“From 1983 to 1988, the Iraqi air force dropped between 13,000 and 19,500 chemical bombs on Iran and on the Kurdish city of Halabja. On March 5, 1984, the U.S. State Department issued a public statement condemning Iraq’s use of chemical weapons in the war against Iran. In private, however, the Reagan administration was eager to ensure that Hussein knew the U.S. government still supported his regime. Just four days after the public condemnation, the State Department told the Export-Import Bank that it should start granting short-term loans to Iraq ‘for foreign relations purposes.’ ”
– Antonia Juhasz, The Bush Agenda, Pages 166-167