Saddam documents, part 2

Included in the batch of nine Iraqi government documents released Wednesday by National Intelligence director John Negroponte was a letter, dated March 23, 1997, from the Iraqi intelligence service (IIS) "to directors and managers advising them to follow certain procedures [to hide banned weapons programs from inspectors] in case of a search by the U.N. team, including:

-Removing correspondence with the atomic energy and military industry departments concerning the prohibited weapons (proposals, research, studies, catalogs, etc.).

-Removing prohibited materials and equipment, including documents and catalogs and making sure to clear labs and storages of any traces of chemical or biological materials that were previously used or stored.

-Doing so through a committee which will decide whether to destroy the documents.

-Removing files from computers.

The letter also advises them on how they should answer questions by U.N. team members. It says the intelligence service should be informed within one week about the progress made in discarding the documents.

(Editor's Note: This document is consistent with the Report of the Special Advisor to the Director of Central Intelligence, which described a pattern of deception and concealment on the part of Saddam Hussein's government towards the U.N. inspectors in the mid to late 90's. Hussein halted all cooperation with those inspectors and expelled them in October 1998.)"

The above report and summary was provided by ABCNews