? Was Chalabi's office = Office of Special Plans ?

[Kolesar]

Help me somebody. I am writing (another) testy letter to NPR and I need to know the name of the office that Ahmed Chalabi set up in the White House to feed intelligence misinformation to the world.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

1. A - OSP doesn't exist, silly and B - no - OSP paid Chalabi

If they were the same the con-man on the lamb would never had made so much taxpayer funded loot as he sold out his country-men and forfeited his soul for $$$$$

[Kolesar]

2. ok, A is sarcasm, and B says OSP paid Chalabi

I think I got your drift.

[salin]

6. Chalabi fed information (through his "sources")

in the IRC to OSP. OSP used the fake intel to ignore real intelligence from CIA, DIA and State Dept. Strongly suggested is that Chalabi's "sources" cooked intel following the recipe that OSP wanted (they want "proof" of x... we'll get them "proof" of x.)

But he was not OSP and did not set up OSP.

However... he was allowed to set up an "information gathering" unit in Iraq under the CPA - and that unit was to sort through information from Saddam's files... the office (under his close associate ... who has now fled to Iran and was long known by US intelligence to have ties to Iranian intelligence) was run with the DIA. Out of the same office. You know, the DIA who might have information on things like... knowledge that the US had broken Iranian intel codes... that information that was only supposed to be known by a few very, very high up ... and that was passed on to Chalabi by a "drunk" US official... and info that Chalabi passed on to Iranian intelligence...

[diamond14]

3. PHOTOS: Chalabi was INVITED to the NEW Iraqi gov't. ceremony

Ahmed Chalabi, centre, looks on with other unidentified delegates as the new Iraqi government is sworn in during a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites), Monday June 28, 2004. The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early Monday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the highly symbolic step toward self-rule. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)


Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, left, is congradualted with a kiss from Ahmed Chalabi after Allawi was sworn in to office at a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites), Monday June 28, 2004. The U.S.-led coalition transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early Monday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the highly symbolic step toward self-rule. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)


Former Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmed Chalabi (L) is squeezed aside as well-wishers congratulate President Ghazi al-Yawar (2nd L, at rear) after a swearing-in ceremony in the capital Baghdad June 28, 2004. The United States handed sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days earlier than expected Monday, aiming to forestall guerrilla attacks with a secretive ceremony formally ending 14 months of occupation. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber


The glass in a portrait of Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmed Chalabi is seen smashed after Iraqi police and US troops raided his head office in Baghdad 21 May 2004. US officials are trying to find out who shared top-secret information on Iran with Ahmad Chalabi, the disgraced Iraqi politician accused of passing the information on to Tehran, US media reported.(AFP/File/Ramzi Haidar)

[Kolesar]

4. Wanna be a pal and proof read my email to NPR ? (please, please)

Sub: It was not bad intelligence, it was war mongering

Dear ATC,

In Mike Shuster’s reporting of the sad state of affairs in Iraq yesterday evening, ATC reported that America has to assess the bad intelligence that got us into this war. In the portion quoting Sandy Berger, you made it sound as if the White House had received bad intelligence from the exile community. This is historical revisionism at its worst. The Pentagon had set up an “Office of Special Plans” to develop intelligence content outside of the existing United States intelligence community. The OSP usedAhmed Chalabi (of the Iraqi exile community) to develop misinformation for the White House to present to Congress and the public.

What frustrates me is that I knew about the OSP last year by reading newspaper articles that were linked from internet sites. However, what came out of the media was a contrary message of weapons of mass destruction and heavy insinuation of Iraq’s links to Al Qaida. Note that America’s “newspaper of record”, the New York Times, apologized for their misreporting a month ago, although not too humbly. We actually had one media company interfering in our democracy by sponsoring pro-war rallies last year.

This promoting of the conquest of Iraq is not unprecedented. Events such as The Alamo and the explosion on the USS Maine were perverted to promote US imperial acquisitions of half of Mexico and all of the Philippines early in our history. An attack on the USS Turner Joy was a provoked incident used to justify the Gulf of Tonkin resolution to advance an end that I still cannot define.

You in the media have an important role to play to counter such misinformation, even if it means taking a risk. I will be glad to help you if you have any questions about content in the future.

Sincerely,

[Stephanie]

5. OSP set up by the Pentagon

I don't know if you can pin it directly on the WH. Rumsfeld/Feith set up OSP. Cheney surely had a hand in it but I don't know if we have evidence of that - do we? And I don't know if OSP "hired" Chalabi exactly. He was paid but I don't think it was by OSP directly.

[diamond14]

7. revisions....

still a bit long...but here's my revisions...I shortened some longgggg sentences,,,and thereby, difficult to understand sentences...also added NPR where appropriate...BTW, who is ATC???

overall, I like the general letter...your thoughts are very important and it's great that you are writing....

take my revisions with a grain of salt...trying to make it read smoother....and make it shorter....

short...all letters must be short....it's a bit long if you want them to read it on air...most letters don't get read on air, but I believe it's very important to send letters, bombard them with letters...they will read it, and maybe it'll move their consciences a little....

edit: fixed to incorporate comments above....

____________________________________________________________

Sub: It was not bad intelligence, it was war mongering

Dear ATC,

In Mike Shuster’s Iraq report yesterday evening, ATC stated that America must assess the bad intelligence that took us to war. Quoting Sandy Berger, you implied that the White House received bad intelligence from the exile community. This is historical revisionism at its worst. The true story is that the White House set up an “Office of Special Plans” in the Pentagon, to develop intelligence content. The OSP operates outside of the existing United States intelligence community. The OSP deliberately used Ahmed Chalabi (of the Iraqi exile community) to develop mis-information for the White House to present to Congress and the public.

By reading newspapers on-line last year, I learned about the OSP, and I am certain that NPR did too. Sadly, NPR reports the mis-information message of "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and "Iraqi ties to Al Qaida". Now, NPR mis-represents the source of "bad" intelligence. The New York Times apologized last month for their "mis-representation". Listeners would also welcome a thorough introspection by NPR.

This "promoting the conquest of Iraq" is not unprecedented. Events such as The Alamo and the explosion on the USS Maine were perverted to promote US imperial acquisitions of half of Mexico and all of the Philippines early in our history. An attack on the USS Turner Joy was a provoked incident used to justify the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.

NPR has an important role to counter mis-information, even if it means taking a risk. My hope is that you will look closely at your reporting, and begin a process like the New York Times. Your listeners will thank you for telling the truth.


Sincerely,

[Kolesar]

8. Here is the link to the audio version of Shuster's story:AllThingsConsider

BTW, ATC=all things considered. And BTW = by the way :)

http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=3041040

One good thing about Shuster's story is that he used sources like Sandy Berger, instead of the usual Generals and Neocons.