News reporter Bob Drogin, OC ’73, was the first of three speakers to come to campus to give perspectives on the Iraq War. Drogin’s book, and the focus of his lecture, Curveball: Spies, Lies and the Con Man Who Caused a War details the history of an Iraqi defector codenamed Curveball, whose influence helped send the US into the war in Iraq.

President Krislov introduced the Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times journalist on Monday  in Hallock Auditorium. “I hope that this will provide the basis for thoughtful, respectful discussion and debate,” Krislov said.

Drogin spent most of the hour discussing Curveball, the US intelligence system and government policy about Iraq leading up to the 2003 invasion.

Curveball’s story began in 1999 when the Iraqi engineer fled to Germany seeking political asylum. For two years the German authorities interrogated Curveball, believing he had information on Saddam Hussein’s biological weapons program. Curveball actually had only a brief connection with a government seed project, but lied to stay in the country. Drogin explained, “At the time, if you had good intelligence on Iraq you could get asylum.”

After September 11, President George W. Bush cited Curveball’s information in his state of the union speech, helping justify the invasion of Iraq. Then Secretary of the State Colin Powell also referenced Curveball in his speech to the UN Security Council.

However, the CIA did not investigate his background or see the transcripts of his interrogations until after the Iraq War began. “This information, to me, was like a children’s game of telephone,” commented Drogin. In 2004 the CIA officially declared Curveball a fabricator and withdrew all reports on him.

Drogin was highly critical of the CIA’s handling of Curveball’s information. “Intelligence in this country operates somewhere between a cult and a craft, not a science,” he said. He explained his interest in the case because of its large influence on U.S. politics before the war and its consequences after. “It’s a great yarn. It’s like a cowboy story. Guy comes to town, and all hell breaks loose,” Drogin said.

Following the lecture, the audience was eager to discuss whether or not the U.S. would have invaded Iraq without Curveball’s intelligence. Drogin was reluctant to make a definitive statement but stated that Curveball was pivotal in the decision to invade Iraq. In response to a question regarding the government’s competence, he asserted that many aspects of Curveball’s information were mishandled..

He added, “I don’t see any changes that are happening that would keep this from happening again and that gives me pause.”

One student said afterward, “I don’t know what to think. I don’t know if it’s all true, but I think it’s interesting to be aware of what goes on behind the scenes.”