# Who gave Iraq their weapons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057 "2003-04-02T21:35:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057/1 "2003-04-02T21:35:39Z")
I’ve heard conflicting reports on who gave iraq their weapons (tanks, guns, helicoptors, what nots) [This](http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=2177) article claims > [@](#): > > Throughout the period that Rumsfeld was Reagan’s Middle East envoy, Iraq was frantically purchasing hardware from American firms, empowered by the White House to sell. The buying frenzy began immediately after Iraq was removed from the list of alleged sponsors of terrorism in 1982. According to a February 13, 1991 Los Angeles Times article: > > “First on Hussein’s shopping list was helicopters – he bought 60 Hughes helicopters and trainers with little notice. However, a second order of 10 twin-engine Bell “Huey” helicopters, like those used to carry combat troops in Vietnam, prompted congressional opposition in August, 1983… Nonetheless, the sale was approved.” > > In 1984, according to The LA Times, the State Department—in the name of “increased American penetration of the extremely competitive civilian aircraft market”—pushed through the sale of 45 Bell 214ST helicopters to Iraq. The helicopters, worth some $200 million, were originally designed for military purposes. The New York Times later reported that Saddam “transferred many, if not all [of these helicopters] to his military.” While [This](http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/3/17/123424.shtml) article claims it was all the French, Russians, and Chinese. We did give satalite images, i know that is not in dispute, and many of the iraqi tanks are Russian. But did the US give more than just satelite photos or not? Due to the war and information overload, i am having a hard time finding information on this particular topic and would appreciate any help given. Thanx! ---
**Author:** ![Gelaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Gelaan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gelaan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057/2 "2003-04-02T21:39:40Z")
While I have no doubt that the Iraqis bought arms from whomever they could, including the US, those T-55s, T-72s and AK-47s were not made in Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057/3 "2003-04-02T21:58:28Z")
Simple answer- everybody. Most “first-world” countries export their wares, and we have all sold weapons to Iraq, Iran, and probably every other damn country in the area, at one time or another. Saddam wasn’t always the enemy, especially when we wanted a strong Iraq to stand against Iran. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057/4 "2003-04-02T22:12:06Z")
Well, this site seems to say that Iraqi weaponry is mainly Russian, but in terms of American weapons, they had, in 1990, 10 M-60 and 10 M-47 US tanks. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/index.html](http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/index.html) It’s possible both those articles are right…that we sold Iraq weapons in 83-84, and that Iraq doesn’t have any now. Remember, that was 20 years ago, and weapon systems become obsolete, or break, or get destroyed during war. ---
**Author:** ![CaptEgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@CaptEgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptEgo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057/5 "2003-04-02T22:14:50Z")
While it’s pretty obvious that the Russians were the prime supplier of _special discount hardware_ to the Iraqis it wasn’t like anyone else seemed shy about it either. What seems more perverse is that no-one seems much bothered about the fact that the US cheerfully sold _dual use_ items like your helicopters under the mind bending morality that exempt them for the consequences of those items being used for _bad_ ends. It’s pretty well acknowledged that those choppers were subsequently used in the gas attacks on Kurdish Northern Iraq. What is truly astounding is that after this blatant violation of every humanitarian notion on earth the US blithely continued _normalized_ trade relations with Iraq up until the very eve of the 91 war. This after they smothered a bill that was drawn up for the foreign affairs comittee A) condemning the barbarity of the regime and B) levelling the most severe trade and economic sanctions that have ever been proposed in a Bill. The excuse for killing Peter Galbraiths bill? “It wouldn’t change the situation in Iraq and would only hurt American business.” The degree of Moral bankruptcy simply boggles the mind. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057/6 "2003-04-02T22:15:02Z")
We supported Iraq in their war with Iran, back when Iran was the bag guy of the month. I don’t doubt some US weapons made it over there, but the VAST majority is Soviet in design. ---
**Author:** ![racekarl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6bbea6/32.png) [@racekarl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racekarl)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057/7 "2003-04-02T22:16:58Z")
The US actually sold no weapons systems directly to Iraq. That is not to say that none got there. Iraq bought US cluster bombs from Chile, and the US sold them the aforementioned helicopters, as well as some pesticides (that could later become nerve gas) and biological precursors. [Cite](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A52241-2002Dec29¬Found=true) The key point that allowed all these sales to be approved (except the cluster bombs, which we did not sell directly) is that everything we sold them had a legitimate civilan purpose. The same cannot be said of Russia (nearly all of Iraq’s ground weapons) or France (much of their air force, and many weaponized chemical agents) ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-gave-iraq-their-weapons/166057/8 "2003-04-03T00:16:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CaptEgo \* > \*\* The degree of Moral bankruptcy simply boggles the mind. \*\* The degree of moral bankruptcy is a matter of debate. In particular, it would make a Great Debate, wouldn’t it? That’s a hint. Kthxbye.