Home > War in the Persian Gulf > April Glaspie Biography

Born April 26, 1942

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

U.S. ambassador to Iraq before the 1991 Persian Gulf War

"I hope my credibility is at least as great as Saddam Hussein's."

April Glaspie quoted in New Republic.

April Glaspie served as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq in the years leading up to Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. A week before the invasion occurred, Glaspie was called to a meeting with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (see entry). They discussed a number of matters, including the increasing tension between Iraq and its smaller neighbor. When the Iraqi government released a transcript (written record) of the meeting following the invasion of Kuwait, it created a huge controversy. Some people claimed that Glaspie's comments had encouraged Hussein to send his military forces into Kuwait. But Glaspie argued that the Iraqis had edited the transcript in...