Niger uranium forgeries
Background
The Niger uranium forgeries refer to a series of falsified documents that were initially released in 2001 by SISMI, the former military intelligence agency of Italy. These documents purported to depict an attempt by Saddam Hussein's Iraq to purchase yellowcake uranium from Niger during the Iraq disarmament crisis.
Discovery and Initial Reaction
The documents were first brought to light by an Italian journalist, Elisabetta Burba, who received them from an anonymous source. She passed them on to the U.S. embassy in Rome, which subsequently forwarded them to Washington. The documents were initially treated with skepticism due to their poor quality and obvious errors, but they were nonetheless used as part of the justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Content of the Forgeries
The forgeries consisted of a series of letters and contracts, supposedly between the government of Iraq and the government of Niger, for the purchase of 500 tons of yellowcake uranium. The documents were dated between 1999 and 2001 and included alleged signatures of Nigerien officials. However, several of these officials had not been in office during the dates specified in the documents, and the signatures were later found to be forged.
Investigation and Exposure
The veracity of the documents was first seriously questioned by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in early 2003. The IAEA noted numerous inconsistencies and errors in the documents, including incorrect names and titles, and the use of outdated letterheads. Further investigation by the IAEA and independent journalists revealed that the documents were not only forgeries, but poor ones at that.
Impact and Aftermath
Despite the exposure of the forgeries, the U.S. administration continued to use the claim that Iraq was seeking to purchase uranium from Africa as a key part of its argument for war. This led to significant controversy and criticism, both domestically and internationally. The affair also damaged the credibility of the U.S. intelligence community and led to calls for reform.