WHAT DID APRIL SAY?

Malcom Lagauche

With all the activity in the Middle East, Iraq has taken the back pages. Nothing has changed: daily murder and mayhem abound. Just a little over 16 years ago, Saddam Hussein met April Glaspie, then U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. The date was July 25, 1990. Once, this date was a recognizable one for many people, however, it has faded into obscurity. The subjects brought up in this meeting astutely show how the U.S. was attempting to isolate Iraq even before its August 2, 1990 incursion into Kuwait. From 1980 to 1988, the U.S. played Iran and Iraq against each other in assistance. The U.S. sold weapons to both adversaries, but, most people thought Iraq held an upper hand in relations with the U.S. This was a fable. Once the cease-fire between Iraq and Iran was signed, the U.S. dropped Iraq like a hot potato taken from a scorching grill. The following is a transcript of the meeting between April Glaspie and Saddam Hussein. When it first appeared, most people took it to be solely a message against Kuwait. It is much deeper, however. Saddam brought up subjects that we know today were important at the time, but were considered less meaningful than his message about Kuwait. Reading this transcript today puts an entirely different slant on the meeting...

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