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The Iraq War Ten Years After
Declassified Documents Show Failed Intelligence, Policy Ad Hockery,
Propaganda-Driven Decisionmaking
National Security Archive Publishes "Essential" Primary Sources on
Operation Iraqi Freedom
National Security Archive Briefing Book No. 418
Posted -- March 19, 2013
Edited by Joyce Battle and Malcolm Byrne
For more information contact:
Joyce Battle or Malcolm Byrne -- 202/994-7000 or nsarchiv@gwu.edu
Washington, D.C., March 19, 2013 -- The U.S. invasion of Iraq turned out
to be a textbook case of flawed assumptions, wrong-headed intelligence,
propaganda manipulation, and administrative ad hockery, according to the
National Security Archive's briefing book of declassified documents posted
today to mark the 10th anniversary of the war.
The Archive's documentary primer includes the famous Downing Street memo
("intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy"), the POLO
STEP PowerPoint invasion plans (assuming out of existence any possible
insurgency), an FBI interview with Saddam Hussein in captivity (he said he
lied about weapons of mass destruction to keep Iran guessing and
deterred), and the infamous National Intelligence Estimate about Iraq's
weapons of mass destruction (wrong in its findings, but with every noted
dissent turning out to be accurate).
"These dozen documents provide essential reading for anyone trying to
understand the Iraq war," remarked Joyce Battle, Archive senior analyst
who is compiling a definitive reference collection of declassified
documents on the Iraq War. "At a moment when the public is debating the
costs and consequences of the U.S. invasion, these primary sources refresh
the memory and ground the discussion with contemporary evidence."
Check out today's posting at the National Security Archive website -
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB418/
Unredacted, the Archive blog - http://nsarchive.wordpress.com/
________________________________________________________
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE is an independent non-governmental research
institute and library located at The George Washington University in
Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents
acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A tax-exempt
public charity, the Archive receives no U.S. government funding; its
budget is supported by publication royalties and donations from
foundations and individuals.
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