Saddam Hussein has not always been
Satan to the
United States. In fact, this is a
recent invention. Until 1988, when there was the
ceasefire in the
Iran-Iraq War, he was one of their
favoured allies. Here are just some of the more
salient facts:
- In 1963, the CIA instigated the overthrow of the government of Kassem. Soon after, in 1968, the Ba'ath party comes to power; again with CIA assistance.
- In 1980, the Pentagon and the CIA provide Saddam Hussein with heaps of intelligence on Iran and its activities. Soon after, the Iran-Iraq War begins. Mind you, it's now clear that the United States was playing both sides of the game; as revealed by the Iran-Contra Affair. Publicly, it was pro-Iraq, but secretly, it was also simultaneously providing arms to Iran. Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State at one point said: "Too bad they both can't lose...... I hope they all just kill each other".
- In 1984, then-Vice President George Bush encourages banks to lend money for import and export to Iraq. Six years later, he declares war.
- The United States sold 60 Hughes helicopters and 10 Bell helicopters to Iraq. The Bell helicopters are particularly interesting -- they were officially sold to Iraq for crop spraying -- is that dual use or what? It is believed that these 10 helicopters were the ones used by Saddam in 1988 for the attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja. The United States turned a blind eye at the time. Ironically, though the United States was complicit in this act, it eventually used the "he even gases his own people" line to justify both the First Gulf War and Second Gulf War.