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Aluminum tubes were cited as evidence by the White House that Iraq was actively pursuing an atomic weapon. The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. ...
In 2002 the White House stated the tubes were part of a clandestine program to make enriched uranium for nuclear bombs. The tubes could be used to make a centrifuge for the enrichment of uranium. The tubes were manufactured in China and were intercepted by the US in Jordan. Condoleezza Rice, said on CNN Late Edition on September 8, 2002 that the tubes "are only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs" and "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." The dissenting view was that the tubes were to manufacture the launch tubes for artillery rockets. General Name, Symbol, Number uranium, U, 92 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block ?, 7, f Appearance silvery gray metallic Atomic mass 238. ...
Condoleezza Rice, Ph. ...
The Cable News Network, more commonly referred to as CNN, is a cable television network that was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner & Reese Schonfeld [1] [2] (although the latter is not currently recognized in CNNs official history). ...
However, there are still some questions as to whether Ms. Rice was aware of these dissenting opinions. In a Senate review of pre-Iraq war intelligence in 2004, in the conclusion section concerning Iraq's nuclear capabilities, the following statement is made:
Conclusion 42. The Director of Central Intelligence was not aware of the views of all intelligence agencies on the aluminum tubes prior to September 2002 and, as a result, could only have passed the Central Intelligence Agency's view along to the President until that time. p. 56
And, also revealed in the review, the CIA's view was that "the tubes were probably intended for an Iraqi uranium enrichment centrifuge program" and that they “have little use other than for a uranium enrichment program.” p. 5
However, it is still in question as to whether or not Rice was only aware of the CIA's views.
In any case, the aluminum tubes claim continues to be controversial, and it may never be entirely clear whether or not the Administration purposely misled in its claims.
New York Times
On September 8, 2002, Michael R. Gordon and Judith Miller published a story in the New York Times titled "U.S. Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts", which put forward the goverment's position. The story was later criticized by the New York Times ombudsman for not being credulous enough, or seeking out dissenting opinions. After the article was published, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld appeared on television and quoted the story as vindication of their positions. Judith Miller on October 27, 2004. ...
The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...
Look up Ombudsman in Wiktionary, the free dictionary An ombudsman is an official, usually but not always appointed by the government, who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individual citizens. ...
Condoleezza Rice, Ph. ...
Colin Luther Powell, (pronounced koh-lihn, born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to November 12, 2004 under President George W. Bush. ...
Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the 21st Secretary of Defense of the United States since January 20, 2001, under President George W. Bush. ...
Department of Energy On September 20, 2002, The United Press International reported that the there were "doubts about the quality of some of the evidence that the United States is using to make its case that Iraq is trying to build a nuclear bomb emerged Thursday. While National Security Adviser Condi Rice stated on September 8 that imported aluminum tubes 'are only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs' a growing number of experts say that the administration has not presented convincing evidence that the tubes were intended for use in uranium enrichment rather than for artillery rocket tubes or other uses. Former U.N. weapons inspector David Albright said he found significant disagreement among scientists within the Department of Energy and other agencies about the certainty of the evidence." Front of UPI Headquarters, Washington, D.C. United Press International (UPI) is a global news agency headquartered in the United States filing news in English, Spanish and Arabic. ...
Colin Powell at UN On February 5, 2003; Colin Powell spoke to the United Nations Security Council: Colin Luther Powell, (pronounced koh-lihn, born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to November 12, 2004 under President George W. Bush. ...
This law-related article does not cite its references or sources. ...
A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ...
Since 1998, [Saddam's] efforts to reconstitute his nuclear program have been focused on acquiring the third and last component, sufficient fissile material to produce a nuclear explosion. To make the fissile material, he needs to develop an ability to enrich uranium. Saddam Hussein is determined to get his hands on a nuclear bomb. He is so determined that he has made repeated covert attempts to acquire high-specification aluminum tubes from 11 different countries, even after inspections resumed. These tubes are controlled by the Nuclear Suppliers Group precisely because they can be used as centrifuges for enriching uranium. By now, just about everyone has heard of these tubes, and we all know that there are differences of opinion. There is controversy about what these tubes are for. Most U.S. experts think they are intended to serve as rotors in centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Other experts, and the Iraqis themselves, argue that they are really to produce the rocket bodies for a conventional weapon, a multiple rocket launcher. Let me tell you what is not controversial about these tubes. First, all the experts who have analyzed the tubes in our possession agree that they can be adapted for centrifuge use. Second, Iraq had no business buying them for any purpose. They are banned for Iraq. I am no expert on centrifuge tubes, but just as an old Army trooper, I can tell you a couple of things: First, it strikes me as quite odd that these tubes are manufactured to a tolerance that far exceeds U.S. requirements for comparable rockets. Maybe Iraqis just manufacture their conventional weapons to a higher standard than we do, but I don't think so. Second, we actually have examined tubes from several different batches that were seized clandestinely before they reached Baghdad. What we notice in these different batches is a progression to higher and higher levels of specification, including, in the latest batch, an anodized coating on extremely smooth inner and outer surfaces. Why would they continue refining the specifications, go to all that trouble for something that, if it was a rocket, would soon be blown into shrapnel when it went off?
Timeline - 2002 New York Times published ""U.S. Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts" on September 8th
- 2002 Condoleezza Rice appers on CNN and quotes New York Times on September 8th
- 2002 Department of Energy report refutes use for centrifuge on September 20th
- 2003 Colin Powell appears before the UN Security Council on February 5th
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