On the 'slant drilling', there are several technical sources that it was, in fact, happening.
As to Kuwait busting their OPEC quota, pumping near full-out, production records are a matter of public record... there is little doubt about this... or the hurting it was putting on Saddam's war-depleted economy.
As to what the American Ambassador actually said in that meeting, there is wide disagreement.
Among the disagreeing sources are: State Department archives (still classified, and likely to remain so until Hell freezes over), the tapes the Iraqis undoubtedly made (perhaps to be discovered in the ruins of Baghdad:), the public claims of the Iraqis, the claims of the Ambassador (several slightly differently nuanced versions... depending on how far back one looks), the claims of the CIA, the claims of other foreign Intelligence services (Russian, Israeli, Iranian, French, the Kuwaitis, the Saudis, etc.) ...But it appears likely Saddam believed he had - if not our acquiescence - at least our plan to 'go slow' on these 'arab vs. arab' conflicts.
That view is lent some credence because the CIA was reporting to President Bush that any Iraqi/Kuwaiti conflict would be limited to those disputed oil fields in northern Kuwait, that crossed over into Iraq and represented one giant pool of oil.
We believed he would sieze part of the disputed oil field... and then negotiate with Kuwait over the final disposition.
Our Intelligence estimates were wrong. He didn't stop. |
