CIA agent who grilled Saddam Hussein says US was wrong about him

I had been up for 27 hours and was flat-out exhausted, however the information despatched jolts of adrenaline by way of me like I'd by no means skilled earlier than. 

A Particular Forces crew searching the person we referred to as Excessive Worth Goal No 1 had pulled somebody from a gap within the floor. He answered the outline. 

And my bosses on the CIA had been grilling me, the professional.

Might this burly, unkempt man actually be Saddam Hussein, the ruthless dictator of Iraq? Essentially the most wished man on the planet?

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 Might this burly, unkempt man actually be Saddam Hussein, the ruthless dictator of Iraq? Essentially the most wished man on the planet?

It was December 13, 2003, and I'd been in Iraq for eight weeks – a CIA analyst on the lookout for leads that may take us to Saddam and his infamous henchmen. That was once I was referred to as to see Buzzy Krongard, the CIA's government director.

The warfare to topple the regime had been going for almost 9 months, but when it got here to Saddam, all we'd turned up had been 'Elvis sightings', as we referred to as them. Till, that's, troops looking a farm close to Saddam's residence village of Tikrit discovered a big bearded man hid in a tiny underground bunker.

Now a bunch of senior officers had been quizzing me in Krongard's workplace; how, they requested, would I make a definitive identification? I instructed them concerning the tribal tattoos on Saddam's proper hand and wrist, the bullet scar on his left leg and that his decrease lip tended to droop to at least one facet, one thing I picked up from learning videotapes.

Krongard interrupted me: 'We'd like to verify that is Saddam and never a kind of physique doubles.'

The parable – and it was a fantasy – that Saddam maintained a number of lookalikes was a supply of wry amusement to these of us who labored in intelligence, however I made a decision silence was the higher a part of valour and began compiling a listing of questions solely the dictator may reply.

The army was flying the putative Saddam to Baghdad airport that night time and it was determined we'd make the identification there.

In late 2007, I used to be summoned to provide an in depth presentation to George W. Bush on the Oval Workplace. What sort of a person had Saddam been, he requested me?

At midnight, after a protracted wait, the convoy was prepared. Males in night-vision goggles drove us at 100mph down the Airport Street, a no-go zone at night time. On the airport, a facet street led to a collection of low-slung blockhouses that after housed Saddam's Particular Republican Guard. Inside, I discovered pandemonium and one other wait till lastly a GI mentioned, 'OK, guys. You're up.'

Instantly the door opened and I instantly discovered myself sucking in air. There he was, sitting on a steel folding chair, sporting a white dishdasha gown and blue quilted windbreaker.

There was no denying that the person had charisma. He was massive – 6ft 1in – and thickly constructed. Whilst a prisoner who was sure to be executed, he exuded an air of significance.

Creator John Nixon

I spoke first by way of a translator. 'I've some questions I'd prefer to ask you, and you might be to reply them honestly. Do you perceive?'

Saddam nodded. 'When was the final time you noticed your sons alive?'

I anticipated Saddam to be defiant, however I used to be shocked by the aggression of his reply: 'Who're you guys? Are you army intelligence? Mukhabarat [civilian intelligence]? Reply me. Establish yourselves!'

I famous his tribal tattoos and that his mouth drooped. Now I wanted to see his bullet wound.

There was a lot we wished to know. How had he escaped from Baghdad? Who had helped him? He wouldn't say, answering solely the questions he wished to.

'Why don't you ask me about politics? You would be taught lots from me,' he barked. He was particularly vocal on the tough therapy he'd obtained from the troops who introduced him in, launching a protracted diatribe.

I used to be incredulous. Right here was a person who didn't assume twice about killing his personal individuals complaining about a couple of scratches. He lifted his dishdasha to point out the harm to his left leg. I noticed an outdated scar. Was it the bullet wound, I requested him. He assented with a grunt – the ultimate piece of proof. We'd acquired him.

Capturing Saddam was all very properly, however now we needed to get to the reality about his regime, and particularly the weapons of mass destruction that had been the pretext for the invasion. His response was merely to mock us.

Former Iraqi chief Saddam Hussein moments after his seize by US forces

'You discovered a traitor who led you to Saddam Hussein. Isn't there one traitor who can inform you the place the WMDs are?' He warmed to the topic, saying Individuals had been a bunch of ignorant hooligans who didn't perceive Iraq and had been intent on its destruction.

'Iraq just isn't a terrorist nation,' he mentioned. 'We didn't have a relationship with (Osama) bin Laden, and didn't have weapons of mass destruction... and weren't a risk to our neighbours. However the American President [George W Bush] mentioned Iraq wished to assault his daddy and mentioned we had 'weapons of mass destruction.'

Ignoring his goading, we requested Saddam if he'd ever thought-about utilizing WMDs pre-emptively in opposition to US troops in Saudi Arabia. 'We by no means considered utilizing weapons of mass destruction. It was not mentioned. Use chemical weapons in opposition to the world? Is there anybody with full schools who would do that? Who would use these weapons once they had not been used in opposition to us?'

This was not what we had anticipated to listen to. How, then, had America acquired it so improper?

Saddam had a solution: 'The spirit of listening and understanding was not there – I don't exclude myself from this blame.' It was a uncommon acknowledgment that he may have achieved extra to create a clearer image of Iraq's intentions.

Was he enjoying with us, twisting the reality to spare his delight?

Debriefing The President: The Interrogation Of Saddam Hussein, by John Nixon, is revealed on December 29 by Bantam Press at £16.99

I requested about his infamous use of chemical weapons in opposition to the Kurdish metropolis of Halabja in the course of the Iran-Iraq warfare. He turned livid. 'I'm not afraid of you or your president. I'll do what I've to do to defend my nation!'

Then he turned to me and sneered: 'However I didn't make that call.'

We determined to shut the briefing. As Saddam left the room, he glared at me. I've irritated fairly a couple of individuals in my life, however nobody has ever checked out me with such murderous loathing.

My superiors had been delighted on the progress we had been making, but one thing nagged at me concerning the alternate. My intestine instructed me that there was some reality in what Saddam had mentioned. He was incensed about Halabja. Not as a result of his officers had used chemical weapons – he confirmed no regret – however as a result of it had given Iran a propaganda discipline day.

It was not the one factor that may shock me. For instance, in my years learning Saddam, I by no means doubted the obtained knowledge that his stepfather in Tikrit beat him. Many eminent psychiatrists who had analysed him from afar mentioned this was why Saddam was so merciless and why he wished nuclear weapons.

But, in the midst of my additional interrogations, Saddam turned our assumptions the other way up, saying his stepfather was the kindest man he had ever recognized: 'Ibrahim Hasan – God bless him. If he had a secret, he would entrust me with it. I used to be extra expensive to him than his son, Idham.'

I requested concerning the CIA's perception that Saddam suffered nice ache from a nasty again and had given up pink meat and cigars. He mentioned he didn't know the place I used to be getting my intelligence, however it was improper. He instructed me he smoked 4 cigars day-after-day and liked pink meat. He was additionally surprisingly match.

The CIA profile of Saddam prompt he was a continual liar, but he could possibly be fairly candid. Our notion that he dominated with an iron grip was additionally mistaken. It turned clear from our interrogations that in his ultimate years, Saddam appeared clueless about what had been occurring inside Iraq. He was inattentive to what his authorities was doing, had no actual plan for the defence of Iraq and couldn't comprehend the immensity of the approaching storm.

Saddam was fast, too, to disclaim involvement in 9/11. 'Take a look at who was concerned,' he mentioned. 'What nations did they arrive from? Saudi Arabia. And this [ringleader] Muhammad Atta, was he an Iraqi? No. He was Egyptian. Why do you assume I used to be concerned within the assaults?'

Saddam had truly believed 9/11 would convey Iraq and America nearer as a result of Washington would want his secular authorities to assist struggle fundamentalism. How woefully improper he had been.

Throughout our talks, we frequently heard muffled explosions. Saddam inferred issues weren't going properly for the US forces and took pleasure within the truth. 'You'll fail,' he mentioned. 'You'll discover that it's not really easy to control Iraq.' Historical past has proved him proper. However again then, I used to be curious why he felt that method.

'Since you have no idea the language, the historical past, and the Arab thoughts,' he mentioned. 'It's onerous to know the Iraqi individuals with out figuring out its climate and its historical past. The distinction is between night time and day and winter and summer time. That's why they are saying the Iraqis are hard-headed – due to the summer time warmth.'

THE ONE SUBJECT THAT MADE HIM CRY 

Doting dad: Saddam and Rana

The one time Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein confirmed any emotion throughout my interviews was after we mentioned his daughters, Rana and Raghid.

His eyes turned watery and his voice quivered. 'I miss them terribly,' he mentioned. 'I loved a beautiful relationship with them. They liked me very a lot, and I liked them very a lot.'

Saddam additionally mentioned he was pleased with his murderous sons Uday and Qusay, however lifelike about their shortcomings. He generally discovered it essential to punish them.

Uday was a selected drawback for him. He mentioned he was incensed when he discovered that Uday stored a fleet of Bentleys, Jaguars and Mercedes in a storage protected by Republican Guard troopers, saying: 'What sort of message are we sending to the Iraqi individuals, who should endure below sanctions and do with out?'

Saddam had the vehicles torched after a drunk Uday shot and wounded Saddam's half-brother Watban at a household celebration.

The altercation prompted the 1995 defection of Hussein and Saddam Kamel, the husbands of Saddam's two daughters, to Jordan.

He chuckled and added: 'Subsequent summer time, when it's sizzling, they could revolt in opposition to you. The summer time of 1958 acquired a bit of sizzling. Within the 1960s, when it was sizzling, we had a revolution. You may inform that to President Bush!'

It was a number of years and several other extra postings to Iraq earlier than I may clarify the realities of Iraq to the President, head to head. By now, Saddam had been tried and executed, lastly dispatched in late 2006.

However in late 2007, I used to be summoned to provide an in depth presentation to George W. Bush on the Oval Workplace. What sort of a person had Saddam been, he requested me?

I instructed him that he was disarming at first and used self-deprecating wit to place you comfortable.

The President appeared as if he was going to lose his cool. I rapidly defined that the actual Saddam was sarcastic, smug and sadistic, which appeared to calm Bush down.

He checked out Vice-President Dick Cheney and their eyes locked in a figuring out method. As I used to be leaving, he joked: 'You positive Saddam didn't say the place he put these vials of anthrax?' Everybody laughed, however I assumed his crack inappropriate. America had misplaced greater than four,000 troops.

A number of months later, I used to be requested to return to the White Home. This time, the President appeared irritated and distracted and requested for a briefing on the Shia cleric referred to as Muqtada al-Sadr, the chief of the Mahdi Military, then engaged in harmful insurgency in opposition to the coalition. This was not on the agenda.

Making an attempt to realize a couple of seconds, I mentioned: 'Properly, that's the $64,000 query' Bush checked out me and mentioned: 'Why don't you make it the $74,000 query, or no matter your wage is, and reply?' What an a***gap!

In his 2010 memoir, Bush wrote: 'I made a decision I'd not criticise the hardworking patriots of the CIA for the defective intelligence on Iraq.' However that's precisely what he did. He blamed the company for all the things that went improper and referred to as its evaluation 'guesswork' whereas listening to solely what he wished to listen to.

I don't want to suggest that Saddam was harmless. He was a ruthless dictator who plunged his area into chaos and bloodshed. However in hindsight, the considered having an ageing and disengaged Saddam in energy appears virtually comforting compared with the wasted effort of our courageous women and men in uniform and the rise of Islamic State, to not point out the £2.5 trillion spent to construct a brand new Iraq.

© John Nixon, 2016

Debriefing The President: The Interrogation Of Saddam Hussein, by John Nixon, is revealed on December 29 by Bantam Press at £16.99. Supply worth £12.74 till December 27. Pre-order at www.mailbookshop.co.uk or name 0844 571 0640; p&p free on orders over £15.

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