REVIEW OF NESA FILES

File: 062596_cia_68357_68357_01.txt
Page: 01
Total Pages: 1
Subject: REVIEW OF NESA FILES

Not Finally Evaluated Intelligence







TO FACILITATE ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN

REFORMATTED TO ELIMINATE INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT PERTAIN

TO GULF WAR ILLNESS ISSUES OR THAT IS CLASSIFIED. A COPY OF

THIS REDACTED DOCUMENT, IN ORIGINAL FORMAT, IS AVAILABLE ON

REQUEST.







21 FEBRUARY 1996







MEMORANDUM FOR:

CHIEF, GWI TASK FORCE







OFFICE OF WEAPONS, TECHNOLOGY, AND

PROLIFERATION



FROM:

NESA



SUBJECT: REVIEW OF NESA FILES FOR INFORMATION

RELATING TO "GULF WAR VETERAN'S ILLNESS"







1. AS PART OF CIA'S EFFORT TO IDENTIFY INFORMATION

THAT MAY BE RELATED TO "GULF WAR VETERAN'S ILLNESS," WE

CONDUCTED A THOROUGH REVIEW OF NESA'S PAPER FILES ON IRAQ'S

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (WMD) AND RAN KEY WORD SEARCHES

AGAINST CIA'S ELECTRONIC FILES. WE ALSO DISCUSSED IRAQ'S

WMD PROGRAMS, WMD CAPABILITIES, HISTORIC USE OF WMD, AND

IRAQ'S INTENTIONS DURING THE GULF WAR WITH ANALYSTS WHO

COVERED IRAQ DURING THE WAR.



2. WE FOUND NO EVIDENCE THAT IRAQI LEADERS ORDERED CW

OR BW USE DURING THE GULF WAR AND NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE

THAT IRAQI FORCES EMPLOYED THOSE WEAPONS.







SUBJECT:  REVIEW OF NESA FILES FOR INFORMATION

RELATING TO "GULF WAR VETERAN'S ILLNESS"







3. CIA'S MAY 1993 REPORT STATED THAT "IRAQI

PREPARATIONS TO FIGHT IN A

CHEMICAL WARFARE ENVIRONMENT." SUCH PREPARATIONS ARE

INDICATIVE OF PRUDENT MILITARY PREPARATIONS, NOT AN INTENT

TO EMPLOY CHEMICAL WEAPONS.







4. RECENT REPORTING--







--REINFORCES OUR 1993 ASSESSMENT THAT BAGHDAD

CONSIDERED BUT ULTIMATELY REJECTED THE USE OF CW OR BW

WEAPONS:



IRAQ

HAD NUMEROUS MUNITIONS AND SOME

SCUD MISSILE WARHEADS LOADED WITH CW AND BW

AGENTS, AND THAT IRAQ PLANNED TO RETALIATE WITH CW

AND BW WEAPONS FOR A NUCLEAR ATTACK ON BAGHDAD.













SUBJECT:  REVIEW OF NESA FILES FOR INFORMATION

RELATING TO "GULF WAR VETERAN'S ILLNESS"







IRAQ







DEPLOYED SEVEN FULLY-FUELED SCUD MISSILES TO

WESTERN IRAQ--WHERE THEY COULD BE USED TO ATTACK

ISRAEL.







HUSAYN KAMIL STATED IN AUGUST 1995 THAT IRAQI

OFFICIALS WERE CONVINCED THE UNITED STATES WOULD

RESPOND WITH TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS IF IRAQ USED

CHEMICAL OR BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS AGAINST THE

COALITION







5. WE IDENTIFIED NO CONFIRMED GULF WAR REPORTS OF

IRAQI CW USE, CASUALTIES, OR UNEXPLODED CW ORDNANCE SIMILAR

TO THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH IRAQ'S PAST USE OF CHEMICAL

WEAPONS:



IRAQ BECAME VERSED IN CHEMICAL WARFARE DURING THE

IRAN-IRAQ WAR AND EFFECTIVELY INCORPORATED

CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN COMBINED-ARMS OPERATIONS.







CHEMICAL WEAPONS CAUSED 20 TO 30 PERCENT

OF IRANIAN CASUALTIES DURING IRAN'S FEBRUARY 1986

AL FAW CAMPAIGN.



THE SAME ASSESSMENT NOTED THAT EARLY IN THE

IRAN-IRAQ WAR IRAN RECOVERED NUMEROUS UNEXPLODED

IRAQI CHEMICAL MUNITIONS--AND USED THEM TO

PUBLICIZE IRAQ'S USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS.



6. WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF NONTRADITIONAL CW OR BW USE

DURING THE GULF WAR. NONETHELESS, WE FOUND SOME INFORMATION







SUBJECT:  REVIEW OF NESA FILES FOR INFORMATION

RELATING TO "GULF WAR VETERAN'S ILLNESS"









SUGGESTING IRAQ HAS RESEARCHED NONTRADITIONAL USE OF CW AND

BW AGENTS







7. FINALLY, WE CANNOT RULE OUT THE UNLIKELY

POSSIBILITY THAT IRAQI FORCES MISTAKENLY EMPLOYED ONE OR

MORE CW OR BW WEAPONS---ARTILLERY SHELLS, ROCKETS, OR

BOMBS--BY CONFUSING THEM WITH CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS.

HOWEVER, WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF SUCH MISTAKEN USE.







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