Joseph C. Wilson IV

Joseph C. Wilson IV is a retired former U.S. ambassador. Wilson served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq during the 1991 Iraq war and subsequently served in a range of diplomatic and advisory roles in particular on U.S. policy in Africa. Wilson was one of the prominent figures in the U.S. government who have charged the Bush administration with using cooked intelligence to justify war in Iraq.

Wilson subsequently founded and was CEO of JCWilson International Ventures, Corp., a firm specializing in Strategic Management and International Business Development and was an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington DC. His profile with MEI listed his areas of interest as " Iraq, Military/Defense, Regional Security, Terrorism, US-Arab Relations, US Foreign Policy, Saddam Hussein". (Wilson is no longer with the MEI and was last listed on their website in late 2004).

Early in 2007, Wilson became vice chairman of Jarch Capital, LLC. In announcing Wilson's role in the firm, Jarch Capital's Chairman Phillippe M. Heilberg states, "Not only does Ambassador Wilson bring an incredible amount of experience and knowledge on Africa to Jarch Capital, his views on American foreign policy and National Security are widely respected in Washington" and he "will be instrumental in the growth of Jarch as it expands in Africa, sometimes in politically sensitive areas."

He married Valerie Plame in 1998.

Profile
"Joseph C. Wilson, IV served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council from June 1997 until July 1998, responsible for the coordination of U.S. policy to the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. He was a principal architect of President Bill Clinton's historic trip to Africa in March 1998 and a leading proponent of the Africa Trade Bill.

"Wilson was the Political Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of United States Armed Forces, Europe, 1995-1997. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Gabonese Republic and to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe from 1992 to 1995. From 1988 to 1991, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. During 'Desert Shield' he was the acting Ambassador and was responsible for the freeing of several hundred American hostages. He was the last official American to meet with Saddam Hussein before 'Desert Storm'."

"He joined the US Foreign Service in 1976 and held various positions in Niger, Togo, South Africa, Burundi and Congo-Brazzaville. In 1988 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Mission to Iraq, reporting to the then US Ambassador April Catherine Glaspie." He is a director of Symbion Power.

A biographical profile with MEI alsi listed Wilson as having been "American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow   for Senator Albert Gore and the House Majority Whip, Rep. Thomas Foley".

Bush's Niger Uranium to Iraq claim
The claim that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from Africa was repeated in George W. Bush's State of the Union Address in January 2003. The controversial 16 words used by US President George W Bush on January 28, 2003 were:
 * "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

In March that year the International Atomic Energy Agency, when it finally obtained the documents referred to by Colin Powell to the United Nations Security Council alleging transactions between Niger and Iraq, concluded that they were obvious fakes. (For a comprehensive account of this see the Wikipedia article September Dossier).

In the July 6, 2003 issue of the New York Times, Wilson contributed an "op-ed" entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa," in which he states that on the basis of his "experience with the administration in the months leading up to the war," he has "little choice but to conclude that some of the intelligence related to Iraq's nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat."

In this account, often referred to later as his "New York Times 'op-ed,'" Wilson describes the basis for his mission to Niger as follows: "The vice president's office asked a serious question [about the truth of allegations that Iraq was seeking to purchase uranium yellowcake from Niger]. I was asked to help formulate the answer" (italics added).

In the last two paragraphs of his op-ed, Wilson relates his perspective to the Bush administration's rationale for the Iraq War: I was convinced before the war that the threat of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein required a vigorous and sustained international response to disarm him. Iraq possessed and had used chemical weapons; it had an active biological weapons program and quite possibly a nuclear research program — all of which were in violation of United Nations resolutions. Having encountered Mr. Hussein and his thugs in the run-up to the Persian Gulf war of 1991, I was only too aware of the dangers he posed.

But were these dangers the same ones the administration told us about? We have to find out. America's foreign policy depends on the sanctity of its information. For this reason, questioning the selective use of intelligence to justify the war in Iraq is neither idle sniping nor "revisionist history," as Mr. Bush has suggested. The act of war is the last option of a democracy, taken when there is a grave threat to our national security. More than 200 American soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq already. We have a duty to ensure that their sacrifice came for the right reasons.

(For detailed discussion of Wilson's comments and the counter-attack from the Bush administration, see the Wikipedia article Joseph C. Wilson).

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush administration leaks
 * Bush administration scandals
 * Bush lies and deceptions
 * Iraq Survey Group
 * Karl Rove: Outing Valerie Plame
 * Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
 * The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity (2004 book)
 * Treasongate: Beyond Karl Rove
 * weapons of mass destruction
 * weapons of mass destruction investigation
 * prewar intelligence
 * The U.S. v. I. Lewis Libby

Profiles

 * "Joseph C. Wilson" in the Wikipedia.
 * Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, IV, Corporate & Public Strategy Advisory Group (CPS) profile.
 * Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, IV, Middle East Institute profile.

Political Activism & Campaign Contributions

 * Campaign Contribution Search: Joseph C. Wilson, NewsMeat, accessed July 5, 2005.
 * "Wilson Contributed Max To Kerry Campaign," Drudge Report, September 29, 2003: "Wilson, Joseph C 5/23/2003 $1,000.00 Washington, DC 20007 JC Wilson International Ventures/Bu -[Contribution] JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC."
 * Rowan Scarborough, "Wilson, wife have tight ties to Democrats," Washington Times, October 2, 2003.
 * Joseph Kurl, "Spouse of outed CIA officer signs on with Kerry," Washington Times, February 14, 2004.

By Joseph C. Wilson

 * "War in Iraq: Consequences," Washington Post, April 3, 2003. Wilson is titled "Former Acting Ambassador to Iraq."
 * "What I Didn't Find in Africa," New York Times, July 6, 2003.
 * Letter to the Editor: "Debunking Distortions About My Trip to Niger," Washington Post, July 17, 2004.
 * "A Right-Wing Smear Is Gathering Steam," The L.A. Daily Worker, July 21, 2004.

Interviews

 * Bill Moyers, Profile: Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, IV, and Interview Transcript, NOW, February 28, 2003.
 * "The TPM Interview With Ambassador Joseph Wilson," Talking Points Memo, September 16, 2003. (27-page pdf).
 * "Ambassador Wilson on Identity Leak," NPR, September 29, 2003: "Alex Chadwick speaks with former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV about the alleged leak by the Bush administration of the identity of his wife, who is the CIA operative named in the media."
 * "Interview: Joseph C. Wilson," PBS Frontline, October 9, 2003.
 * Wolf Blitzer, Segment: "Ambassador Wilson: Bush Should Fire Employees Who Don't Cooperate with Justice Department," CNN, August 16, 2004.

2003

 * Robert Novak, "Mission to Niger," townhall.com, July 14, 2003.
 * Matthew Cooper, Massimo Calabresi, and John F. Dickerson, "A War on Wilson? Inside the Bush Administration's feud with the diplomat who poured cold water on the Iraq-uranium connection," Time, July 17, 2003.
 * "Wilson: From Envoy To Accuser," CBS News, October 1, 2003.
 * Lynette Clemetson, "Adviser to Bush's Father Redefines Himself as Wary Whistle-Blower," New York Times, October 5, 2003.
 * Darlene Superville, "Ex-envoy in CIA case not the cautious type. Wilson isn't shy about assigning blame to White House," (cache file), Associated Press, October 6, 2003.
 * "War, Truth and Consequences," PBS Frontline, October 9, 2003, includes a lengthy interview with Wilson.
 * "Joseph Wilson promoting critique of govt. propaganda by Sam Gardiner," indybay.org, October 14, 2003: From usnews.com reports: Wilson tells us he plans to circulate the text of a briefing by analyst Sam Gardiner that suggests the White House and Pentagon made up or distorted over 50 war stories."
 * Paul Bedard, Wilson adds ammo to hit war credibility gap, USNews.com "Washington Whispers", October 20, 2003: "Just as former Ambassador Joseph Wilson's story that Bushies blew his CIA wife's cover to get back at his criticism of the war in Iraq was getting old, he has stumbled on new ammo to hit the administration's credibility. Wilson tells us he plans to circulate the text of a briefing by analyst Sam Gardiner that suggests the White House and Pentagon made up or distorted over 50 war stories. You know some tall tales, like the Pvt. Jessica Lynch story. But there's more, says Gardiner, a war gamer who has taught at the National War College. Like how defense officials said the first Iraqi unit marines encountered, the 51st Mechanized Infantry Division, had surrendered four days before it actually did. And he says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard Myers gave bad or deliberately incomplete info on several topics. Sure, propaganda has always been used in war to deceive and demoralize the enemy. But these guys went way overboard, Gardiner says. 'Never before have so many stories been created to sell a war,' he insists. 'And they probably didn't need it.'"
 * Timothy Noah, "Whopper: Joseph Wilson. Say goodbye to Plamegate," Slate, December 3, 2003.

2004

 * Bill Sammon, "British report undermines Wilson on prewar data," Washington Times, July 15, 2004.
 * Susan Schmidt, "Plame's Input Is Cited on Niger Mission. Report Disputes Wilson's Claims on Trip, Wife's Role," Washington Post, July 20, 2004: Several months after the scandal broke, Schmidt wrote that the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating intelligence failures in Iraq had determined that Wilson lied about his wife's involvement and his own investigation.
 * Martin Peretz, "Turning Tale," The New Republic, July 21, 2004.

2005

 * Scott Shane, "Private Spy and Public Spouse Live at Center of Leak Case," New York Times, July 5, 2005.
 * M. Kane Jeeves, "Bush's Damaged Control," mkanejeeves.com, July 5, 2005.
 * SusanG, "Joe Wilson on Sentencing of Judith Miller," stevegilliard.blogspot.com, July 6, 2005: "Clearly, the conspiracy to cover up the web of lies that underpinned the invasion of Iraq is more important to the White House than coming clean on a serious breach of national security. Thus has Ms Miller joined my wife, Valerie, and her twenty years of service to this nation as collateral damage in the smear campaign launched when I had the temerity to challenge the President on his assertion that Iraq had attempted to purchase uranium yellowcake from Africa. ... The real victims of this cover-up, which may have turned criminal, are the Congress, the Constitution and, most tragically, the Americans and Iraqis who have paid the ultimate price for Bush's folly."
 * Murray Waas, "Exclusive: Plame Game Over?" American Prospect, April 6, 2005.
 * "'The President Should Fire Rove!'," BradBlog, July 13, 2005.
 * Larisa Alexandrova, "Interview: Ambassador Wilson, husband of outed CIA agent, sees larger Administration role in leak," The Raw Story, July 13, 2005.
 * Dan Froomkin, "A Compelling Story," White House Watch Blog/Washington Post, March 31, 2006.
 * John Aravosis, "Republicans now trying to Swift Boat Ambassador Joe Wilson over Rove-Treason-Gate," AMERICAblog, November 8, 2005.
 * Murray Waas *"The Meeting" The American Prospct, as reposted on CBSnews.com, August 8, 2005.
 * David Johnston and Richard W. Stevenson, "Times Reporter Testifies to Jury in C.I.A. Leak Case," New York Times, October 1, 2005.
 * Jim VandeHei and Walter Pincus, "Role of Rove, Libby in CIA Leak Case Clearer. Bush and Cheney Aides' Testimony Contradicts Earlier White House Statement," Washington Post, October 2, 2005.
 * Judd Legum, "Source to Stephanopoulos: President Bush Directly Involved In Leak Scandal," Think Progress, October 2, 2005.
 * Billmon, "Conspiracy Theory," Whiskey Bar, October 2, 2005.
 * Billmon, "Battle Cry of the Republicans," Whiskey Bar, October 2, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Rove Before Grand Jury in the Morning," Whatever Already! (blog), Oct. 6, 2005.
 * Murray Waas,"Rove Assured Bush He was Not Leaker" National Journal, Oct. 7, 2005.
 * Murray Waas,"Libby Did Nor Tell Grand Jury About Key Conversation" National Journal, Oct. 11. 2003.
 * Murray Waas, "CIA Leak Prosecutor Focuses on Libby" National Journal, Oct. 18, 2005.
 * Jearlyn Merritt, "It's Libby vs. Miller Time, Talk Left, Oct. 18, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Secret Service Records Prompted Key Miller Testimony," National Journal, October 20, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Cheney, Lobby Blocked Papers to Senate Intelligence Committee" National Journal, Oct. 27, 2005
 * Murray Waas and Paul Singer, "Addington's Role in Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention," National Journal, Oct.30, 2005
 * Jim VandeHei and Carol Leonnig, "Rove's Future Role Is Debated. White House May Seek Fresh Start In Wake of Leak," Washington Post, November 3, 2005.
 * Dubya, "Rove Remains In Serious Jeopardy, Could Be for Some Time," Daily Kos, Nov. 11, 2005.
 * David Johnston, "Another Time Reporter Is Asked to Testify in Leak Case," New York Times, November 28, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Key Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel," National Journal, November 30, 2005.
 * Byron York, "Will Rove be Indicted? As rumors fly, here’s what’s known at this point," National Review, December 14, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Rove Assured Bush He was Not Leaker" National Journal, Oct. 7, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Libby Did Nor Tell Grand Jury About Key Conversation" National Journal, Oct. 11. 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "CIA Leak Prosecutor Focuses on Libby" National Journal, Oct. 18, 2005.
 * Murray Waas, "Cheney, Lobby Blocked Papers to Senate Intelligence Committee" National Journal, Oct. 27, 2005
 * Murray Waas and Paul Singer, "Addington's Role in Cheney's Office Draws Fresh Attention," National Journal, Oct.30, 2005
 * Murray Waas, "Key Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel," National Journal, November 30, 2005.

2006

 * Murray Waas, "Cheney Authorized Libby to Leak Classified Information," National Journal, February 9, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "What Bush Was Told About Iraq" National Journal, March 2, 2006. "Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, testified to a federal grand jury that he had been "authorized" by Cheney and other White House "superiors" in the summer of 2003 to disclose classified information to journalists to defend the Bush administration's use of prewar intelligence in making the case to go to war with Iraq, according to attorneys familiar with the matter, and to court records."
 * Murray Waas, "Rove-Novak Call Was Concern to Leak Investigators," National Journal, May 25, 2006.
 * Dan Froomkin, "A Compelling Story," White House Watch Blog/Washington Post, March 31, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "What Ashcroft Was Told," National Journal, June 8, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "Bush Directed Cheney to Counter War Critic", National Journal, July 3, 2006.
 * Murray Waas, "Insulating Bush," National Journal, March 30, 2006: "Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, cautioned other White House aides in the summer of 2003 that Bush's 2004 re-election prospects would be severely damaged if it was publicly disclosed that he had been personally warned that a key rationale for going to war had been challenged within the administration. Rove expressed his concerns shortly after an informal review of classified government records by then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley determined that Bush had been specifically advised that claims he later made in his 2003 State of the Union address -- that Iraq was procuring high-strength aluminum tubes to build a nuclear weapon -- might not be true, according to government records and interviews."
 * Dan Froomkin, "Another Stab at the Truth," Washington Post, July 14, 2006: "There are some hugely important aspects of the Bush presidency that remain insufficiently examined, and the most important are about the run-up to war in Iraq. Polls show that a majority of Americans believe President Bush and his associates intentionally misled the public in making their case for war. It's a terribly serious charge, if true. In fact, it's hard to imagine a more serious charge against a president."
 * "US officials 'betrayed' CIA agent," BBC, July 14, 2006.

2007

 * See trial of Scooter Libby.
 * Tom Magurie, "We Help the Editors at the National Journal," Just One Minute, Jan. 12, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, "CIA Leak Probe: Inside the Grand Jury Room" National Journal, Jan. 12, 2007.
 * Murray Waas, "Cheney's Call" National Journal, Feb. 15, 2007.
 * Murray Waas,"Libby Testimony Raises More Questions About Cheney Role," National Journal, Feb. 17, 2007.
 * SilentPatriot, "Countdown: Joe Wilson Reacts to Libby Verdict," Crooks and Liars, March 6, 2007.
 * Tom MacGuire "We Help the Editors of the National Journal" Just One Minute, Jan. 17, 2007.