The CIA, Iraq War, and American Democracy (Part 1)

April 1991 http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.... Watch the full program: http://thefilmarchived.blogspot.com/2010/09/philip-agee-on-cia-gulf-war-and.html

Philip Burnett Franklin Agee (July 19, 1935 - January 7, 2008) was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer and writer, best known as author of the 1975 book, Inside the Company: CIA Diary, detailing his experiences in the CIA. Agee joined the CIA in 1957, and over the following decade had postings in Washington, D.C., Ecuador, Uruguay, and Mexico. After resigning from the Agency in 1968, he became a leading opponent of CIA practices.

The Persian Gulf War (2 August 1990 - 28 February 1991), known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War, or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response. The final conflict was initiated with United Nations authorization, by a coalition force from 34 nations against Iraq, with the expressed purpose of expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait after its invasion and annexation on 2 August 1990.

The great majority of the military forces in the coalition were from the United States, with Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Egypt as leading contributors, in that order. Around US$40 billion of the approximately US$60 billion cost was paid by Saudi Arabia.

The invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi troops had been met with wide international condemnation and immediate economic sanctions against Iraq by members of the UN Security Council, and with immediate preparation for war by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Initial conflict to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait began with aerial bombardment on 17 January 1991, following expiration of the UN deadline; this was followed by ground assault on 23 February and was a decisive victory for the coalition forces, which liberated Kuwait and advanced into Iraqi territory. The coalition stopped advancing and declared a cease-fire 100 hours after the ground campaign had started.

Aerial and ground combat was confined to Iraq, Kuwait, and bordering areas of Saudi Arabia, but Iraq also launched missiles against coalition military targets in Saudi Arabia, and at Israel, a non-combatant. This latter action was an attempt to precipitate Israeli retaliation that could destabilize the coalition by alienating its Arab members.

After Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, U.S. President George H. W. Bush deployed U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard units to Saudi Arabia as a part of Operation Desert Shield, while urging other countries to send their own forces to the scene. UN coalition-building efforts were so successful that by the time the fighting (Operation Desert Storm) began on 16 January 1991, twelve countries had sent naval forces, joining the regional states of Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states, as well as the huge array of the U.S. Navy, which deployed six carrier battle groups.

Eight countries had sent ground forces, joining the regional troops of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the seventeen heavy and six light brigades of the U.S. Army and nine Marine regiments, with their large support and service forces. Four countries had sent combat aircraft, joining the local air forces of Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine aviation, for a grand total of 2,430 fixed-wing aircraft.

Iraq had only a few gunboats and small missile craft to match the coalition's armada, but approximately 1.2 million ground troops, 5,800 tanks, 5,100 other armoured vehicles, and 3,850 artillery pieces all made for a greater strength on the ground. Iraq also had 750 fighters and bombers, 200 other aircraft, and elaborate missile and gun defenses.

"Operation Desert Storm" was the U.S. name of the air and land operations and is often incorrectly used to refer to the entire conflict; although the U.S. Postal Service issued a postage stamp reflecting Operation Desert Storm in 1992, and the U.S. military awarded campaign ribbons for service in Southwest Asia.

Each nation participating had its own operation name for its contribution: U.S. - Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; UK - Operation Granby; Canada - Operation Friction; France - Operation Daguet, etc.

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[dEEpindEEd]

i heard that the American government gave the green light to Saddam before the invasion but never followed up on it thinking it was just a rumor.

another sad example of divide and conquer in the history of the middle east.

[bapyou]

@GOPsithlord Unlike you, Philip Agee was a brave man. You are a coward who licks the boots of the American Empire at every opportunity becasue you lack any and all moral courage. Like your counterparts in 1930s Germany, you would do anything for the Fatherland, the United States. You have no thoughts. Your thoughts belong to the state. Philip Agee was an honourable man. You are a craven, frightened toadie for your rulers, men with less intelligence than a good plumber.

[nukeurhouse12]

Ha American Democracy.... Open your eyes people!!!! Pull your heads out of your asses...You call this freedom?, you call this democracy?...NAZI Germany was a democracy, and USA is just as violent, aggressive and warlike...killing thousands of civillians and attacking middle east. Using Libyan resources for your own benefit...people of America you must take action otherwise... America will pay for the concenquences just like Germany did!!!!

[bapyou]

@GOPsithlord "Everyone knows Agee is a traitor, right?"

You're repeating what was said about Agee by George H.W. Bush which obviously you've absorbed from some right-wing news source, since none of you so-called patriotic conservatives look any further than Fox News for sources of information. Agee was in the CIA under Bush. Besides calling Agee a "traitor," George H.W. Bush said the following:

"I will never apologize for the United States of America. I don't care what the facts are."

[deltaalpha21074]

So Rumsfeld and his croanies ie BUSH SR and Wolfiwitz and CIA said hmmm let us create some war or attack on USA and wire up some military planes to look like commercial jet airliners ie United and AA and crash them into WTC 1and 2 and start war ...I buy that one ....especially when I stood 1/4 mile away from all Gold in USA and saw the Pentagon Pic for what really happened at Fort Knox ...while all the Tanks were gone in 2005.

[jesse2076]

now in 2010 this guy isnt judged by his character but by his message at least not by me

[jimbaba16]

@dEEpindEEd Yeah the USA gave them the green light but it could have been a mistake, the letter when you read it that was sent to Saddam could be misunderstood so i am not 100% sure whether or not they gave them the green light.

[GOPsithlord]

Everyone knows Agee is a traitor, right?