When Saddam Fell: How the Press was Misled From Day One
By E&P Staff

Published: July 05, 2004


NEW YORK They were the shots seen 'round the world: newspaper photographs and TV images of jubilant Iraqis toppling a giant statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad on April 9, 2003, shortly after the U.S. military chased him out of town. Now, after months of rumors, the U.S. military has confirmed that the entire stunt was conceived by the U.S. military and enacted with the help of a fast-thinking Army psychological operation (PSYOP).

A U.S. Army internal study of the war reveals, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, that as the Iraqi regime was collapsing that day, U.S. Marines converged on Firdos Square in central Baghdad. It was a Marine colonel who decided to topple the statue, the Army report said, with the PSYOP team making it appear to be a spontaneous Iraqi action.

First, the colonel, who was not named in the report, selected the statue as a "target of opportunity." Then the PSYOP team used loudspeakers to encourage Iraqi civilians, many of them young people, to assemble and assist.

But Marines had already draped an American flag over the statue's face. "God bless them, but we were thinking from PSYOP school that this was just bad news," the PSYOP member wrote in the report. "We didn't want to look like an occupation force." A PSYOP sergeant quickly replaced the American flag with an Iraqi flag.

"Ultimately," the Los Angeles Times report concluded, "a Marine recovery vehicle toppled the statue with a chain, but the effort appeared to be Iraqi-inspired because the PSYOP team had managed to pack the vehicle with cheering Iraqi children."

Photos of the toppling appeared on front pages all over the world with captions that attributed the idea to a happy Iraqi mob.

come on terry, that's no surprise, lets keep it interesting, eh?

You guys should fight.

only if it's a knife fight and I win. otherwise there would be no point.

i think you'd have a definite advantage against terry in a knife fight. just don't let him use his size against you.

I like that you can spell definite. I thought I was the only one. Oh and that was mean. The thing about Terry's size..you should appologize or something. I still win the knife fight though.

It's sad that most can't spell 'definite.'

quote:

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Originally posted by lucy in the sky with diamonds:
I can't believe how fat terry is.

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http://dancingbush.com/

if the knife fight is an after school knife fight, then it would be a good band.

After School Knife Fight is a good band name.
I want to start a new band called UFO Attack Force, though.

the johnny apple seed music and stage review

Now if you can only spell apologize you'll be set for life. And I talking major spelling security, Immunity even

yeah its a cool band name, so is i am the world trade center, but they suck. the get fucked suck too, but thats a bad ass band name.

I'm like a sumo wrestler with ballerina moves...so light and nimble on my feet

quote:

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Originally posted by CJ:
Hillary you are by far the coolest, most unbelievably beautiful young lady I have ever seen. Your intellect is remarkable as well as your incredible taste in music. Will you marry me?

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Whoa, CJ. That was unexpected, I'd love to but I'm a taken lady you know. Cheer up though, there's plenty of fish in the sea.

You wish.

the funny thing is, that she does.
another good name, the christ punchers. i havent heard them yet, but i hear good things

"Hey, have you heard of this really obscure band that no one knows about? Cause I can take you back to my place and show you..."

"god, my boyfriend sucks"

I've had worse.