Kadish, Pollard, van Anraat and how Uncle Sam (AKA Bechtel et al) provided Saddam with his WMD plant

Rafi Eitan, a former agent with Israel's Mossad spy agency and now a Minister in the Israeli Government used to run an outfit called the Scientific Relations Office.

Yossi Yagur used to work for this shadowy intelligence agency, although he was also an employee of Israeli Aerospace Indusries - he was also the conduit for information from Jonathan Pollard - and now lives in retirement in Tel Aviv.

At the same time he was also in contact with Ben Ami Kadish, a Connecticut born U.S. citizen who worked at the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at the Picatinny Arsenal who was arrested in April 2008.

Between 1979 and 1985 for (he says) a few family dinners and the odd small gift he let Yagur photograph documents he provided which included information about nuclear weapons, a modified version of an F-15 fighter jet and the U.S. Patriot missile air defense system.

Yagur along with Ilan Ravid (his counterpart at the Israeli Embassy in Washington) was recalled by Israel in November 1985. Neither has returned to the United States. The government alleges Kadish kept in contact with the Yagur until last month, when Yagur instructed Kadish to lie to investigators. He had also in 2004 visited Israel to meet Yagur.

Now 85 and living in New Jersey, Kadish pleaded guilty only to one of the four charges of conspiracy he originally faced during his trial in Manhattan (complaint):

1. Conspiring to disclose documents related to the national defense of the United States to the Government of Israel
2. Conspiring to act as an agent of the Government of Israel
3. Conspiring to hinder a communication to a law enforcement officer
4. Conspiring to make a materially false statement to a law enforcement officer.

Kadish, who is said to be in bad health, is relying on an alleged promises that the US government will not seek imprisonment at his February sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris Lan said prosecutors promised only that they would not oppose or challenge a sentence that included no prison time.

Kadish confessed to FBI agents that he had given Yagur between 50 and 100 classified documents .

Outside the Manhattam court of Judge Douglas F. Eaton on Tuesday, Kadish, asked if he was hopeful the spy case was over, said, "I hope so."

Alon Pinkas, Israel's former New York consul, said in April the charges against Kadish were probably raised after all this time to prevent the release of Pollard, whose case remains a blot on otherwise close relations between the countries - and for which a powerful lobby has been at work to obtain the departing President's pardon.

There is an excellent article at World Net Daily Did U.S. give WMD to Saddam Hussein? Case of Jonathan Pollard raises troubling questions December 21, 2008 By Richard Cummings © 2008 WorldNetDaily .

This brings the story behind Pollard's spying up to date and the puzzle over why Caspar Weinberger was so resistant to his release - and the reason is given in the title..

It seems from the above article that in about 1981 (when they had bombed the Iraq Osirak reactor) the Israelis approached American military intelligence regarding something going on in Samarra they thought was suspicious.

According to Pollard, he learned that Casper Weinberger, then-secretary of defense, had "assured them that nothing was going on." Pollard discovered (this was before his personal decision to spy for Israel) that there was, in fact, a chemical weapons plant under construction there, he asked his superiors at Naval Intelligence why the U.S. had not informed Israel. One of them quipped that "Jews are sensitive about gas."

Pollard learned as well that Bechtel – the American construction giant for which Weinberger had served as general counsel and for which then-Secretary of State George Shultz had served as CEO – was facilitating the construction of the plant through a number of different companies. The firms were camouflaging it as a "dual-use facility that could be explained away as a fertilizer plant."

"How much fertilizer does Iraq need?" Pollard asks today in his cell at Butner, N.C correctional facility.

According to Pollard, the plant cost "hundreds of millions of dollars to build" and required waivers from the Department of Defense and the State Department.

The secrets about this plant probably lie in a court file that Pollard's pro bono lawyer, Eliot Lauer, a highly respected litigator specializing in white-collar crime and Securities and Exchange Commission civil suits at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle has tried hard to have access to for preparing a case for clemency to President Clinton.

Kadish's treatment and the arrest and imprisonment of Mr van Anraat and the activities of Product Ingredient Technology (PIT) of Boca Raton about which more here and here .

Did Bechtel construct a chemical weapons plant in Samarra for Saddam ?

Yes.

For more also see Juan Cole archive Rumsfeld, Bechtel and Iraq 20/12/2003 along with which which it is best to read the secret briefeing notes for Rumsfeld's notorious visit to Baghdad provided by the Secretary of State.

This fascinating document also reveals that George H. W. Bush was deeply involved in this Saddamist démarche, he was the one who extended an invitation to high Baathist official Tariq Aziz to come to Washington - who nobody seems anxious to get into court to explain what he was up to.