Arafat. Where he had claimed that if it wasn’t for him, Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran would have occupied the entire Arab world and as such, he expected the Arab world to support them during and after the war. Before launching into another venomous tirade with regard to Kuwait, whom he felt had been keeping the price of their oil at $7 U.S. dollars per barrel to stop Iraq from rebuilding its infrastructure.
“You know what those dogs said to Hammadi,” Saddam had said in disgust, referring to his Minister of Foreign Affairs. “We’ll make the economy in Iraq so bad, one would be able to sleep with an Iraqi woman for ten dinars.”
“They steal our oil using the practice of slant drilling!” Saddam ranted.
“Then laugh at us by saying they have only taken two and a half billion barrels!” He continued,
“And then tell OPEC that they will not abide by its decision!” he had ranted on, referring to Kuwait’s veto when the other members of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries had agreed to appease Iraq by fixing the price between sixteen and seventeen U.S. dollars per barrel.
“It was them, I tell you, Yasser, who convinced our brothers to call in their loans instead of what it was supposed to be ‘free aid’ in order not to upset the dogs at Iraq’s door” Saddam had said, spitting on the floor, or so it had sounded to both Ali and David.
“And why? Yasser,” Saddam’s voice had ranted on, “Do they do this? I will tell you why! Because it is a conspiracy! A conspiracy against Iraq, the Iraqi leadership, and our economy, all led by our mutual enemy via their conduit: the Great Satan - America! Zionist power and influence in the United States dictates its foreign policy. Any country viewed as a threat to Israel, such as Iraq, becomes a target of the conspiracy.”
“Look,” he had said making his gambit in effort to garner Arafat’s support by referring to Israel’s latest official statement saying any peace agreement with Arab countries must include Iraq. “They aren’t hoping for peace. Only other countries to abide by their wishes.”
“The Soviet Union is weak,” Saddam had rambled on. “Recent agreements between the two shows this,” he had said referring to America and the Soviet Union. “Therefore it is easier for the two powers to agree rather than attempt to get many to agree.”
“So what does this mean?” Saddam announced. “I will tell you what! We are left with economics led by certain Zionist entities within the United States, including the weapons manufacturers and elements in the military all of who favor war due to the financial profit which can be reaped.”
“With the Soviet Union falling apart,” he had continued now in full flow, “We represent a suitable new enemy to replace them. So we must defend by attacking! History dictates that Kuwait is part of Iraq. If Qasim wanted to make a Kuwait a district of Iraq in sixty-one,” he had said referring to the former President of Iraq, “Then this my friend, gives me the justification to act and make my people and brothers ready for the fight that one day would come to Iraq’s shores, and force those dogs of Al Sabahs to heel,” Saddam had said referring to the ruling family of Kuwait.
By the end of the tapes, both men had looked at one another. David made a comment that at the time had surprised Ali.
“Well, he’s right about one thing,” David had said, chuckling, something Ali found inappropriate but kept his own council.
“What’s that?” Ali had asked instead.
“America does need an enemy once the Soviet Union falls.”
“You think the Soviets are going to fall?”
David had laughed. “Ali, they can’t afford a bath plug, let alone a foreign policy. Unfortunately America does need an enemy to justify its Energy Security position.”
Ali mentally shook his head. David scared him sometimes. Everything to him was a game of chess. Assets were merely pieces on the board to be moved or sacrificed as when needed. Yet the fact remained because he was so politically connected and by definition going places, with his next posting most likely to be Moscow as a Station Chief at just thirty-five years of age, it made sense to remain close and stay friends with him so not make him an enemy within the Agency.
“Still for the moment we need to make sure that this gets passed up the line,” David had said, changing the subject. “The last thing we need is getting caught with our pants down, and we get the blame!” he had said with a smile.