Back on February 26, 1998 a lengthy piece appeared in the New York Times:
How Iraq’s Biological Weapons Program Came to Light
By WILLIAM J. BROAD and JUDITH MILLER
The New York Times
February 26, 1998
The piece sought to document Saddam Hussein’s ongoing WMD program, and it coincided, interestingly enough, with the efforts of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) to re-direct U.S. foreign policy toward, among other things, “regime change” in Iraq.
That same day a Cornell University Professor, Francis Boyle, who had earlier authored the “Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act” of 1989, widely disseminated an e-mail expressing his frustration with the article. Not only did he disagree with several aspects of it, but Judith Miller had contacted him while working on the piece and had solicited his input. Apparently his input did not provide what Miller wanted to hear, and none of it made it into the article.
Below is what Professor Boyle had to say about Judith Miller and the New York Times in his February 26, 1998 e-mail:
Cc: Judy Miller
Dear Friends:
Today’s New York Times has a scare-piece entitled Iraq’s Deadliest Arms: Puzzles Breed Fears, co-authored by Judith Miller. Attached is the correspondence between us in conjunction with the preparation of this article, where Miller asked my for assistance beforehand. As you can see for yourself, she had obviously read my Testimony to the United States Congress in support of the legislation which I authored, the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989… I then proceeded to send her all of my e-mail postings on this subject that have been generally put on the internet in circulation and in particular on the Abolition Caucus site. She was aware that I was the Author of the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989… By the way… she deliberately refused to point out in the article the well-known fact that former UNSCOM inspector Raymond Zalinskas admitted to National Public Radio that UN inspectors had already seen all reasonable weapons sites and had destroyed whatever potential existed. But of course that critical piece of information did not matter to the New York Times that is so hell-bent upon manipulating these biowarfare charges into manufacturing public support for more war against Iraq. I will not bother to review the article and point out all the serious distortions, half-truths, and omissions. But again, this article is nothing more than a piece of pure propaganda mongering for war against Iraq…
All the news that’s fit to print? Well in America, the only news deemed fit to print and make it on the television sets are those that monger for war. George Orwell had it right: In America today, war is peace;freedom is slavery;ignorance is strength; we all love big brother; and Ronald Reagan was President in 1984. Miller really works for the NEWSPEAK TIMES…
I guess not much has changed in the past seven years for Judith Miller, who apparently prefers not to confuse readers of the New York Times with objectivity or facts.
(The link to the e-mail also includes the entire Times news article).
Here is a link to the PNAC open letter to Bill Clinton that ran as a paid ad in several newspapers and magazines a month earlier:
http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm