Export Boost for Iraq Arms Alleged

Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez (D-Tex.) on Tuesday disputed President Bush’s contention that U.S. exports did not help Iraq develop nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

In a statement on the floor of the House, Gonzalez said classified documents and other records show that two of every seven U.S. high-technology exports to Iraq between 1985 and 1990 went to the Iraqi armed forces or facilities involved in military matters.

Some of those exports, such as an electron-beam welder and sophisticated computers, wound up being used in Iraq’s nuclear weapons program, according to U.N. inspectors and documents.

“It was Bush Administration policy to sell military-useful goods to Iraq,” said Gonzalez, chairman of the House Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee. “It is also clear that from Day One it has been the policy of the highest levels of the Bush Administration to mislead the Congress and the public about the ‘real’ U.S. policy toward Iraq.”