3/9/2002

” ‘The agency [CIA] officials asked if I would travel to Niger to check out the story [that Saddam Hussein was allegedly attempting to obtain yellowcake for WMD development] so they could provide a response to the Vice President’s [Dick Cheney’s] office.’ said [former Envoy to Iraq and Ambassador to Niger] Joseph Wilson. …Wilson returned to Washington in early March and verbally gave his negative assessment to CIA officials. …There was no substance to the Italian intelligence report. On March 9 [2002], the CIA cabled Wilson’s doubts around the intelligence community and passed a memo with his comments to the White House.”

 – James Bamford, A Pretext for War, Pages 306-307