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Excerpt from a transcript of his July 25, 1990, meeting with U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie

Transcript obtained by British journalists on September 2, 1990

On July 25, 1990, a week before Iraq launched its military invasion of Kuwait, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein held a meeting with April Glaspie, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq. This meeting marked the last official high-level contact between the Iraqi and American governments before the invasion. During his meeting with Glaspie, Hussein outlined a long list of complaints against Kuwait. He discussed the ongoing border disputes between the two countries, for example, and also accused Kuwait of pursuing policies that were intended to harm Iraq's economy. Glaspie listened to Hussein's concerns and expressed sympathy for Iraq's financial problems. She also emphasized the U.S. government's wish to maintain friendly relations with Iraq.

The...