MI6 ran 'dubious' Iraq campaign (BBC/Ritter)

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3227506.stm

British intelligence ran a campaign designed to exaggerate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, a former US intelligence officer has claimed.
Former UN chief weapons inspector Scott Ritter said the disinformation drive in the late 1990s was designed to shift public opinion.

Mr Ritter has been a vocal critic of military action against Iraq since leaving the inspections team in 1998.

A spokesman for MI6 said the allegations were "unfounded".

He told reporters in the House of Commons that he was involved personally with Operation Mass Appeal between the summer of 1997 until August 1998 when he resigned from the UN.

Mr Ritter said the MI6 operation was designed to "shake up public opinion" by passing dubious intelligence on Iraq to the media.

<snip>

[TacticalPeek]

1. "I was approached by MI6 to provide that data"

"They took this information and peddled it off to the media, internationally and domestically, allowing inaccurate intelligence data, to appear on the front pages.

"The government, both here in the UK and the US, would feed off these media reports, continuing the perception that Iraq was a nation ruled by a leader with an addiction to WMDs."


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So the Italian reporter wouldn't be peddled the Niger story, and Cheney needed the nuclear angle to sway the public so he just grabbed the wheel and steered it himself. Famous last swerves.





:evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. I have the "Agnew Resigns" Headline displayed in my house.

These two should be united.