Uranium from Africa and the Senate (SSCI) Report: Introduction

by eriposte

With the continued limelight on Treasongate, I am starting a new series focusing on the findings on the "uranium from Africa" issue in the whitewash Senate Report - the report by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) - that was used to attack former Ambassador Joseph Wilson and excuse the unacceptable behavior of the Bush cabinet in the context of the Iraq war. This is the next logical step in my overall examination of the credibility and accuracy of the Bush administration claim in Jan 2003 that Saddam Hussein was recently seeking significant quantities of uranium from Africa. In previous installments I showed how the claim was false, based on the very words uttered by numerous senior Bush administration officials in public (especially after the Joseph Wilson op-ed), based on the findings of the ISG-Iraq Survey Group, and based on a careful review of the Butler Report. With the analysis of the Senate Report I hope to complete the picture and provide some additional insight on what really happened.

For readers and bloggers who have been following this issue closely, I'm summarizing below how this new series will be structured. It will address questions 1-3 (below) and under section 3, it will address each specific intelligence claim in the Report relating to the "uranium from Africa" issue. There will also be some information provided via Q&A with a special guest, and an important revelation relating to the forged Niger documents. So, make sure you check out the series which I will kick off shortly.

Here are the upcoming parts of the series.

1. Did the conclusions of the Senate Report really provide justification for the claim that Saddam Hussein was recently seeking uranium from Africa?

2. Did the Senate Report show that the great WMD hoax was just a "failure of intelligence" and had nothing to do with Bush administration book-cooking on intelligence?

3. Were the intelligence reports relating to the "uranium from Africa" issue actually credible (without the benefit of hindsight)?

3A. Niger "evidence"

3A-1. First two reports from Foreign Intelligence Service A in Oct 2001/Feb 2002 on alleged Iraq-Niger year 2000 uranium deal
3A-2. The intelligence report based on the visit of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson to Niger in Feb/Mar 2002
3A-3. Third report from Foreign Intelligence Service A in Mar 2002 on alleged Iraq-Niger year 2000 uranium deal
3A-4. Copy of an alleged 2000 sales agreement between Iraq/Niger acquired via an Italian journalist in October 2002 - and its implications
3A-5. Report from France in Nov 2002 regarding alleged attempt by Iraq to seek uranium from Niger
3A-6. Report from U.S. Navy in Nov 2002 regarding alleged storage of Iraq-bound Niger uranium stored in Benin
3A-7. Report from Foreign Intelligence Service B in Jan 2003 on alleged attempt by Iraq to seek uranium as early as 1999
3A-8. Undated report on alleged shipping agreement recovered from a Somali businessman in 2001

3B. Democratic Republic of Congo "evidence"

3C. Somalia "evidence"

SUMMARY and CONCLUSIONS