AUGUST 2006

A LETTER TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

BY SADDAM HUSSEIN

ISNAD, July 22, 2006

"Among the believers are men who have been true to their Covenant with Allah*Of them some have passed away and some still wait*They have never changed (their determination) in the least*That Allah may reward the men of Truth for their Truth, and punish the Hypocrites if that be His will, or turn to them in Mercy; for Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful*And Allah turned back the unbelievers for all their fury, no advantage the gain, and enough is Allah for the believers in their fight. Allah is of Most Strength and Ability (to enforce His will)" Verses from Surat "AL-AHZAB" of the Holy Quran.

You the American People:

May peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon those who believe in peace and yearn for it…I address you from my place of detention in an attempt that is motivated by my human, moral and constitutional responsibilities, so that no one of you may say that nobody has addressed you in the voice of peace after the war. I want to show a desire in peace and to refute any claims to the contrary of this. (We) seek peace both for you and for our faithful, honest and brave people. I say this, even though I do not know whether any of my brothers and comrades, who lead the resistance outside the walls of prison, might address you or not. This is because the "Democracy of your rulers had, ever since I was arrested, denied me access to newspapers, magazines, radio and T.V. I have been isolated from the world so that I cannot hear or see anything outside my prison…Isn't this the real face of the calls for democracy and human rights (principles) outside America?? Maybe your rulers lie in this regard (so that these meanings mean also killing persons inside the jails and shooting some people by the American interrogator's revolvers? Or it might be that such issues in addition to other details have been concealed by your leaders so that you cannot know the truth?

Whatever the case may be, I address you on the hope that you may receive my letter, hear and read it. It is my responsibility to clarify the facts for all people regardless of their colors or nationalities and by the same token, they have a duty towards us by renouncing wrong doings. For this reason I am addressing you, and I have delegated my attorney, the honorable lawyer Mr.Ramsey Clark to convey my letter to you. Mr.Clark and his colleague Dr. (Curtis) Doebbler have given the best human images and impressions among our people. On this occasion I greet their courage as they have volunteered to this mission although they are aware of the surrounding dangers that engulf them while they are trying to do their duty in particular after the criminals have killed four lawyers of the defense…

***

I see that officials of your administration are still lying to you and they still do not give you a true explanation to the reasons that motivated them to rush on the road of their aggression against Iraq. From the beginning, they deceived, not only the international community with the European community in the lead, but also the American people themselves. (Those officials) had prior knowledge that the truth contradicts their public statements. After their lie was exposed, they claimed that they were misinformed by their intelligence agencies and by the collaborators whom they brought to represent them in Iraq – in a practice similar to what the ancient empires and the empires of the 19th and 20th centuries used to do. This claim is also untrue. I say this based to many reasons among which are the following:

1- The inspection teams which were coming to Iraq under the name of the U.N. had inspected all the governmental buildings including the Presidential Palaces and even the homes of some Iraqi individuals. They also reviewed governmental documents. Those teams were aware that Iraq was free of weapons of mass destruction. The most of the high ranking persons of those teams were either Americans or British in addition to spies and volunteers from other nationalities. Those teams searched Iraq from east to west and did not find any information that might contradict the information which was announced by the Iraqi government representatives to the inspection teams or to the others. Inspections continued for more than seven years with the participation of on-foot searching, patrolling, reconnaissance planes, helicopters and satellites.

The American and British officials thought that they have an historic opportunity to strike Iraq and to put an end to Iraqi legitimate aspirations, scientific achievements and well established and high signs of civilization which Iraq has built during 35 years. They exploited the information gathered through spying within the work of the inspection teams.

They also exploited the so-called war on terrorism which prevailed in the aftermath of September 11 attacks against the U.s. They shuffled the cards in order to attain their secret objectives which were at first concealed. They estimated that the unjust siege could not destruct the Iraqi will and could not undermine Iraq's legitimate aspirations to develop its economy, culture and civilization during the era of new independence…At that time, Iraq was about to undermine the economical siege due to its cooperation with all the parties who cooperated with Iraq on mutual interests basis, and also due to positive pan-Arabian positions. Officials of your country thought at that time that they had the opportunity to impose their will on the whole world by seizing the oil of the Middle East, its production and its marketing in a new approach both in terms of new means and purposes. We have talked about such new means and purposes during, and even before 2003. They also wanted to achieve an important Zionist objective and to gain grounds inside their constituent. Iran and its agents played a dirty role in decorating and facilitating the aggression.

2- The American leaders were obliged to announce later that they were deceived by the information which they received before the invasion of March and April 2003 for reasons that they claimed to be related to the U.S. security. If they were honest in this claim, they would have withdrawn when they discovered the falseness of that information. They would have apologized to the heroic people of Iraq, to the American people and the people of the world.

No American has asked his government before the war: "How can Iraq threaten the security of a state like the U.S. across the Atlantic while Iraq is still labeled as an underdeveloped country" and "what is the Iraqi motive in threatening the U.S. when it has not yet occupied Iraq?"

It also does not fit to market the Iraqi threat claims on the grounds of differences in the positions of Iraq and America as far as the Zionist occupation of Palestine and other Arab territories is concerned. Iraq was not the only state, neither in the Arab world nor in the world, which has differences with the U.S. position in this case. Moreover, who has given the U.S. the authority to cut out the positions of the states of the world to fit its measures so that if any state does not wish to (wear) such a position, war would be launched against that state.

How could the American call for democracy be understood if no difference in opinions is even allowed in an issue of regional and not international effect in the first place??

The other false statement is the claim of American leaders that Iraq has connections with the so-called terrorism…Although the British prime minister – Blair – declared that Iraq has no ties with terrorism and that Bush was obliged to say something, no influential American person asked president Bush about the kind of logical analysis to which he has based such a claim, or to ask him about any concrete information – if there is any? Do you know why you have not asked him such a question gentlemen? The reason is that your media is in part directed by some powers behind the scenes which continued to distort Iraq's position for years in order to pave the way for the invasion when it starts. For this, no American official asked why no Iraqi has been involved in the attacks of September 11?

Also: If the involvement of a person of a certain nationality in that attack has not been used as evidence to the involvement of his state in the attack, how then could they allege Iraq of having ties with terrorism despite that they know the specific nature of the Iraqi regime? Such an accusation was one of two pretexts which were used as justification to invade Iraq, to destruct its properties and achievements and to endanger the daily life of everyone. May I inform you gentlemen that after about two weeks of my detention, I asked an American official who was discussing with me the reasons to which they based the false claims. He said: "As for weapons of mass destruction, we do not have anything that may support your argument, but about the ties to terrorism, that is because you, Saddam Hussein, have not sent a letter of condolences to president Bush after the attacks (of September 11)". I smiled bitterly for this and said to him: "About your point that you do not have anything that may support what I say, it seems that your leaders do not believe that other leaders of the world may tell the truth. That is because they (American officials) do not say the truth. Or it may be that many leaders who have relations with your leaders do not tell them the truth either when they agree or when they disagree to your policies. This is dangerous not only for the world but also and mostly for America. Otherwise, is there any other reason rather than being a hypocrite or feeble that may force Saddam Hussein to be obligated to console a president of another state which was at that same time striking targets in Iraq, destroying private and public properties alike, killing Iraqi citizens, including women and children without any reason while Iraq was under un unjust siege that prohibited it from even exporting pencils for school children in their preparatory schools?

Nevertheless, I agreed to a draft letter suggested by comrade Tariq Aziz – the then deputy prime minister – to be sent to our friend Mr.Ramsey to our friend Mr.Ramsey Clark to console him and through him, console the families of the victims in the name of the Iraqi government. To which limits has the super powers vanity reached so that if someone does not send a letter of condolences, war is launched against him, his state and his people? For this you can see how American officials have exploited even your blood to promote for their reckless policies of aggression…Are those the manners of human beings, the morals of men and the ethics of leaders?

Ignorance eats up those who commit illegal acts and treat others with recklessness and arrogance. This is one of the most serious diseases of the American officials which led them to be entangled in Iraq.

3- Seven days after I was arrested, their threat and menaced manners failed. One of their generals tried to bargain with me by saying that they would save my life if I agreed to a pre-prepared statement which was extended to me in order to read it, sign it and broadcast it. That silly statement called upon the Iraqi people and the brave resistance to put down their arms. (He said) that if I refuse (this offer), my fate will be like the fate f Mussolini and I will be shot to die…As you know about me and as you may expect me to do, I refused that offer proudly. I even refused to touch that dirty paper with my hand for fear that it may smear my clean hands. I said to them: "If I have the opportunity to address my people, I will urge them then to resist the invasion more and more and to surrender. When they became powerless, they sent a team to make a dialogue. They said that the group belongs to an American university and that they will discuss general issues with me. I agreed and confirmed to them that Iraq did not possess anything of what the American leaders claimed. I advised them to leave Iraq quickly and to apologize to the Iraqi people. I warned them that the worst was yet to come and that they would face what they are actually facing now. I still expect the worst to come and that they will not have an adequate chance to withdraw their weapons and equipments from Iraq if and when the two halves of the people will be united, clamp down on them and that will happen by the Will of Allah because our people are attentive, genuine and realize that their liberation will be accomplished when they are united, that tolerance should be the corner-stone of their internal trends and that wounds should be heeled and not opened. I told them (the Americans) this at that time but they did not alter their methods, or change the wrong keys they still hold or stop knocking on the wrong doors without being able to try the right door although they know it well.

4- It is unreasonable and unconvincing that a state like America which has opened all doors of intelligence agencies in all the countries of the east and most countries of the west could not know the truth or could not find out the fact….?! Although I am convinced – and I think that the American people themselves are convinced – that it is not to the interest of their country to be in a state of war outside the borders of defending itself against an aggression, or a threat of direct aggression. Unlike many countries that may have in interest in one war or another, America has no interest in war, as wars contradict its interests. America is a super-state across the Atlantic. It has a unique power to the degree that some people wrongfully think that America has the path paved before it to have the crown of the universe as the only empire in the world, but America did not learn the lesson of its war in Vietnam. At that time, there were widespread claims that international communism and the Soviet bulk endanger the whole security of the West. Even though that that was a flimsy cover, America used it and covered itself up with it until the heroic people of Vietnam drove it out by force. On the other hand, its invasion to Iraq took place in a circumstance that made its starting point easier than it was in Vietnam because of the imbalanced international situation. Nevertheless, the price in Vietnam may have been less than that in Iraq because when America was ousted from Vietnam, it lost some of its weight, or lets say that it lost a minor portion of its weight while it will lose the bulk of its weight when it will be ousted and driven out of Iraq –the state which is not directly supported by any of the super-powers. In fact, America has already lost the fundamental elements of its weight and its public image has reached the lowest bottom. It is no more able to threaten any state by waving its stick. America had been able in the past to gain more by threatening to use force than what it could gain by using actual force. After its war on Iraq, the American stick became unable to frighten most states and America now needs the consent and silence of the smallest states of the world so that small states may overlook its crimes and its recklessness and aberrant policies. In the past most of the states of the world, except a few of them, were used to solicit its friendship and to fear its threats or its disinclination when it protested. Now, the well famed late Mao Tsi Tung might be laughing loudly in his grave because his prophecy has materialized…when he said that America is a tiger made of paper, thanks be to Allah the Everlasting the Most Magnificent and thanks be to His Instrument on earth of those heroic holy fighters in Iraq –the country of glory, struggle and Jihad. So be blessed the heroic people of Iraq and be blessed the holy struggle and the holy fighters (Mujahideen).

Gentlemen, People of America…

That time is now behind our backs when a larger and a better equipped army could put an end to its war with another army by simply scattering the main bulk of that army. You can see (what is going on here) after our brave army; courageous people and Mujahideen changed the tactics of a regular army formation to new fighting methods. When the Americans were (deployed) on the ground within the range of revolutionist's fire, they became targets for the fighters who attack them using their bodies as mines (and bombs). Superiority (of huge regular armies) is becoming more and more weakened. With the pass of time (such superiority) may become a disadvantage and its equipments may become a burden that is difficult to be evacuated. May America listen to the voice of reason and logic so that it can sustain what is still left for it? Or may the Satan of vanity and the Zionistic grudge will push them more and more until (they) are swallowed by the waves to settle down in the bottom of a roaring sea?...

The question is: Who has appointed the U.S. as a policeman for the globe so that it can shape it as it wishes and neglect the wills of the states of the world?

Saddam Hussein, you gentlemen is an honest patriot, an impartial man and a firm statesman who applies the law. He is just, kind and he loves his people and nation. He is frank and does not cheat or deceive. He also says the truth even if it was against him. Do tyrants, like Bush, like these qualities? De Gaulle or even Reagan may understand these qualities, or they will not dislike them at least.

Gentlemen, you will find out more facts, but let me tell you that your country has lost its reputation and esteem. Look at the American citizen who was used to travel anywhere he liked and be welcomed in any country he visited, while nowadays, an American cannot walk outside America unless he has a mine detecting gadget. The Department of the State issues one warning after another to inform you about the countries that become dangerous for you.

Some certain American officials and certain policies created an atmosphere of hatred around you as a result of vanity, a sense of aggressive superiority, disrespect for international laws and security, including the security of my pan-nation due to the (American) support for the Zionist entity in Palestine. Just to name few of the international and humanitarian issues. You are now facing a deadlock and no one can lead you to have a new opportunity and if you neglect the matter, then it is your own decision. What you need is free and fair competition and peace in order for your legitimate interests to be secured. For this objective, you need to respect other people and not to deal with them with superiority as a result of strength. Let your leaders read history so they may remember that all the ancient empires, and also the empires of the eighteenth century and after have sunk in the mud when they came to the Middle East as invaders. To refresh their memory (I may say) that the Middle East in general and the Arab World in particular were the cradles of prophets. Will the cradle of prophets unite the graves, tombs and bodies of prophets along with the Satan and his alike of the wicked invaders?

***

Despite the fact that our people, our nation and humanity have been inflicted by the crimes of your government, the people of Iraq – and I mean the Iraqis and not some people of double loyalties who give greater weight for their loyalty to the foreigners than to their own people – I mean those freedom loving Iraqis who do not only think of their own fate, but they are also interested in the fate of others by trying to find solutions and remedies to cure some painful cases whenever they find a possibility to do this. Based to this, while I am still being held in prison, I asked some Americans: Why you do not reach an agreement with the resistance to name an able, willing and capable state so that the resistance may turn to that state any American soldiers who may be captured by the resistance instead of executing them –killing those soldiers is a rumor as we do not know to which extent the resistance may be held responsible for these killings. Anyone of fairness knows that America have not abided itself by international law in all its steps in Iraq including the provisions of the Geneva Conventions which related to the detainees and prisoners of war. Besides, the national resistance does not have a secure place in Iraq to evacuate the captured soldiers to it. Whether the resistance bears responsibility (for killing the captured soldiers) or there are certain parties that have nothing to do with the resistance, are responsible, the argument remains the same, i.e. the lack of secure places to hold the detained soldiers in them. To drop down this argument and to address the human aspect of the problem, I present this suggestion to both parties, the Americans and the national resistance in order to be considered by them according to every side's understanding…and Allah is after every intention. If you agree to the offer, then the arguments of those who kill will be dropped, but if your government rejects the offer, then it will alone bear the sin of such rejection and its sequences on our people and on the brave national resistance which may occur as a result of your governments violation to international law…especially as more and more American soldiers are captured in the future. The number will rise as we see but it may be that your government cannot see things unless it touches them?

The time has come for your government to look at all the people as equal before international law, regardless of the size of their states. Any party that violates international law provisions in its policies or by the acts of its soldiers will be alone responsible for the reactions that may result due to its policies. A party which does not abide by the provisions of international law in its behavior does not have the right to call upon others to show discipline in regards to the rights it is entitled to pursuant to the same international law.

It might be that some people have lost the opportunity to act in order to prevent the war, but the opportunity is still there to act in order to end the war and restore peace and liberty in Iraq according to the choices of its people without any intervention of a foreigner – any foreigner.

***

My address to you is not (motivated) by weakness or beggary. I, my people, my brothers and comrades and my nation remain as you know us. In my address to you I am motivated by my moral and human responsibility to say to you that some of your leaders, whom you know, with your president in the lead, have cheated you, deceived you and lied to you. That began with the media which portrayed Iraq as a state that cannot be tolerated, that Saddam Hussein is a disgusting dictator and that his people hate him and wait for an opportunity to (oust him). Some went far on the way of lies and deception to the extent that someone declared that the invading armies will be welcomed with flowers and basil. I realize that many people are not news analysts. They are not able or willing or they do not have time to keep (restrained) and balanced in order to find out the truth when they are faced with fabricated news. The American people were not given the chance to ask, for example: If the people of Iraq hate Saddam Hussein, then how could he manage to defeat Iran of Khomeini in that war of aggression which was launched by Iran against us under the slogan of exporting the revolution beginning with Iraq?...Our victory against Iran of Khomeini was not a result of an attack of surprise so that you may say that "his people did not have the opportunity to express their opinion due to the short period of time of that war". To the contrary, victory came after eight years of a fierce war that claimed tens of thousands of souls on our side and hundreds of thousands of souls on the Iranian side…Moreover, if Saddam Hussein was a dictator, why then he established the first elected parliament in 1980 during the war? Iraq had no parliament since 1958…? If he – and his government (members) were dictators, how then could he visit schools, universities, cities and villages? How could he sleep amidst the people if sunset came while he was on his visits? How could he walk in between the trenches on the front lines of fighting among armed soldiers?

Yes, gentlemen, you were deceived by your government. You or most of you could not, at that time raise questions to find out the truth. That was because the Zionist people within the lobby that was pushing for war in solidarity with some centers of power were deceiving you so you were confused and lost the ability to see the truth as it was. You were misinformed by disguised and falsified information. Last but there is no least in this, if Saddam Hussein was a hated and disgusting dictator…how was he elected as a president in a referendum? And why do his people still carry his pictures in front of the invading armies? Why do they risk their lives by chanting for Saddam Hussein although Saddam is now detained by the American army and has no scepter?

***

The tragedies that have inflicted you including the crash of America's esteem and public image, have also hit our nation, including our heroic people of Iraq. The cause of this is the heedless behavior of your governments pushed by Zionism and influential centers of power which led to the commission of these crimes and scandals in order to attain certain interests which do not include the interest of the American people. America is the first to be responsible for the massacres that are going on in Iraq and America is responsible, before any other party, for the blood rivers which are flowing currently in the streets of Iraq and through its countryside. You know, or you may know by now, that neither the collaborators, who were brought into Iraq by American planes to act as degraded guides for its tanks, nor Iran, which paid and is still paying for those who barked in support of it and it barked for them, would not be able to desecrate, profane the blood, the honor and the properties of Iraqi people if America had not committed aggression and invasion against Iraq, if it had not issued, and still is issuing the decisions and if it was not protecting those people inside the green zone till now. For this, America bears the sins and guilt of all those crimes and scandals. May you act to put an end to what is going on in a straight forward manner and without circumvention or equivocation? Or will you allow the killing machine to continue grinding the flesh of both the Iraqis and the Americans without acting decisively to stop it?

It is your historical responsibility. If you do the right thing, then you may be able to save what is left of America's esteem, reputation and legitimate interests. Otherwise, you condone a (serious) wrongdoing.

A verse from the Quran: "You our God pour forbearance upon us and let us pass away as Muslims…."

The wars that are being launched by your government around the world, including Iraq, and that are motivated by certain power centers that you know about much better than we do. The aim of (these wars) is not to (serve) the American people's interests. You know better than others, how you plunged into blood until you liberated yourselves from the British colonization. You know how much blood flowed until your freedom was achieved. So, how do you, gentlemen, allow this humiliating intervention by America in the internal affairs of Iraq? This intervention is humiliating for America in the first place and for Iraq. You know that Iraq is the country of prophets, messengers of God and saints. Also, Baghdad is the forth holy city after the most sacred cities of Mecca, Medinah and Jerusalem as viewed by the Islamic World and the pan-Arab nation. How any one can be deluded to conceive that Iraq may surrender to new colonizers even if they have come this time with a new name and under new slogans?

You gentlemen, save your country and leave Iraq.

With peace

Allah-U-Akbar Allah-U-Akbar (God is Greater)

7th of July, 2006

Saddam Hussein

President of Iraq

Commander-in-chief of the

Holy Fighting Military Forces

(signed)