Lost Opportunity

September 24, 1990 - U.S. News & World Report

In his speech to Congress last week, George Bush pointed up the dangers posed by Iraq's chemical and nuclear facilities. However, in the mid-'80s, when Israel proposed to attack the installations, the Reagan administration - tilting towards Iraq in its war with Iran -

objected so strongly that the idea was dropped

The Israelis, who smashed Baghdad's first nuclear complex in 1981, wanted to strike again after gaining access to U.S. spy-satellite maps pinpointing the Iraqi facilities. Friends of Jonathan Pollard, who is now serving a life sentence for espionage, say the maps were among the U.S. intelligence materials he turned over to the Israelis.