According to The Riegle Report, which was delivered to the Senate on February 9, 1994, regarding the health of Gulf War veterans, “The British Sunday Times reported on January 27, 1991, that American intelligence detected greatly increased activity at Iraq’s main chemical plant at Samarra in the last week of December [1990], and the British Ministry of Defense said that the Allies believe that Iraq ‘may have as many as 100,000 artillery shells filled with chemicals and several tons (of bulk agent) stored near the front line.’ According to the Times report, a British Ministry of Defense official said: ‘The plant was at peak activity and the chemicals were distributed to the troops in Kuwait and elsewhere in theatre.’ The Times reported that an unnamed Pentagon source said that Hussein had given front-line commanders permission to use these weapons at their discretion, and that ‘it was no longer a question of if, but when.’ ”
– Donald Wayne Riegle, Jr. and Alfonse M. D’Amato, The Riegle Report, May 25, 1994, Page 12