BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ON THE PRESIDENT AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02779200
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 30, 2019
• Case Number: F-2018-01337
• Publication Date: February 10, 1963

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NFP)RMATION tPORT
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the
793 and 794. the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an use uthorized person is 0roh;bited by law
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SUBJECT
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
APPRAISAL
IRAQ
BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ON THE PRESIDENT
AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT
OF IRAQ
3
FEBRUARY 1963
REPORT NO.
DATE DISTR.
PRECEDENCE
REFERENCES
10 FEBRUA_RYK EN
_K FF
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PRIORITY _itoivrEir
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FIELD REPORT NO.
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_SCHLESINGER
7IESNER
THIS Is UNEVALUATED INFORMATION. SOURCE GRADINGS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT is TENTATIVE.
SOURCE
COMMENT:
1. ON 8 FEBRUARY 1963, ABD-AL-SALAAM MUHAMMAD ARIF WAS
"ELECTED" PRESIDENT OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ BY THE NATIONAL
(pcRc)
COUNCIL FOR REVOLUTIONARY COMMAND/. ARIF'S PARTICIPATION IN PLANNING
(BATH PARTY OF IRAQ)
FOR AN ANTI-QASIM COUP WAS FIRST SOLICITED BY THE BPI/REGIONAL
IRAQI LEADERSHIP (BPRL) IN EARLY APRIL 1962. AT THAT TIME, AD HOC
BPI DEMONSTRATIONS DESIGNED TO SHOW VISITING ALGERIAN PREMIER
BEN BELLA THAT QASIM WAS NOT THE SOLE POLITICAL POWER IN IRAQ HAD
DEVELOPED INTO A SHOW OF BATHIST STRENGTH WHICH SURPRISED EVEN THE
BPRL AND RALLIED UNEXPECTED SUPPORT FROWOTHER NATIONALISTS. IN
APRIL, ARIF OUTLINED A COURSE OF ACTION WHICH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY
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FOLLOWED BY THE BPRL, CULMINATING IN THE 8 FEBRUARY 196 TANK
ATTACK ON THE DEFENSE MINISTRY.
COMMENT:
PLANNING FOR AN APRIL 1962 COUP WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE ARREST OF
BPI BAGHDAD BRANCH, LATER BPRL , LEADER MUHSIN SHAYKH RADHY,
AND ALL KEY LEADERS OF THE BPI ORGANIZATION IN THE SECURITY
AND POLICE SERVICES IN LATE APRIL 1962. IN THE COURSE OF THE FOLL-
OWING TWO MONTHS, BPRL LEADERS DECIDED THAT ARIF REPRESENTED A
SECURITY HAZARD BECAUSE HE TENDS TO TRUST ANYONE HE LIKES WITH
POLITICAL SECRETS. THEY ALSO WERE AWARE OF ARIF'S PREDILECTION
FOR DEMAGOGUERY. IN THE PLAN DEVELOPED FOR A COUP TO BE STAGED
IN JULY 1962, ARIF WAS SLATED TO BECOME ONE OF A THREE-MAN
PRESIDENTIAL COUNCIL WITH MUHAMMAD MAHDI KUBBA AND BRIGADIER
NAJI TALIB, WITH THE REAL POWER TO BE VESTED IN A REVOLUTIONARY
COUNCIL, HEADED BY BRIGADIER AHMAD HASAN BAKR AS PRIME MINISTER.
COMMENT: SEE THE JULY COUP PLAN WAS CANCELLED ON
15 JULY. WHEN COUP PLANNING WAS RESUMED BY THE BPRL IN NOVEMBER
1962, ARIF WAS NOT CONSULTED. HOWEVER, WHEN THE FORM AND COMPOSITION
OF A NEW GOVERNMENT WAS DRAWN UP BY THE BPRL ON 12 DECEMBER 19624 FOR
'
A COUP TO BE STAGED ON 20 DECEMBER 1962, ARIF WAS SLATED, WITHOUT
HIS KNOWLEDGE. TO BECOME INTERIM PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AND. A
MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE, PENDING RFSTflRATInN
OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS.
COMMENT: SEE
. AT THAT
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TIME, IT WAS THE BPRL INTENTION TO RESTRICT ARIF TO THE PERFORMANCE
OF A CEREMONIAL ROLE, WHILE USING HIS NAME AND CHARISMA TO ATTRACT
SUPPORT FROM NATIONALIST AND PRO-NASIR ELEMENTS. THE FACT THAT ARIF
HAS BEEN EXCLUDED FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE REVOLUTIONARY
COMMAND, FORMED ON 8 FEBRUARY 1963, MAY BE REGARDED AS AN INDICATION
THAT THE BPI IS NOT SO BEHOLDEN TO PRO-NASIR OR OTHER NON-BATH
OFFICERS FOR THE SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION OF THE FEBRUARY COUP THAT IT
NEED INCLUDE ARIF IN THE NCRC WHICH WILL GOVERN THE EXECUTIVE BODY.
AT THE SAME TIME, IT CAN SAFELY BE ASSUMED THAT THE BPRL HAS
RESPECT FOR ARIF, BOTH AS A DRAWING CARD WITH THE POPULACE AND AS
A POTENTIAL DEMAGOGUE. THE BPRL WILL PROBABLY REFRAIN FROM EXCLUDING
ARIF ALTOGETHER, A COURSE WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN PREFERABLE
SO FAR AS BPI SECRETARY GENERAL ALI SALIN AND HIS CLOSE ASSOCIATES
ARE CONCERNED.
2. ALSO ON 8 FEBRUARY, THE NCRC ANNOUNCED THE FORMATION OF THE
NEW GOVERNMENT WITH BRIGADIER AHMAD HASAN BAKR AS PRIME MINISTER.
WITH REGARD TO BAKR, IN SEPTEMBER 1958, QASIM'S MILITARY POLICE MADE
A LITTLE KNOWN ERROR WHICH WAS TO CONTRIBUTE TO QASIM'S DEMISE.
THEY PLACED TWO ARMY OFFICERS WHO HAD EACH ATTEMPTED TO STAGE
LIGHTENING COUPS AGAINST QASIM IN THE SAME JAIL CELL. THE JUNIOR
OF THE TWO, THEN MAJOR SALIN MAHDI AMMASH, RECRUITED THE
SENIOR, BRIGADIER AHMAD HASAN BAKR, INTO THE BPI. HAVING
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DEPLETED THE NATIONALIST SIDE OF THE CAREFUL BALANCE, HE WAS WONT
TO KEEP IN THE OFFICER CORPS, IN THE WAKE OF THE ABORTIVE BPI/UAP'
SPONSORED SHAWAF MUTINY IN MOSUL IN 1959 QASIM MADE HIS SECOND
MISTAKE BY RESTORING AMMASH AND BAKR TO ACTIVE DUTY, THE FORMER
AS OPERATIONS OFFICER OF THE IRAQI AIR FORCE AND THE LATTER AS
OFFICER COMMANDING THE NINETEENTH BRIGADE. ALTHOUGH BAKR WAS
RETIRED SUBSEQUENTLY, HIS SKILL IN ORGANIZING CLANDESTINELY AND THE
RESPECT IN WHICH HE WAS HELD BY HIS MEN PROVED INVALUABLE TO THE
BPI ARMY BUREAU - SO MUCH SO THAT IN FEBRUARY 1963 THERE WERE
STILL EIGHTEEN BPI OFFICERS ORGANIZED IN QASIM'S OWN OLD BRIGADE -
THE NINETEENTH, WHOSE_ORGANIZATION INTO BPI CELLS DATED BACK TO THE
TIME OF BAKR'S COMMAND. BAKR'S MITE WAS USED BY THE BPI ARMY
BUREAU IN ORGANIZING FOURTH ARMORED REGIMENT COMMANDER KHALID
MAKKI AL HASHIMI, WHO LATER ORGANIZED THE BATH CELLS IN THAT
REGIMENT WHICH, IN TURN SPEARHEADED THE 8 FEBRUARY COUP. BAKR
IS, IF ANYTHING, HELD IN GREATER RESPECT BY THE BPI CIVILIAN
ORGANIZERS OF THE COUP THAN BY HIS MILITARY FOLLOWERS. FIFTY
YEAR OLD CAREER SOLDIER, HE IS BELIEVED BY THE BPRL TO HARBOR NO
PERSONAL AMBITION, AND TO HAVE A DEEP ROOTED PERSONAL BELIEF IN
THE PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRATIC CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT. BAKR HAS BEEN
DESCRIBED BY BPRL MEMBERS AS MODEST, STRAIGHT FORWARD AND LOYAL.
ALTHOUGH BAKR HAS NEVER HELD AN IMPORTANT BPI OFFICE, AND THUS
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APPEARS SOMETHING OF A FIGUREHEAD, HE WOULD APPEAR TO HAVE THE
AGE, EXPERIENCE, AND LEADERSHIP WHICH MIGHT MAKE AN EFFECTIVE PRIME
MINISTER. IF, AS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN SYRIA, THE YOUTHFUL
LEADERS OF THE BATH BEGIN TO DISPLAY INERTIA AND PREDILECTION TO
SEEK PERSONAL POWER ONCE THEY HAVE EMERGED FROM THE UNDERGROUND
IN WHICH THE PARTY HAS OPERATED FOR SO LONG BAKR MAY HAVE THE
STRENGTH TO HOLD THE NEW GOVERNMENT TOGETHER AND, BY DOING SO,
EMERGE AS A TRUE PRIME MINISTER.
3. DISSEM STATE, ARMY, AIR, CINCNELM, CINCSOUTH (PERSONAL)
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