Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military
From: davisp@skybridge.SCL.CWRU.Edu (Palmer Davis)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Hussein's Bomb?
Summary: That's not the only "victory weapon" Iraq is working on.
Keywords: nuclear weapons Iraq Saddam Hussein olive drab fuzzy bananas
Message-ID: <1991Jan18.005251.9750@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 18 Jan 91 00:52:51 GMT
References: <1991Jan15.022014.24280@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: TIDNU System Research Group
Lines: 35
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: davisp@skybridge.SCL.CWRU.Edu (Palmer Davis)
In article <1991Jan15.022014.24280@cbnews.att.com> rteasdal@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Falconer) writes:
>
>	It was reported by NBC News this evening that Iraqi  
>television is claiming that Iraq is in possession of "A tremendously
>powerful new weapon which will amaze our enemies and fascinate our
>friends."
>

If Saddam isn't (as Bill suggested) lying, it sounds to me like they're
talking about some other kind of weapon system; something as important
as a nuclear device they'd almost certianly (IMHO) announce very loudly 
to the entire world (and probably threaten to use it against the Israelis).
Or they'd simply test-detonate one in full view of our satellites.

Three possibilities come to mind: they may have developed the proximity
fuses they need to make effective chemical warheads, they might have completed
some further refinement of their homegrown Scud program (they need better
accuracy; they're more likely to have come up with more range or a heavier
payload), or they may have come up with some sort of prototype for the 
"supergun" they were working on until its designer was assasinated last
year.  Or they may be bluffing.  In any event, they probably won't last
long enough to get this new whatever-it-is into meaningful production, so I
wouldn't worry about it too much.

-- PTD --

[Of course, this is all speculation...]
--
Palmer T. Davis                 |  davisp@scl.cwru.edu  -OR-  ptd2@po.cwru.edu
Case Western Reserve University | {att,sun,decvax,uunet}!cwjcc!skybridge!davisp
------------------------------------------------------+------------------------
Wake up and smell the cat food in your bank account.  |     Life is short.