CIA AIDING IRAQ IN GULF WAR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000807560006-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 8, 2012
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: December 15, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000807560006-3
WASHINGTON POST
15 December 1986
CIA Aiding ? Iraq
in Gulf
War
7hrget Data From US. Satellites Supplied for Nearly 2 Years
By Bob Woodward
Wasbi"gt n, Pmt Staff Writer
The Central Intelligence Agency,
has been secretly supplying Iraq
with detailed intelligence, including
data from sensitive U.S. satellite
reconnaissance photography, to as-
sist Iraqi bombing raids on Iran's oil
terminals and power plants in the
war between the two nations, ac-
cording to informed sources.
The information has been flowing,
to Iraq for nearly two years. During
the same period, the Reagan admin-
istration was secretly selling arms
to Iran in an effort to free the
American hostages in Lebanon and
gain influence with factions in the
Iranian government.
In August, the CIA stepped up
the initiative with Iraq by establish-
ing a direct, top-secret Washington-
Baghdad link to provide the Iraqis
with better and more timely satel-
lite information. One source with
firsthand knowledge said the Iraqis
receive the information from sat-
ellite photos "several hours" after a
bombing raid in order to assess
damage and plan the next attack.
This source said the intelligence
information is "vital" to Iraq's con-
duct of the war.
CIA Director William J. Casey
met twice this fall-once in Octo-
ber and again in November-with
senior Iraqi officials to make sure
the new channel was functioning
and to encourage more attacks on
Iranian installations, the sources
said.
Iraq has mounted a series of pre-
cision air attacks against Iran in
recent months, concentrating on oil
terminals, oil pumping stations and
power plants-all with the intent of
destroying Iran's economy and its
ability to continue the war, which
entered its seventh year this fall.
The revelation that the admin-
istration has been sharing intelli-
gence data with the Iraqis at the
same time that it was shipping arms
to the Iranians raises new questions
about the administration's policy on
the Persian Gulf war.
One well-placed U.S. government
official said that the administration
policy of arms for Iran and satellite
Intelligence for Iraq was "a cynical
attempt to engineer a stalemate" in
the war.
An administration official said
yesterday that any intelligence as-
sistance to Iraq was for "defensive"
purposes, designed to keep either
side from winning or losing the war.
White House spokesman Daniel
Howard said yesterday there would
be no comment on this report. "We
don't comment on intelligence mat-
ters," he said.
On Nov. 13, in his first detailed
public statement on the Iranian af-
fair, President Reagan said one of
the key goals of his Iranian initiative
was "to bring an honorable end to
the bloody six-year war between
Iran and Iraq." Denying a "tilt" in
U.S. policy, Reagan said his admin-
istration did not favor or support
"one side over the other."
Since the secret U.S.-Iranian
arms deal was disclosed in early
November, Iraq has stepped up its
attacks. On Nov. 25, Iraqi war-
planes bombed Iranian oil tankers at
Larak Island, which is about 750
miles south of Iraq and in the Strait
of Hormuz. This was apparently the
greatest distance flown by Iraqi
planes in any raid during the war.
On Dec. 5 the warplanes bombed
Iran's Neka power station, which is
located close to Iran's Soviet bor-
der.
On Saturday, Iraqi radio reported
that its warplanes attacked Tehran
for the first time in seven months,
striking an antiaircraft defense sys-
tem and a power plant, and in a sep-
arate raid hit troop concentrations,
and ammunition depots in north-
western Iran.
Intelligence estimates show that
Iraq overall has at least a 4-to-l.
advantage in the major types of mil-
itary equipment including tanks.
missiles, and combat aircraft. Iraq
also has about 1 million regular
ground troops compared with
250,000 regulars for Iran.
Nonetheless, Iran's population is.
roughly three times Iraq's. The
Iranians have used "human waves"
of young, irregular soldiers in the
war, which has claimed about 1 mil-
lion dead, wounded or captured.
An administration official said
that Iraq had been discouraged
from any attempt to destroy Iran's
economy. The officials said, for ex-
ample, that the United States had
tried last year to apply diplomatic
pressure on Iraq not to wipe out
Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal.
Several years ago, the terminal
handled 90 percent of Iran's oil;
now it moves less than 50 percent.
In his Nov. 13 speech, Reagan
said the administration opposed the
violence of the Iran-Iraq conflict.
'he slaughter on both sides has
been enormous, and the adverse
economic and political conse-
quences for that vital region of the
world have been growing," Reagan
said. "We sought to establish com-
munications with both sides in that
senseless struggle, so that we could
assist in bringing about a cease-fire
and, eventually, a settlement. We
have sought to be evenhanded by
working with both sides .... We
have consistently condemned the
violence on both sides."
Sources said that as far back as
1984, when some people feared
that Iran might overrun Iraq, the
United States began supplying Iraq
with some intelligence assistance.
Iraq reportedly used the intelli-
gence to calibrate attacks with mus-
tard gas on Iranian ground troops,
distressing U.S. officials, who con-
demn chemical warfare.
But the sources said the informa-
tion from U.S. satellites was not
supplied regularly until sometime in
early 1985. For the next 18 months
the information was supplied
through Washington channels as
needed by the Iraqis, particularly
after an Iraqi bombing raid.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000807560006-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000807560006-3
It could not be established yes-
terday in what form the Iraqis ini-
tially received the intelligence data.
Officials said it could have been ac-
tual intelligence satellite photos, or
simply selected portions, artists'
drawings done from the photos or
detailed verbal descriptions.
The direct Washington-Baghdad
link, established in August, was ac-
complished by way of a special intel-
ligence unit in the U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad, one source said. Two
sources said that the Iraqis now re-
ceive selected portions of the actual
photos that are taken by U.S. recon-
naissance satellites and on some oc-
casions, U.S. reconnaissance aircraft.
In mid-August, just after the di-
rect channel was installed, Iraq ex-
ecuted a surprise bombing raid
against the Iranian oil terminal at
Sirri Island that Iran supposedly
thought was safe from attack.
The direct link with Baghdad ap-
parently was set up shortly after
the release of the Rev. Lawrence
Martin Jenco from Lebanon and the
third U.S. shipment of arms to Iran.
Sources said that in early Octo-
ber, Casey requested a meeting
with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq
Aziz, who was at the United Nations
in New York. A few days later, the
sources said, Casey's request was
granted and he met Aziz and Iraq's
ambassador to the United States,
Nizar Hamdoon. Casey, who was
aware of the still-secret Iranian
arms dealings, told the two Iraqis
he wanted to make sure that they
were haoov with the flow of intel-
ligence, and he also encouraged
more attacks on economic targets,
the sources said.
Later in October, the United
States sent a fourth shipment of
arms to Iran, and on Nov. 2, hos-
tage David P. Jacobsen was re-
leased. The next day, a pro-Syrian
Lebanese magazine disclosed the
secret U.S.-Iran initiative.
After the disclosure, Ambassador
Hamdoon requested and received
another meeting with Casey. The
two met in Washington about two
weeks ago, the sources said, and
Casey had no apology to offer for
the Iran initiative but -pledged that
the secret channel for satellite data
would remain open to Iraq.
Staff researcher Barbara Feiumax
contributed to this report
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP90-00965R000807560006-3