To the editor:

As George W. Bush, the son of one of the architects of Iraq’s ascendancy in the Middle East, plans his invasion of Iraq, the American people should understand how we got to this point.

It was Ronald Reagan who removed Saddam’s Iraq from the list of terrorist nations Feb. 26, 1982, and established diplomatic relations with the dictator on Nov. 26, 1984, thus giving Iraq the ability to acquire U.S.-made military and “dual-use” technology. In 1983, for example, Reagan authorized the sale of 60 Hughes helicopters to Iraq that could be retrofitted for weapons in a matter of hours. Reagan also secretly permitted Jordan, Saudi Arabia, et al, to transfer U.S.-made howitzers, helicopters, bombs and other weapons to Iraq.

Iraq used chemical weapons on the battlefield in its war with Iran, and Reagan gave it access to U.S. satellite photography to help target Iranian forces with chemical weapons. Not to be outdone, Bush’s father continued Reagan’s policy even after Saddam gassed to death 4,000 of his own people. The elder Bush approved dozens of export licenses and $1 billion in loan guarantees that permitted Iraq to progress on its weapons development. Reagan-Bush shipped to Saddam computers to develop ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, machine tools and lasers to extend ballistic missile range, graphic terminals to design and analyze rockets, and pathogens including botulism, tetanus and anthrax.

When and if our soldiers invade Iraq, it will be an attempt to compensate for one of the worst foreign policy blunders ever.

Donald Phipps,

Lawrence