WP article from day of Libby/Cheney conversation

[shockingelk]

June 12, 2003 - the day Cheney turned Libby loose on Wilson:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A46957-2003Jun11?language=printer

A key component of President Bush's claim in his State of the Union address last January that Iraq had an active nuclear weapons program -- its alleged attempt to buy uranium in Niger -- was disputed by a CIA-directed mission to the central African nation in early 2002, according to senior administration officials and a former government official. But the CIA did not pass on the detailed results of its investigation to the White House or other government agencies, the officials said.

... Armed with information purportedly showing that Iraqi officials had been seeking to buy uranium in Niger one or two years earlier, the CIA in early February 2002 dispatched a retired U.S. ambassador to the country to investigate the claims, according to the senior U.S. officials and the former government official, who is familiar with the event. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity and on condition that the name of the former ambassador not be disclosed.

During his trip, the CIA's envoy spoke with the president of Niger and other Niger officials mentioned as being involved in the Iraqi effort, some of whose signatures purportedly appeared on the documents.

After returning to the United States, the envoy reported to the CIA that the uranium-purchase story was false, the sources said. Among the envoy's conclusions was that the documents may have been forged because the "dates were wrong and the names were wrong," the former U.S. government official said.

However, the CIA did not include details of the former ambassador's report and his identity as the source, which would have added to the credibility of his findings, in its intelligence reports that were shared with other government agencies. Instead, the CIA only said that Niger government officials had denied the attempted deal had taken place, a senior administration said.

[bklyncowgirl]

1. This is really interesting.

Does anyone know if this is the first time Wilson started talking to the media?

[shockingelk]

3. He had been on CNN

And a few other things between the time he went to Niger and when his wife was outed.

But I didn't catch that he would have been a source for this article. I think Nick Christoff was the first to use him as an (unnamed source).

[Justice]

2. Very good find, the pieces are all starting to fall into place

Was this the first time mentioned was made in print about a former ambassador visiting Niger?

Did the WH read this article and say, we have to find out who that person is? Is that how it all started?

Wouldn't the first call by the WH be to Tenet to ask - who the heck did you guys send?

[shockingelk]

4. Yup, it's the article that started it all n/t