From DougFeith.com: SMITH’S MYTH The thrust of this article by Jeffrey Smith is that the Pentagon and the Vice President argued that there was substantial cooperation between Iraq and al Qaida while the CIA said there was not. That is a myth. See Myth #1 in Media Myths vs. Facts. The myth is contradicted by the October 7, 2002 letter that CIA Director George Tenet sent to the Senate Intelligence Committee. All the top administration officials relied on this important, unclassified letter. In the letter, Tenet stated:
“We have solid reporting of senior level contacts between Iraq and al-Qa’ida going back a decade.”
“Credible information indicates that Iraq and al-Qa’ida have discussed safe haven and reciprocal non-aggression.”
“Since Operation Enduring Freedom, we have solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of al-Qa’ida members, including some that have been in Baghdad.”
“We have credible reporting that al-Qa’ida leaders sought contacts in Iraq who could help them acquire WMD capabilities. The reporting also stated that Iraq has provided training to al-Qa’ida members in the areas of poisons and gases and making conventional bombs.”
Smith’s article fails even to mention the Tenet letter. It bears repeating: The Tenet letter obliterates the main point of Smith’s article. Read the rest of Feith’s response here.
