Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

Niger Uranium Rumors Wouldn't Die

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009) Donate to DU
 
ProSense Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-18-06 08:17 PM
Original message
Niger Uranium Rumors Wouldn't Die
February 17, 2006 latimes.com : National News

Niger Uranium Rumors Wouldn't Die


By Bob Drogin And Tom Hamburger, Times Staff Writers

WASHINGTON — In the spring of 2001, long before Sept. 11 and the American focus on Iraq, the CIA asked its Paris station about rumors that 200 tons of nuclear material had vanished from two French-owned mines in the West African nation of Niger.

"We heard stories this stuff had gone to Iraq, or to Syria, or Libya, or China or North Korea. We heard all kinds of stories," said a now-retired CIA officer.


Snip...

But the story had still more legs.

The CIA issued a third report in March 2002, again based on the unidentified foreign spy service, warning of the scheme to smuggle uranium to Iraq. For the first time, the CIA noted an oddity: The supposed sales agreement named a date as Wednesday that was actually a Friday.

Spurred by the Bush administration, the CIA station in Paris again approached French intelligence in mid-2002. Chouet's staff noticed then that the agency's more precise questions — about Iraq's purchase of 500 tons of yellowcake after a 1999 meeting — matched details in documents peddled by a low-level Italian ex-spy. The man, Rocco Martino, had offered to sell the documents for $100,000 to the French intelligence station chief from Brussels earlier in 2002.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-niger17feb17,0,2450481,full.story?coll=la-headlines-nation



Could the same people who didn't want the rumor to go away, be the same people who started it?
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top

Home » Discuss » Archives » General Discussion: Presidential (Through Nov 2009) Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC