Saddam's Scientists Not Talking About WMDs

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Saddam's Scientists Not Talking About WMDs

By Jacqueline Shire and Risa Molitz

April 17 — When two former Iraqi regime leaders surrendered to U.S. authorities early this week, coalition officials anticipated uncovering a treasure trove of intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.

ABCNEWS has learned, however, that the two men, who were privy to critical details about Iraq's WMD development and capability, have not provided the smoking gun investigators hoped for.

Jaffar Dhia Jaffar, considered to be the godfather of Iraq's nuclear weapons program, is insisting that Iraq discontinued its nuclear weapons program after United Nations weapons inspections began in 1991, according to senior coalition intelligence officials.

Sources also tell ABCNEWS that Gen. Amir Al-Saadi, No. 55 on the U.S. military's list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqi regime members, is providing information "of limited value." Al-Saadi designed Iraq's biological and chemical weapons program, and stood as a liaison to U.N. inspectors last fall.

Both men turned themselves over to the U.S. military this week.

Al-Saadi, Saddam's top scientific adviser, surrendered to the Marines in front of German TV cameras on Saturday. Al-Saadi said he did not know the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein, and claimed that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.

Jaffar fled to Syria soon after the military campaign in Iraq began, and surrendered to U.S. forces from a third Arab country.

Jaffar and Al-Saadi have longstanding relationships with U.N. weapons inspectors, both traveling to New York regularly for talks over the years aimed at resolving outstanding issues related to Iraq's weapons programs.

They are generally described as sophisticated, intelligent and well-spoken scientists, according to sources familiar with weapons inspections.

Their marriages to European women (Jaffar eventually divorced his British wife), foreign travel and university degrees from abroad helped keep them out of Saddam's close inner circle, though.