-Caveat Lector-
>From http://www.iraqwar.org/chemical.htm
America: a Beacon, not a Policeman
British Use of Chemical Weapons in Iraq
Dresden's Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, where he practiced, Winston Churchill, and others
Americans Against World Empire Homepage
BRITISH USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN IRAQ
What it used to be like in the old days. The question of "outlaw weapons" such as
poison
gas is very much one of time and place. Meanwhile, new weapons, such as cluster bombs
and fuel-air bombs which suck out all oxygen over hundreds of square yards and
suffocate
every living creature, are unquestioned by us in the West.
"Bomber" Sir Arthur Harris, the British commander noted below, is now blamed by
civilian
authorities as the commander responsable for ordering the the phosphorus fire bombing
of
Dresden. From 150,000 to 250,000 refugees, mainly women, children and old men fleeing
the invading Russian Army were immolated at the very end of the Second World War.
These were far more deaths than at Heroshima (80,000) or Nagasaki. The raids were
carried out by British bombers, together with the United States 8th Air Force, first
with
explosive bombs to break open the roof tops of buildings. and followed with phosporous
bombs to successfully set off a (planned) devastating firestorm.
While the use of poison gas is now "outlawed" by the Geneva convention, the of repeated
accusation that Saddam gassed his own people neglects an important fact. Halabaja, the
town where it took place, was at the time occupied by invading Iranian forces, and,
according to MSNBC Internet Home News, hundreds of Iranians and civilians were killed.
Now, this theory is under revision, see Jude Wanniski's criticism . Judging from all
the lies
promulgated about Iraq, his study is very revealing. Article follows:---------
"Friends,
In his recent speech, President Clinton, accused those us who opposed his war policy of
"not remembering the past." Well, here is a piece of the past that Messrs. Clinton and
Blair
would prefer that we forget. To my knowledge Britain has never apologized, or
compensated the victims of these war crimes, and indeed the chief war criminal is
still a
national hero.
Ali Abunimah
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
reprinted from Intellipage.com http://search.dogpile.com/texis/ search?q=%
22churchill+in+iraq%22&geo=no&fs=web
*********************************
[BACKGROUND: In 1917, following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the British occupied
Iraq and established a colonial government. The Arab and Kurdish people of Iraq
resisted
the British occupation, and by 1920 this had developed into a full scale national
revolt,
which cost the British dearly. As the Iraqi resistance gained strength, the British
resorted to
increasingly repressive measures, including the use of posion gas.] NB: Because of
formatting problems, quotation marks will appear as stars *
All quotes in the excerpt are properly footnoted in the original book, with full
references
to British archives and papers. Excerpt from pages 179-181 of Simons, Geoff. *IRAQ:
FROM
SUMER TO SUDAN*. London: St. Martins Press, 1994:
Winston Churchill, as colonial secretary, was sensitive to the cost of policing the
Empire;
and was in consequence keen to exploit the potential of modern technology. This
strategy
had particular relevance to operations in Iraq. On 19 February, 1920, before the start
of the
Arab uprising, Churchill (then Secretary for War and Air) wrote to Sir Hugh Trenchard,
the
pioneer of air warfare. Would it be possible for Trenchard to take control of Iraq?
This
would entail *the provision of some kind of asphyxiating bombs calculated to cause
disablement of some kind but not death...for use in preliminary operations against
turbulent
tribes.*
Churchill was in no doubt that gas could be profitably employed against the Kurds
and
Iraqis (as well as against other peoples in the Empire): *I do not understand this
sqeamishness about the use of gas. I am strongly in favour of using poison gas against
uncivilised tribes.* Henry Wilson shared Churchills enthusiasm for gas as an
instrument of
colonial control but the British cabinet was reluctant to sanction the use of a weapon
that
had caused such misery and revulsion in the First World War. Churchill himself was
keen to
argue that gas, fired from ground-based guns or dropped from aircraft, would cause
*only
discomfort or illness, but not death* to dissident tribespeople; but his optimistic
view of the
effects of gas were mistaken. It was likely that the suggested gas would permanently
damage eyesight and *kill children and sickly persons, more especially as the people
against whom we intend to use it have no medical knowledge with which to supply
antidotes.*
Churchill remained unimpressed by such considerations, arguing that the use of gas,
a
*scientific expedient,* should not be prevented *by the prejudices of those who do not
think clearly*. In the event, gas was used against the Iraqi rebels with excellent
moral
effect* though gas shells were not dropped from aircraft because of practical
difficulties
[.....]
Today in 1993 there are still Iraqis and Kurds who remember being bombed and
machine-gunned by the RAF in the 1920s. A Kurd from the Korak mountains commented,
seventy years after the event: *They were bombing here in the Kaniya Khoran...Sometimes
they raided three times a day.* Wing Commander Lewis, then of 30 Squadron (RAF), Iraq,
recalls how quite often *one would get a signal that a certain Kurdish village would
have to
be bombed...*, the RAF pilots being ordered to bomb any Kurd who looked hostile. In the
same vein, Squadron-Leader Kendal of 30 Squadron recalls that if the tribespeople were
doing something they ought not be doing then you shot them.*
Similarly, Wing-Commander Gale, also of 30 Squadron: *If the Kurds hadn't learned by
our example to behave themselves in a civilised way then we had to spank their bottoms.
This was done by bombs and guns.
Wing-Commander Sir Arthur Harris (later Bomber Harris, head of wartime Bomber
Command) was happy to emphasise that *The Arab and Kurd now know what real
bombing means in casualties and damage. Within forty-five minutes a full-size village
can
be practically wiped out and a third of its inhabitants killed or injured.* It was an
easy
matter to bomb and machine-gun the tribespeople, because they had no means of defence
or retalitation. Iraq and Kurdistan were also useful laboratories for new weapons;
devices
specifically developed by the Air Ministry for use against tribal villages. The
ministry drew
up a list of possible weapons, some of them the forerunners of napalm and air-to-ground
missiles:
Phosphorus bombs, war rockets, metal crowsfeet [to maim livestock] man-killing
shrapnel, liquid fire, delay-action bombs. Many of these weapons were first used in
Kurdistan.
Excerpt from pages 179-181 of Simons, Geoff. *Iraq: From Sumer to Saddam*.
London: St. Martins Press, 1994.
An Indian View --Another report on "Bomber" Harris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A<>E<>R
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Forwarded as information only; I don't believe everything I read or send
(but that doesn't stop me from considering it; obviously SOMEBODY thinks it's
important)
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without
charge or
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of
information for
non-profit research and educational purposes only.
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"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth
shut."
--- Ernest Hemingway
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