The Science of Conspiracy Theories

False Witness

False Witness

I had not heard of this, but apparently it's true.

In 1990, the CIA had Nayirah al-Sabah give false testimony in a House of Representatives hearing that she had personally witnessed Iraqi soldiers invade Kuwaiti hospitals and take newborns out of incubators and throw them onto the cold floor to freeze to death.

Allegedly, her testimony had a lot to do with congressional approval for the first Gulf War to dispose Iraqi forces from Kuwait; although, it wasn't the major reason for going to war, but it sure helped gain both congressional and public support. The major reason is that the U.S. wanted to protect the oil.

In 1992, John MacArthur of the New York Times discovered that Nayirah was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the U.S. and that her testimony had been made up.
Also, the nurses and doctors who were supposedly with Nayirah to witness this alleged atrocity were gone by the time the Iraqi soldiers arrived. Apparently, the CIA had paid her to lie. She was also a member of the Citizens for a Free Kuwait, which was run by both Kuwaiti and U.S. interests to promote propaganda.

As it turns out, some babies and other patients in Kuwaiti hospitals did die when their doctors and nurses fled, but there is no collaborating evidence that Iraq forces had anything to do with their deaths.

My take on this is that this testimony should not have been given since it was false and only meant to promote the First Gulf War. The fact that the CIA was involved is no surprise. They are a typical covert spy organization that will use any method to get their way. I realize that. What I have a problem with is the fact that it involved a lie. The only thing that means anything is the truth. Lying is criminal.

Thanks for reading.