Iraqi Scientist Discusses A-Bomb Effort

The AP has an article Iraqi Scientist Discusses A-Bomb Effort

An Iraqi scientist has written a book in which he describes being taken to see Saddam Hussein in 1981, after 18 months in jail, and being instructed by him to build an atomic bomb.

'By the end of 1990, about 8,000 people were involved directly or indirectly in the nuclear program,' said the scientist, Jaffar al-Jaffar, at a news conference on Thursday announcing the publication of his book in Norway, titled 'Oppdraget,' or 'The Assignment.'

He repeated assertions that the program would have succeeded in developing atomic weapons in the early 1990's had Iraq not invaded Kuwait in 1990, prompting an American-led coalition to drive Iraq's forces back.

'We were three years away, give or take a year,' said Mr. Jaffar, who fled Iraq during the American-led invasion in 2003. In the book, Mr. Jaffar said Iraq did not have an atomic weapons program after 1991.