Customer Reviews

Saddam's Secrets

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Without exaggeration, I must say that this may be the most important book of the year. Why would I make such a strong claim? Read on....

Author Georges Sada was that rare honest Iraqi government insider during Saddam Hussein's reign who was tolerated despite his candor ... in fact, he even gained Saddam's trust, even though he frequently bucked the will of the iron-fisted dictator. In General Sada's unique position, he was able to observe some of the worst of Saddam's behavior and trickery and confirms in this book not only the existence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), but also the extraordinary lengths that Saddam went to hide these weapons. He blows the cover off of the United Nations officials and their craven and corrupt complicity in Hussein's schemes to hide his own murderous intents while lining their own pockets.

As one reads, one has the sense that General Sada is a loyal Iraqi who loves his nation and his countrymen, who writes out of a sense of grief, anger, and alarm over what Saddam perpetrated. Sada's book is a timely warning against complacency towards the terrorist insurgents who would do all they could to neuter America, enslave the Middle East, and cannibalize Iraq. For all of those who have naively and ignorantly bleated about the "lack of WMDs" or America's "phony" reasons for going to war, this book is a real shocker ... a much-needed wake-up call ... a painful, but potentially life-saving eye-opener.

I hope that Joel Stein, the LA TIMES columnist who confesses to "not supporting our troops" will read a copy of this book immediately. Again, I cannot adequately convey the sense of urgency I feel about the importance of this book. Read it for yourself and see what I am talking about.

One interesting note: as a Christian, General Sada was in a tiny minority among Saddam's inner circle, surrounded by Iraqi leaders who cynically and callously used Islam as a mask for their own twisted and sadistic ends. Writing as a man of faith, Sada has the unique ability to draw hope and redemption out of difficult and tragic circumstances. Far from being depressing, this book is ultimately uplifiting and hopeful.

As others have noted, there is growing evidence from many sources to verify General Sada's claims. Of particular note are tapes of more than 3,000 hours of Saddam Hussein meeting with his war cabinet and millions of pages of documents that contain vital information about Saddam's WMD program and plans for transporting the WMDs out of the country in order to dupe the weapons inspectors....

American and world citizens must demand that these tapes and documents be immediately released, translated, and analyzed in their entirety. So many politicians and media "experts" have staked their careers on a lie: "No WMDs existed." It's time for the truth to come out and for the problem to be resolved. The world will not get a second chance.

Thanks, General Sada, for having the courage and integrity to write such an important, informative, and ultimately redemptive book.

I was in the first Gulf War, as a Marine. I saw the evidence at that time Saddam had used Chemical Weps on the Iranians. Then , after we left Kuwait and came home, he used them on the Kurds. HE HAD THEM, HE USED THEM.
This book confirmed my fears. Only a fool would dismiss this out of hand as "politically motivated" I was 25 then, and knew it wasn't over. I just turned 41, and now am "new"" soldier in the Army. I'm going back soon. Maybe this time we'll prove our fears were not unfounded. You may not sleep terribly well after reading this one, but I recommend it, specifically to scoffers and ostriches.

General Sada was Saddam Hussein's top military advisor, a devout Christian in an anti Christian country, and a great man. General Georges Sada shares his life story with us and it is riveting. Sada tells us of the military secrets he was asked to keep. Secrets that only those closest to Saddam would know. He shows us just how close we were to World War 3; when he talked Saddam out of hitting Israel with a massive Chemical weapon air strike. The general know it would lead to an Nuclear counter attack by Israel. He also talks about those Weapons of Mass Destruction and he tells us, YES they existed, and that they were taking out of Iraq to Syria in two airplane shipments (he details the plans used etc.,) and also in one land shipment (in semi trucks). General Sada shows us how Syria went from being an enemy of Iraq to a an friend, he shows us the why's and how's. The book is also a spiritual journey for the general and, a warning to the west. It is a great read and I think a must read. I highly recommend it.

This book offers a combination of current events, an insider's knowledge of the mind and workings of a ruthless dictator, and the moving story of a Christian Daniel in a hostile lion's den. As such it makes for compelling reading.

Georges Sada was a two-star general in Saddam's military. But he was no ordinary Iraqi military leader. He was an Assyrian, not an Arab. He was a Christian, not a Muslim. Nor was he a member of the ruling Baath party. Yet in spite of his minority status, he quickly rose through the ranks of the military. And his role there was to in fact help change the course of history.

The rise of Sada through the military, his many standoffs with Saddam Hussein (Saddam once told him he had defied him 17 times - he had kept count), his personal intervention to save the lives of 40 coalition pilots taken prisoner during the first Gulf War, and his current work as advisor to the new Iraq are all covered here in depth.

All these features alone make the book a must read. But because of his privileged position inside the top ranks of the Iraqi military, he is also able to shed new light on much debated recent events. For example, what of the weapons of mass destruction that so many critics have claimed never existed? Well they existed alright, and Sada tells us in detail how the were hidden, covered up, and eventually smuggled into Syria.

He also gives us an insider's account of the oil-for food program. This program was a monumental disaster, with UN corruption equaling that of the dictator. The program simply allowed Saddam to siphon off nearly $2 billion for himself, while leaving the Iraqi people starving.

Then there is the controversy about the invasion of Iraq itself. Sada makes it absolutely clear that this was a most necessary and most welcomed liberation. Iraq under Saddam had become hell, with millions killed and tortured, and the power-hungry ego of Saddam would not have rested till he had mastery over the entire Arab world and had procured and used nuclear weapons to impose his will.

Indeed, Sada says the coalition should have finished off the job during the first Gulf War, saving countless lives and freeing Iraq from the hands of this madman. Unfortunately the Iraqi people had to wait another 12 years, and suffer many more horrors.

All the grizzly details are found in this book: how Saddam deliberately built military command bunkers in secure structures below civilian bunkers, so that civilians would be killed and serve his propaganda purposes. How he bribed many overseas journalists and media personal to tell his version of events. How he would personally watch, and enjoy, the torture and death of his enemies, even suspected enemies.

The bribing and corruption of UN officials is also told in sickening detail. UN members who were meant to be monitoring this whole program were instead taking kickbacks and raking in billions of dollars for themselves, while oil flowed out of the country illegally. The corruption reached to the highest levels at the UN, and Sada believes that one day the oil-for-food program will "prove to be the biggest bribery scheme in modern times".

The book concludes with the many good things that are happening in the new Iraq, good things that rarely get mentioned in the mainstream media. For forty years Iraqis have known only fear, terror, hatred and bitterness. What Iraq needs now is love and forgiveness. And the life of Sada has been an example of that.

This book then is a powerful volume: it highlights both the depravity and goodness of mankind. And its shows how one person can make a difference, not just in one nation but in the world.

Although this book is not superbly written, it is a great read and I highly recommend it. I read it cover-to-cover without putting it down. Sada is obviously not a polished author. Sada repeats himself frequently and the flow of the book is a bit awkward. Saddam's Secrets gets 6 stars for content and minus 1 star for style. Sada was a well-traveled and highly-skilled pilot who moved through Iraq's military ranks up to the position of general. He gives an amazing insight into the military life of the Saddam era and the problems of a Christian military man dealing with Iraq's corrupt Baath party. Sada comes across with considerable bravado at times but it never seems pretentious; that seems to be who the general is and only adds to his storys' credibility. This is a "must read" for anybody who wants to be knowledgeable about what was going in Iraq, what is going on there now, and why.

There is a chance that the General stretches the truth. Maybe he is motivated by money as some detractors suggest. Considering the general's history and his current position, I'd say that Sada has much more to lose than the money he would gain by stuffing this book with untruths. This book would have sold anyway. I do not see what Sada's motivation would be for lying. Much of this book is the General's opinion, of course, but he provides many facts that should be easily verifiable. If he's lying, he will be uncovered quickly. I've spent many hours already checking up on the facts I'm interested in and I've not been able to find anything that doesn't check out (but I'm not a skilled journalist, of course, I'd love to hear if anybody finds anything here that is not correct).

The biggest bombshell in "Saddam's Secrets" is Sada's report that fifty six flights of commercial 747's & 727's transferred Iraq's remaining WMDs to Syria in late 2002 and early 2003. This will continue to be the subject of much debate in the future. If Sada is correct, all of the "Bush & Co. lied to us" apostles need begin preparing their contrition (many will just begin claiming that Bush knew about the WMD transfers to Syria, but he lied to us anyway - people believe what they want to believe).

Sada also discusses Hussein's nuclear weapon desires, discusses Hussein's nuclear program, and also reports that Hussein paid the Chinese for nuclear weapons which apparently were never delivered. Sada discusses the fascinating Ambassador April Glaspie "OK to attack Kuwait" situation (although it's clear to me that she didn't, Hussein did portray the discussion to his military as if she had given him a green light) and he discusses that war. Sada overviews secret Iraqi plans to attack Israel & Saudi Arabia in '91 (which were developed but which never came to fruition), and Sada reports on his handling of US POWs and explains that Lieutenant Commander Scott Speicher was killed when an Iraqi R-40 missile hit his F-18 over Iraq and that Scott was never a POW as many have believed; Sada was in charge of the analysis of that and other aircraft crashes in Iraq.

Sada explains how Hussein played the world for fools in the UN's oil-for-food debacle, how up to 5,000 Iraqi citizen's were dying monthly due to that program before we finally took Hussein out, and how the no-fly zones helped the Kurds and the Marsh Arabs but did not protect them from his chemical weapons and other diabolical schemes.

Our Senate's upcoming hearings with General Sada should be fascinating. Having read this book already will be a boon for anybody closely following those hearings.

I am an ex Air Force Service man, and served my country during the Vietnamese war. However,I am a Christian and was born in Iraq and lived there for twenty years before immigrating to the land of the free.I was given a copy of General Georges Sada's book by one of my relatives. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down. I found this book believable, intriguing and very interesting. This book will give the reader a better insight about the Iraqi people and their history, It will give the reader a picture of life before, during and after the removal of Saddam. I pray that more Americans will read this book to get a better understanding of why we had to remove Saddam, and why we are trying to create a democracy in Iraq. I found General Georges Sada to be a very brave and honarable man. He is speaking the truth when there are so many that are trying to paint a different picture to the events. This book is highly recommended, its must read for all who want to hear the truth. And it should be required reading by any one who is concerned about us being in Iraq.

This book is so incredibly fascinating. I see Mr. Sada as a modern day Daniel. Just as Nebuchadnezzer called on Daniel when he wanted the truth, Saddam would send for Georges Sada when he needed the real truth spoken. Sada is an Assyrian Christian and places truth and honor and obedience to what is right in God's eyes above all else. Because of this, Saddam always knew that he would get a straight answer from Sada rather than the "yes" men who surrounded Saddam.

If you can lay aside any anti or pro Bush and US feelings, I believe you will get a true picture of the monster who destroyed the once great country of Iraq. Sada rightly points out, in my opinion, that as bad as Saddam was, his sons Uday and Qusay, were one hundred times worse and would have been real trouble for everyone if they had ever come to power. Georges Sada weaves a fascinating story of his days as a fighter pilot and the book is well worth the read even if you dismiss anything that has to do with America. Sada regularly put his own life on the line to defend innocent parties, be they Iraqis or Coalition POWs from the Gulf War.

I believe God truly used this man to make a bad situation better. Just as Daniel did not fear the lion's den, so Georges Sada did not fear the results of telling the truth.

I have just finished Saddam's Secrets and felt compelled to express my opinion, especially after reading some very misguided reviews of his fine book I was very moved by this book and the integrity of the author. It was great read that I found hard to put down.
I was born in Iraq, and I am Christian. We moved to America for a better life. We love our new country. I have kept tabs to my former
Country and know that Mr.Sada's views are consistent with my own independent findings.
I feel everyone should get exposure to this book to properly frame
The events before, during and and after the brutal, inhuman reign of Saddam Hussein. It also helps to put into context the decisions
The Bush administration made. Alot of the negative criticism was
actually there, they are quick to dismiss any information that might challenge their core beliefs and threaten their identity
(Anti Bush).
Intellectual honesty demands a proper weighing of new ideas and information. I hope this book and author gets it's day in the courtroom of public opinion. It very well could be a catalyst to us closer together as a country. I hope so!

THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR ALL AMERICANS.

Sada put his faith in God on the line time after time, knowing that Saddam's unpredictable temper could mean a gun to the temple. His indictment of the former Iraqi president in this book is likely to vindicate an American one. A remarkable story from a remarkable man.

This ex-Iraqi General had the inside scoop of Saddam's WMD program being inside Saddam's inner circle. He also knows in detail how Saddam's WMD's were smuggled out of Iraq into Damascus, Syria before the current war. Definately a must read eye opener.