A campaign to shame Saddam Hussein was devised by American spies during the planning for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was revealed last night.
The CIA secretly plotted to flood Iraq with a fake video making it look like Saddam was having sex with a teenage boy.
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. intelligence agency also targetted Osama bin Laden for the bogus propaganda, making a film purporting to show the al Qaeda leader sitting around a campfire with his cronies, swigging alcohol and discussing their conquests of young boys.
Squabbling over the projects, as well as budget cuts, meant the videos never saw the light of day.
But the revelations will come as a major embarrassment to the CIA at a time when President Obama has demanded a clean-up after banning harsh interrogation methods used during the war on terror under George Bush.
Former intelligence officials claimed the video showing Hussein having sex with a boy would have been staged using actors.
‘It would look like it was taken by a hidden camera,’ said one ex-CIA agent. ‘Very grainy, like it was a secret videotaping of a sex session.'
The CIA secretly plotted to flood Iraq with a fake video making it look like Saddam was having sex with a teenage boy.
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. intelligence agency also targetted Osama bin Laden for the bogus propaganda, making a film purporting to show the al Qaeda leader sitting around a campfire with his cronies, swigging alcohol and discussing their conquests of young boys.
Squabbling over the projects, as well as budget cuts, meant the videos never saw the light of day.
But the revelations will come as a major embarrassment to the CIA at a time when President Obama has demanded a clean-up after banning harsh interrogation methods used during the war on terror under George Bush.
Former intelligence officials claimed the video showing Hussein having sex with a boy would have been staged using actors.
‘It would look like it was taken by a hidden camera,’ said one ex-CIA agent. ‘Very grainy, like it was a secret videotaping of a sex session.'
Dirty tricks target: The CIA reportedly planned to show Saddam Hussein having sex with a teenage boy
Other dirty tricks ideas discussed included a plan to interrupt Iraqi television with a made-up news bulletin showing a Saddam look-alike announcing his resignation.
The fake dictator would say he was handing the reigns of the country over to his hated son Uday.
‘I’m sure you will throw your support behind His Excellency Uday,’ the imposter was supposed to tell the Iraqi people.
The CIA also wanted to hack into Iraq’s TV networks and insert misleading messages into the broadcasts.
Eventually ‘things ground to a halt’, the former agent told the Post’s Spy Talk blog.
James Pavitt, then head of the agency’s Operations Division, and his deputy, Hugh Turner, were said to be opposed to the covert plans.
Saddam was eventually captured in late 2003 and hanged in December 2006. His sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed in a shoot-out with allied troops in July 2003.
Former intelligence officials dismissed the dirty tricks ideas as ‘ridiculous’.
‘They came from people whose careers were spent in Latin America or East Asia and didn’t understand the cultural nuances of the region,’ said an ex-agent.
Another CIA official, who has extensive experience in the region, said: 'Saddam playing with boys would have no resonance in the Middle East - nobody cares.
‘Trying to mount such a campaign would show a total misunderstanding of the target. We always mistake our own taboos as universal when, in fact, they are just our taboos.’
A U.S. official said last night: ‘We can’t confirm those accounts, but if these ideas were put forward at any time they clearly didn’t go very far.’
The most effective ‘information warfare’ project during the invasion was said to be emails and faxes sent to Iraqi unit commanders as the fighting began urging them to give up and go home because they were were doomed to defeat.
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The fake dictator would say he was handing the reigns of the country over to his hated son Uday.
‘I’m sure you will throw your support behind His Excellency Uday,’ the imposter was supposed to tell the Iraqi people.
The CIA also wanted to hack into Iraq’s TV networks and insert misleading messages into the broadcasts.
Eventually ‘things ground to a halt’, the former agent told the Post’s Spy Talk blog.
James Pavitt, then head of the agency’s Operations Division, and his deputy, Hugh Turner, were said to be opposed to the covert plans.
Saddam was eventually captured in late 2003 and hanged in December 2006. His sons, Uday and Qusay, were killed in a shoot-out with allied troops in July 2003.
Former intelligence officials dismissed the dirty tricks ideas as ‘ridiculous’.
‘They came from people whose careers were spent in Latin America or East Asia and didn’t understand the cultural nuances of the region,’ said an ex-agent.
Another CIA official, who has extensive experience in the region, said: 'Saddam playing with boys would have no resonance in the Middle East - nobody cares.
‘Trying to mount such a campaign would show a total misunderstanding of the target. We always mistake our own taboos as universal when, in fact, they are just our taboos.’
A U.S. official said last night: ‘We can’t confirm those accounts, but if these ideas were put forward at any time they clearly didn’t go very far.’
The most effective ‘information warfare’ project during the invasion was said to be emails and faxes sent to Iraqi unit commanders as the fighting began urging them to give up and go home because they were were doomed to defeat.
See Also :
Ode to ‘Chuck’…And to John Casey!
DC And NYC, Arm In Arm
Cinematheque: A classic French filmmaker´s latest movie - Alain Resnais is still going strong (and other film news)
Flashforward Season 2
Alicia Keys & Swizz Beats Engaged and Expecting First Child
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