I will get the book...This is a Bob Baer/ABC transcript from ABC...
Ex-Agent Robert Baer
Transcript: Former Agent Says CIA Dropped Ball in Terror Fight
abcnews.go.com
Jan. 18 — CIA field officer Robert Baer served on the front lines in the war against terrorism during the 1980s and 1990s, risking his life in some of the world's most dangerous places. In his new book, See No Evil, Baer makes alarming charges about deficiencies in U.S. intelligence that he believes were precursors to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He says that, as the roots of terrorism were rapidly expanding, the CIA was inexplicably reducing its presence in the field. "We basically closed down," says Baer. "The CIA closed down in the '90s."
During Lebanon's bloody civil war, Baer ran an intelligence network on the dangerous streets of Beirut. He believes he tracked down the man responsible for the 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing that killed 63 people — but says the CIA was powerless to take any measures against him. In another missed opportunity, Baer says, the U.S. failed to support a 1995 uprising in Iraq aimed at ousting Saddam Hussein.
Read the transcript of our live chat with Baer below.
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MODERATOR at 3:07 p.m. ET
Bob, you write in your book that the coup against Saddam Hussein might have succeeded with U.S. help. Why do you think the White House did not want to support Chalabi and the other Iraqi dissidents?
BOB BAER at 3:08 p.m. ET
To the best of my knowledge, I believe the White House was more worried about instability in Iraq than it was about Saddam remaining in power. The White House's policy was to keep the status quo in Iraq.
MODERATOR at 3:09 p.m. ET
Preston writes: "The U.S. missed an opportunity, you say, to overthrow Saddam Hussein in 1995. Is it too late for us to get another chance?"
BOB BAER at 3:09 p.m. ET
The only way we can get rid of Saddam now is by military invasion or his death from natural causes.
MODERATOR at 3:09 p.m. ET
Sidney asks: "Do you think Iraq is protecting terrorists and/or sponsoring terrorist activities?"
BOB BAER at 3:10 p.m. ET
I have seen no credible evidence that Iraq is currently protecting terrorists or sponsoring terrorists, but I have no access to classified information.
KEVIN ROBINSON from deltacom.net at 3:11 p.m. ET
Mr. Baer, in your opinion why did the CIA shut down in the 1990s? Was it the politics that were established during the '70s and '80s to "fence in" the Agency or was it the lack of leadership and willingness on CIA and executive leaders?
BOB BAER at 3:12 p.m. ET
I believe that it was a systematic failure on the part of the American government and it was not solely the fault of the CIA. Neither the White House nor Congress was pushing for better intelligence.
BRIAN LARKIN at 3:13 p.m. ET
Mr. Baer, You mentioned that the CIA has been denuded; due, in part, to a desire by those in power to make the agency more 'politically correct'. Could you give me a few examples of how this sort of thinking has damaged the CIA's effectiveness?
BOB BAER at 3:14 p.m. ET
In the mid 1990s, the CIA underwent what we called an "agent scrub." That meant that we let go of approximately 60% of our human sources, perhaps more, which seriously damaged the CIA.
When I was in charge of the Caucuses in Central Asia, for example, we had no human sources. That also was in the mid to late 1990s.
VINCENT MOLLOY at 3:15 p.m. ET
Do you think that Clinton's lack of a personal military background and liberal left politics effectively killed the CIA's ability to develop any realistic position in the Mid-East during his administration?
BOB BAER at 3:16 p.m. ET
I believe that President Clinton, of all the presidents I served under, was the least interested in intelligence. If he had been a better reader of intelligence, he might have predicted the current outcome in the fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.
JEFF BRUENDERMAN from ipt.aol.com at 3:17 p.m. ET
Robert, do you feel the CIA will ever be allowed to assassinate proven terrorists? How do you feel the inability to do so has hampered our so-called "War on Terrorism"?
BOB BAER at 3:18 p.m. ET
I think that if the United States decides to conduct selective assassinations, it should be in the context of a war and it should be the responsibility of the military rather than the CIA.
I believe the CIA should best serve the U.S. by being an unbiased reporter of the truth and if it were a fighting organization, that would affect its ability to analyze and report intelligence.
MODERATOR at 3:19 p.m. ET
Trish writes: "I was very surprised at the number of CIA agents involved in the fighting in Afghanistan. Were they this active during the Gulf War or Vietnam, for example?"
BOB BAER at 3:20 p.m. ET
During Vietnam, the CIA was very active in the fighting. But in the Gulf War, the CIA was not involved in the fighting at all. We were told that General Schwarzkopf didn't like the CIA and didn't want it on the front.
ALEX at 3:20 p.m. ET
Who are our allies in this new war, and who should they be? Do you trust the Saudis? Should we court Iranian youth?
BOB BAER at 3:25 p.m. ET
I think the remarkable fact that has emerged from the current war is the absence of help from Saudi Arabia, one of our traditional allies in the Middle East. Please keep in mind that I have no access to current intelligence and I may be wrong. But I have seen no news reports of arrests of Saudis in the press.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks were partially hatched in Saudi Arabia, it surprises me that we've had so little apparent cooperation from Saudi Arabia.
As for Iran, I think that if we're patient, we will see the country undergo a new revolution which will be more sympathetic to the United States. I do not know enough about Iran to say whether we should encourage this or not.
I think that in the Middle East, the most capable government to combat terrorism is Jordan.
ORLANDO at 3:25 p.m. ET
During your tenure with the CIA, did you ever fear for your life?
BOB BAER at 3:26 p.m. ET
Once or twice, during random shelling in northern Iraq and Beirut. I was targeted once for assassination by Libya, but I was pulled out of the country before it could be carried out.
SKY from door.net at 3:26 p.m. ET
How can those of us who are voters and "average citizens" help put the teeth back into the CIA?
BOB BAER at 3:30 p.m. ET
Personally, I am outraged that the U.S. government — not just the CIA, but the entire U.S. government — failed to take precautions on our airplanes when we knew with no doubt that Osama bin Laden was planning to hijack multiple airplanes and run them into U.S. landmarks.
But to answer your question, I would immediately write my congressman and demand an investigation into every part of the government responsible for terrorism to determine whether there was a failure on the part of the government and if there was, who was at fault. We will never know unless there's an honest congressional investigation.
DAVE from cvx17-bradley.dialup.earthlink.net at 3:30 p.m. ET
Did the Agency review your book prior to its publication and, if so, how much did they ask you to excise?
BOB BAER at 3:31 p.m. ET
Yes, I submitted the book to the CIA over the course of about two years. The agency was extremely helpful in correcting mistakes in my manuscript and excising or redacting classified information. Ultimately, I found the CIA to be very helpful in clearing the book.
MODERATOR at 3:32 p.m. ET
A question from TK: "Has your career with the CIA hampered your post-CIA job prospects?"
BOB BAER at 3:33 p.m. ET
Absolutely. For instance, I cannot work in journalism, nor can I travel to many countries in the world. (It would be a one-way trip to Iran!)
But on the other hand, I do not regret for a minute working for the CIA.
MODERATOR at 3:33 p.m. ET
Would you still recommend a career in the CIA to a young person graduating from college today?
BOB BAER at 3:34 p.m. ET
If I had a son or a daughter considering a career in the CIA, I would ask them to wait a year or so to see how things turn out in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks.
MODERATOR at 3:35 p.m. ET
Thanks to Bob Baer and all those who joined the chat. |
