1996-Mr. Wurmser, Mr. Feith and Mr. Perle write "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm," the paper contained the kernel of a breathtakingly radical vision for a new Middle East. By waging wars against Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, the paper asserted, Israel and the U.S. could stabilize the region. Later, the neoconservatives argued that this policy could democratize the Middle East. (U)

July 10, 1996-Benjamin Netanyahu-(Israel’s PM), addresses joint session of Congress. Borrowing from “A Clean Break”, he calls for “democratization" of terrorist states in the Middle East and warned that peaceful means might not be sufficient. War might be unavoidable.” He adds Iran to the mix. (U)

December 2001-[See also June 2002, and June 2003 (U)] “In the second week of Dec, 2001, in Rome, with S. Hadley’s approval, Ledeen holds meetings. “During these meetings, Ghorbanifar [“Manucher Ghorbanifar, an Iranian who was an arms deal middleman in the Iran-contra affair…In the 1980's, Mr. Ghorbanifar was labeled a ''fabricator'' by the C.I.A.” (C)] introduced American officials to other Iranians who passed on information about their government's plans to target U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Among those in attendance were Harold Rhode and Larry Franklin of the Office of Special Plans.” (B) (U) [6]

June 2002-Second meeting [See December 2001 and June 2003 (U)] in Rome arranged by Ghorbanifar, “with Harold Rhode, a protégé of Ledeen's, and Larry Franklin, of the Office of Special Plans, the Pentagon bureau that manipulated pre-war intelligence on Iraq. (Franklin has since pleaded guilty to passing secrets to Israel and has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.)” (U)

June 2003-Another meeting, this time in Paris, arranged by Ghorbanifar, with Rhode and Wurmser of OSP (and “A Clean Break”) [See also December 2001 and June 2002 (U)] The meetings raised the possibility "that a rogue faction at the Pentagon was trying to work outside normal U.S. foreign policy channels to advance a [Iran] 'regime-change' agenda."- Washington Monthly (U) Also attending: representatives of “Mujahideen e-Khalq, or MEK, an urban-guerrilla group that practiced a brand of revolutionary Marxism” (U) The State Department in 2003 reported the actions of this group from the 1970’s on. This “was a terrorist group—one that took its orders from Saddam Hussein.” (U)

July 2005-House intelligence committee chairman Peter Hoekstra (Republican, Michigan) and committee member Curt Weldon (Republican, Pennsylvania) met secretly in Paris with an Iranian exile known as "Ali." Weldon had just published a book called Countdown to Terrro, alleging that the C.I.A. was ignoring intelligence about Iranian-sponsored terror plots against the U.S., and Ali had been one of his main sources…But according to the C.I.A.'s former Paris station chief Bill Murray, Ali, whose real name is Fereidoun Mahdavi, fabricated much of the information. "Mahdavi works for Ghorbanifar," Murray told Laura Rozen of The American Prospect. "The two are inseparable. Ghorbanifar put Mahdavi out to meet with Weldon." (U)

2006- “Ten years later, "A Clean Break" looks like nothing less than a playbook for U.S.-Israeli foreign policy during the Bush-Cheney era. Many of the initiatives outlined in the paper have been implemented—removing Saddam from power, setting aside the "land for peace" formula to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon—all with disastrous results.” (U)

*************

[1]-“The White House Crisis: The Israeli Stake; Israel Reportedly Got Mixed Signals U.S. on Weapons Sales to Iran”-NYT Nov. 27, 1986

[2]-“McFarlane Took Cake and Bible to Teheran, Ex-CIA Man Says” NYT Jan. 11, 1987

[3]- “Arms to Iran: More Pieces of the Puzzle; President Reagan Seems Trapped in a Tangled, Paradoxical Web

[4]- “Contacts With Teheran: Iranian Was Key Figure”, NYT Nov. 14, 1986

[5]- “The White House Crisis: President Will Not Be Called; Iran Money Reported Diverted in ‘85” NYT, November 28, 1986

[6]- “How a Shady Iranian Deal Maker Kept the Pentagon's Ear” NYT Dec. 7, 2003)

(B)-“The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed” http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/07/yellowcake200607

(C)-“Pentagon Office in Spying Case Was Focus of Iran Debate” NYT 9/2/04 http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?

(J)- “The White House Crisis: How the Drama Unfolded; Anatomy of a Furor: Charting the Evolution of the Iran Affair”, NYT Dec. 23, 1986) http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F50716F734580C708EDDAB0994DE484D81

(U)-“From the Wonderful Folks Who Brought You Iraq”, by Craig Unger, March 2007 http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/ [...]

Thanks for the compliment, Pedinska. I have a long way to go to even be in the same league as sysprog and many other commenters here, including you. It’s gratifying to know I can add something germane to the conversation now and then.

Farewell to All That: An Oral History of the Bush White House

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/02/bush-oral-history200902?printable=true&currentPage=all

The only entry which uses the word "Israel":

November 26, 2007 Secretary of State Rice convenes a Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. The Bush administration had from the outset paid scant attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and attempts by Rice to revive the peace process come to little.

G'night!

or "misspelled"? :-) In any case, I agree...RMP brings great news!

[See:] http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/01/02/israel/permalink/e42c8abd3192b04c8b705afecc661a21.html

1] Add to the end of the “July 2005” entry: [See August 2006]

2] Add to Timeline:

August 2006-Peter Hoekstra released a House-intelligence-committee report titled "Recognizing Iran as a Strategic Threat: An Intelligence Challenge for the United States. Written by Frederick Fleitz, former special assistant to John Bolton, the report asserted that the C.I.A. lacked "the ability to acquire essential information necessary to make judgments" on Tehran's nuclear program…"This is like pre-war Iraq all over again," David Albright said in The Washington Post. "You have an Iranian nuclear threat that is spun up, using bad information that's cherry-picked and a report that trashes the inspectors." [See July 2005] (U)

If you get tired of fighting in the trenches here, please check your mail box.