CounterPunch

February 10, 2003

Template for Iraq

Pretext Operations: Cuba, 1962; Iraq, 2003

by JOHN STANTON

On March 13, 1962, the Pentagon's Joint Chief's of Staff prepared a 
document titled Operation Northwoods containing plans to create a 
pretext for a US invasion of Cuba. The Pentagon intended to stage 
Cuban attacks on Americans to incite public opinion in support of an 
attack on Cuba. Jim Bamford brought the document to light in his 
expose of the National Security Agency titled Body of Secrets. 

With the torrent of propaganda coming out of the US government--to 
include US military live fire exercises carried on CNN and Fox, 
rebroadcasts of the thriller True Lies and carefully timed 
announcements of US troop deployments--it's worth looking at some 
of the more sinister elements of that document presented to then 
Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara.  

Given the secrecy surrounding the Bush Regime--and the statements 
emanating from its officials--it does not seem unreasonable to assume 
that the US government has in play pretext-operations plans for Iraq, 
Iran, North Korea, Colombia and, perhaps, Cuba. It's important to 
remember that the US entry into the Vietnam War came about over the 
August, 1964 incident in the Gulf of Tonkin in which US, South 
Vietnamese and Laotian military forces deliberately provoked North 
Vietnamese patrol boats into a fight. That resulted in the ill-fated 
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which, in the end, tore the US apart for 
decades to come. Commenting on that event, President Lyndon Johnson 
would say in 1965 that "for all I know, our Navy was shooting at 
whales out there."  

In the prelude to the first Persian Gulf War in the early 1990's, 
Bush I's pretext - operations included lying to the American public 
about Iraqi troops massing on the Saudi Arabian border when, in fact, 
satellite photos would later show they were not. He also tried to 
convince the American public that Iraqi troops were invading 
hospitals and throwing infants out windows when, in fact, they 
were not. The US government has a long history of deception and 
deceit and it always is at the expense of the American people.  

Does any of this sound familiar? 

"The desired resultant from the execution of this plan would be to 
place the United States in the apparent position of suffering defensible
grievances from a rash and irresponsible government and to develop an 
image of a threat to peace in the Western Hemisphere.

In as much as the objective is overt military intervention both overt 
and covert operations [should] be assigned [to] the Joint Chiefs of
StaffHarassment and deceptive actions to convince the Cubans of imminent
invasion would be emphasized. Our posture throughout execution of the 
plan will allow rapid change from exercise to intervention. 

We could develop a Cuban terror campaign in Washington. Hijacking 
attempts against civil air and surface craft should appear to continue.
It is possible to create an incident which will demonstrate that a 
Cuban aircraft has shot down a chartered civil airliner en route 
from the US to Jamaica, Guatemala, Panama or Venezuela. It is 
possible to create an incident which will make it appear that 
Communist Cuban MIGS have destroyed a USAF aircraft over 
international waters in an unprovoked attack. It is understood 
the Department of State also is preparing suggested courses of 
action to develop justification for US military intervention 
in Cuba."  

That was the plan in 1962 for Cuba. Is this plan in operation for 
Iraq in 2003? On February 7, 2003, one day after Secretary of State 
Colin Powell's Invasion Iraq presentation before the United Nations, 
the Bush Regime took the American public to code "Orange"--the second 
highest threat level--an was warned of immanent chemical-biological 
attacks on US soil. 

Precaution? Good intelligence?  

Ask the Joint Chiefs or the Secretary of State.

John Stanton is a Virginia based writer specializing in 
national security matters.  

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Source: CounterPunch - http://www.counterpunch.org/stanton02102003.html


Cheers, Steve..

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