Iraq’s Missing WMDs: The Truth After Invasion (Ep6/6)

Was Iraq WMD one of history’s biggest intelligence failures? Why couldn’t Saddam Hussein prove he has destroyed his weapons of mass destruction? And what is the legacy of the Iraq War in the Middle East? Listen as David and Gordon conclude their investigation into Iraq WMD and analyse what has been learnt from the decision to go to war with Iraq. 00:00 Intro: The final hunt for Iraq’s WMD 01:16 The UN inspectors return to Iraq 01:57 AD 03:05 Why Blair thought the UN route would trap Saddam 05:16 Saddam tells his generals: “There is no WMD” 06:38 Iraq’s declaration — and why no one believed it 08:22 The missing anthrax and “unaccounted for” materials 09:31 Saddam stops bluffing — but no one listens 11:04 MI6’s back channel to Iraqi intelligence 12:40 Inspectors search chicken farms and ice cream vans 13:43 Blair pressures MI6 for a “silver bullet” 15:00 Why WMD mattered more to Blair than Bush 16:21 Did Saddam move weapons to Syria? 17:40 Blair runs out of options 19:24 Blair asks Bush for more time 20:13 Gordon’s memory of interviewing Blair after meeting Bush 21:43 Why the second UN resolution mattered 22:35 The leaked GCHQ email and spying on the UN 25:45 The march to war becomes unstoppable 26:23 Bush offers Blair a way out 28:29 The intelligence that launched the war early 30:34 The strike on Dora Farms misses Saddam 31:05 Saddam’s final days before invasion 33:48 Gordon’s memories from Iraq before the war 35:10 The invasion begins 36:01 Saddam is captured in a spider hole 37:12 Saddam’s trial and execution 37:55 Saddam’s beard — and a bizarre prison story 39:29 What Saddam’s debriefing revealed 40:22 The occupation unravels 41:04 What intelligence got right about post-war Iraq 42:43 The WMD were never found 43:13 Who is to blame for the intelligence failure? 44:40 Why almost everyone believed Saddam had WMD 46:32 Was the intelligence politicised? 47:22 The three big intelligence failures 49:34 Analytic creep, bias and low confidence 51:19 How Iraq changed the CIA’s later assessments 52:36 The legacy of Iraq inside British intelligence 53:54 Iraq’s shadow over Iran and the Middle East ------------------- ➡️ Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, and weekly deep dives into original spy stories. Members also get curated reading lists, special book discounts, prize draws, and access to our private chat community. Just go to https://therestisclassified.com 🔓 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 🗞️ Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show: https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tri... ------------------ Get a 10% discount on business PCs, printers and accessories using the code TRIC10. Visit https://HP.com/CLASSIFIED for more information. T&C's apply. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ✅ Subscribe Here: @restisclassifiedsub_confirmation=1 🎙️ Listen To The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/triclassified -------------------------------------- 📱 Follow Us On Socials: Facebook: / https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Instagram: / https://www.instagram.com/restisclass... TikTok: / TikTok: restisclassified Twitter: / https://x.com/triclassified -------------------------------------- 📩 Email: [email protected] -------------------------------------- Social Producer: Emma Jackson Producer: Becki Hills Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor