SpyTalk

Former top CIA official Rob Richer said that orders to fabricate a letter showing that Saddam Hussein played a role in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks probably came from the office of Vice president Dick Cheney, according to an interview transcript author Ron Suskind released today.

"(A)lmost all that stuff came from one place only: Scooter Libby and the shop around the vice president," says Richer, the agency's former deputy chief of clandestine operations, in the transcript.

"But he didn't say that specifically," says Richer.

Then again, the CIA man adds:

 "I would naturally--I would probably stand on my, basically, my reputation and say it came from the vice president."

Richer had denied earlier in the week that he ever "received direction from George Tenet or anyone else in my chain of command to fabricate a document ... as outlined in Mr. Suskind's book."

Suskind told SpyTalk Thursday night (see below) he was releasing portions of the transcript to defend himself against accusations by Richer and another CIA official, John Maguire, that he had misinterpreted their remarks in his new book, The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism.

But, as with Richer's remarks about Cheney and Libby, the transcript falls far short of clearing up who said what to whom on the main issue: White House involvement in a clandestine plot to manipulate public opinion on the invasion of Iraq.

To add even more mystery to the affair, Richer suggests the target "wasn't so much to influence America--that's illegal--but it was kinda like a covert, a way to influence Iraqis."

Still left unclear is exactly what the CIA was supposed to do with the letter, allegedly provided by the White House, purporting to show that Saddam Hussein had conspired with al Qaeda on 9/11 and obtained uranium from Niger.

Here's Richer, on Suskind's transcript:

"To characterize it right, I would say, right: it came to us, George had a raised eyebrow, and basically we passed it on--it was to--and passed this on into the organization. You know, it was: 'Okay, we gotta do this, but make it go away.' To be honest with you, I don't want to make it sound--I for sure don't want to portray this as George jumping: 'Okay, this has gotta happen.' As I remember it--and, again, it's still vague, so I'll be very straight with you on this--is it wasn't that important. It was: 'This is unbelievable. This is just like all the other garbage we get about . . . I mean Mohammad Atta and links to al Qaeda. 'Rob,' you know, 'do something with this.' I think it was more like that than: 'Get this done.'   

Not confused enough? There's more ambiguity on Suskind's web page.