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John Nixon: Interrogating Saddam Hussein

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Thu, 5 Jan 2017, 9:54AM
Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (Getty Images).

John Nixon: Interrogating Saddam Hussein

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Thu, 5 Jan 2017, 9:54AM

John Nixon was a senior CIA leadership analyst at the time of Saddam Hussein's capture in Baghdad. He was called upon to make the official ID and interrogate Hussein as he had spent years studying the Iraqi dictator.

LISTEN ABOVE: John Nixon spoke to Tim Dower on Summer Breakfast

The chief priority of the interrigation was about weapons of mass destruction, Nixon told Tim Dower.

"Washington wanted to know where he had hid his weapons of mass destruction. We came to the conclusion that A, they didn't have any weapons of mass destruction and B, they didn't have any weapons programme moving towards that and C, that they weren't about to start one." 

Nixon soon learned in the ensuing weeks, back in 2003, that both he and America had greatly misunderstood who Hussein really was. 

"The more you got to know him, the less you liked him. That was his darker side coming out."

Nixon has released a book on the interrogation and investigation called Debriefing the President.

Portions of the book have been blacked out. Why? "You would have to ask the CIA that," Nixon said.

"Those were passages that contained information that they just didn't want to let out.  Information that might indicate sources or methods and they get kind of squirrelly when it comes to that.

"I think some of their redactions were ridiculous, but that's just my opinion."

Nixon gives the Obama administration very poor marks for how they handled the Syria situation.

"I think we have already made the same mistakes. He treated Syria the same way they treated Iraq which was to turn his back and walk away. 

"Russia is playing a much more important role than [The US] are and Iran has stretched its influence throughout the region."

 

 

 

 

 

 

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