CIA Director Tenet Defends Agency's Record, Says Weapons Inspectors Need More Time

Strategic Insights -

CIA Director George J. Tenet acknowledged intelligence shortcomings in the run-up to the Iraq war, but defended the agency's record and said that teams searching for Saddam Hussein's banned weapons of mass destruction need more time. Tenet stated that foreign intelligence from two human sources close to Saddam's inner circle revealed that production of Iraqi chemical arms had resumed before the war.

Key Takeaways:

  • CIA Director George J. Tenet acknowledged intelligence shortcomings in the run-up to the Iraq war, citing a lack of human intelligence and the inability to penetrate Saddam's inner sanctum.
  • Tenet disputed the recent testimony of former arms inspector David Kay, who stated that work to find Saddam Hussein's arms was 85 percent complete and that no large stocks of weapons existed before the war.
  • Tenet emphasized that intelligence-gathering is difficult and that the full truth about Iraq's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs may never be known.
  • Tenet noted that a 2002 interagency intelligence assessment stated that Iraq had some chemical and biological weapons and was working to develop nuclear arms, although analysts disagreed on the specifics and timing of these programs.
  • Tenet provided details on how foreign intelligence-agency reports from two sources in Iraq, including one with direct access to Saddam, solidified his view of the danger posed by Saddam Hussein and influenced his decisions.
  • Tenet said that analysts incorrectly reported the presence of lethal biological agents, including anthrax, and that Iraqi efforts to develop biological arms are still being investigated.

Statistics:

  • 85 percent: The percentage of work completed by former arms inspector David Kay in searching for Saddam Hussein's arms.
  • 300 pages: The length of the classified assessment of intelligence on Iraq made available to senators by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
  • 14-agency U.S. intelligence community: The number of agencies that provide intelligence on Iraq, whose assessments were considered when making decisions about the war.

Sources:

  • The Washington Times: "CIA Director George J. Tenet yesterday acknowledged intelligence shortcomings in the run-up to the Iraq war..."
  • AP: "David Kay, the former top CIA representative on the team searching for Iraqi weapons, said that prewar U.S. intelligence was 'almost all wrong'..."
  • Carnegie Endowment: "Mr. Kay told the Carnegie Endowment that work in searching for arms was about 85 percent finished."
  • The Washington Times: "One Senate aide said the report reflected some of Mr. Kay's criticisms of prewar data."
  • The Washington Times: "President Bush is set to name a blue-ribbon commission to study U.S. intelligence failures amid calls from Democrats and others that the administration manipulated data to make the public case for war in Iraq."