# Saddam's Doubles--what happened? Were they real? Where are they? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 29, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddams-doubles-what-happened-were-they-real-where-are-they/370672 "2006-08-29T14:53:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddams-doubles-what-happened-were-they-real-where-are-they/370672/1 "2006-08-29T14:53:37Z")
Prior to the War’s begining, the US jabbered fecklessly about how Saddam had doubles to impersonate him, some surgically altered. So…where are they? Were any found? Have any started stand-up comedy routines? Did they ever exist at all? ---
**Author:** ![FormerMarineGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/65b543/32.png) [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddams-doubles-what-happened-were-they-real-where-are-they/370672/2 "2006-08-29T15:43:17Z")
Apparently, we never caught him, according to [Conspiracy Theorists](http://www.rense.com/general65/double.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddams-doubles-what-happened-were-they-real-where-are-they/370672/3 "2006-08-29T15:56:15Z")
They are hiding in [Saddam’s bunkers](http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030405-saddambunker01.htm): > [@](#): > > It is speculated that Saddam has scores of caves and bunkers hollowed out beneath the ancient city, bombproof labyrinths where he could hide for days, perhaps weeks. > > Saddam’s hideaways twist through the earth \_ as much as 300 feet deep \_ below his palaces, below relatives’ homes, maybe even below schools and hospitals. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddams-doubles-what-happened-were-they-real-where-are-they/370672/4 "2006-08-29T16:38:44Z")
I have no idea if they were real or not, but his plastic surgeon says that he was never approached to perform surgery on anyone to make them look like Saddam Hussein. [Cite](http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/858CBBCD-B192-4AA9-A7FB-B7DF13CE9D4B.htm) Most of the information I saw about the doubles pre-war were just minor blurbs from media outlets, it is entirely possible they were just reporting on gossip and hearsay. It’s also possible he did indeed have doubles, it wouldn’t be unheard of, however rather than plastic surgery it is more likely he just had people who bore somewhat of a resemblance to him. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddams-doubles-what-happened-were-they-real-where-are-they/370672/5 "2006-08-29T17:10:39Z")
\ Supposedly, in the days after the US bombing of Iraq started, but before the US invasion, the head of Iraq’s Security Office gathered all of Saddam’s doubles and told them "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that our Great Leader survived the bombing by the Great Satan! “The bad news is that he lost an arm.” :eek: \ ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddams-doubles-what-happened-were-they-real-where-are-they/370672/6 "2006-08-29T17:47:44Z")
just a thought:( I have no evidence, but it seems logical…) His doubles probably returned home to Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit, where half the population made its living based on personal connections to Saddam and his henchmen. If you make a few changes to your personal appearance (shave off the mustache and or grow a beard, change hairstyle etc) you probably wouldn’t be noticed as a Saddam look-alike. So you just go back to being a regular guy like you were before you got the job of being a double. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddams-doubles-what-happened-were-they-real-where-are-they/370672/7 "2006-08-30T01:34:03Z")
[QUOTE=chappachula] just a thought:( I have no evidence, but it seems logical…) His doubles probably returned home to Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit, where half the population made its living based on personal connections to Saddam and his henchmen. If you make a few changes to your personal appearance (shave off the mustache and or grow a beard, change hairstyle etc) you probably wouldn’t be noticed as a Saddam look-alike. So you just go back to being a regular guy like you were before you got the job of being a double. [/QUOTE] So what’s [Jerry Halvea](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355062/) doing nowadays?