April Glaspie’s Testimony

The Times’ editorial (“Finger-Pointing at the Wrong Culprit,” March 23) raises two interesting points:

First, former Ambassador to Iraq April Glaspie testified that she warned Saddam Hussein the U.S. would “respond forcefully” if he committed aggression. But she can’t prove it. Why? Because “there is no verbatim American transcript of the meeting!” Is this any way to run the State Department of the most powerful country in the world?

Another point that baffles me is the discrepancy between the way the Congress viewed Saddam’s actions prior to the invasion of Kuwait and the way the Bush Administration viewed them. Why did the Administration, apparently, choose to ignore Saddam’s threats and his acquisition of lethal weapons?

Congress should make every effort to get an answer to that question from the “policy makers,” specifically, President Bush and Secretary of State James Baker.

SUZANNE ARCHIBALD-CHAPMAN, Orange