President George H. Bush wrote a letter directly to President Saddam
Hussein on 9 January 1991. The letter was carried by Secretary of
State James Baker to Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, who refused to
pass the letter on after reading it. Below is the text of the letter:
Mr. President:
We stand today at the brink of war between Iraq
and the world. This is a war that began with your invasion of
Kuwait; this is a war that can be ended only by Iraq's full and
unconditional compliance with U.N. Security Council resolution
678.
I am writing you now, directly, because what is
at stake demands that no opportunity be lost to avoid what would
be a certain calamity for the people of Iraq. I am writing, as
well, because it is said by some that you do not understand just
how isolated Iraq is and what Iraq faces as a result.
I am not in a position to judge whether this impression
is correct; what I can do, though, is try in this letter to reinforce
what Secretary of State Baker told your foreign minister and eliminate
any uncertainty or ambiguity that might exist in your mind about
where we stand and what we are prepared to do.
The international community is united in its call
for Iraq to leave all of Kuwait without condition and without
further delay. This is not simply the policy of the United States;
it is the position of the world community as expressed in no less
than twelve Security Council resolutions.
We prefer a peaceful outcome. However, anything
less than full compliance with UN Security Council resolution
678 and its predecessors is unacceptable.
There can be no reward for aggression. Nor will
there be any negotiation. Principle cannot be compromised. However,
by its full compliance, Iraq will gain the opportunity to rejoin
the international community.
More immediately, the Iraqi military establishment
will escape destruction. But unless you withdraw from Kuwait completely
and without condition, you will lose more than Kuwait.
What is at issue here is not the future of Kuwait—it
will be free, its government will be restored—but rather
the future of Iraq. This choice is yours to make.
The United States will not be separated from its
coalition partners. Twelve Security Council resolutions, twenty-eight
countries providing military units to enforce them, more than
one hundred governments complying with sanctions—all highlight
the fact that it is not Iraq against the United States, but Iraq
against the world.
That most Arab and Muslim countries are arrayed
against you as well should reinforce what I am saying. Iraq cannot
and will not be able to hold on to Kuwait or exact a price for
leaving.
You may be tempted to find solace in the diversity
of opinion that is American democracy. You should resist any such
temptation. Diversity ought not to be confused with division.
Nor should you underestimate, as others have before you, America's
will.
Iraq is already feeling the effects of the sanctions
mandated by the United Nations. Should war come, it will be a
far greater tragedy for you and your country.
Let me state, too, that the United States will
not tolerate the use of chemical or biological weapons or the
destruction of Kuwait's oil fields and installations. Further,
you will be held directly responsible for terrorist actions against
any member of the coalition.
The American people would demand the strongest
possible response. You and your country will pay a terrible price
if you order unconscionable acts of this sort.
I write this letter not to threaten, but to inform.
I do so with no sense of satisfaction, for the people of the United
States have no quarrel with the people of Iraq.
Mr. President, U.N. Security Council resolution
678 establishes the period before January 15 of this year as a
"pause of good will" so that this crisis may end without further
violence. Whether this pause is used as intended, or merely becomes
a prelude to further violence, is in your hands, and yours alone.
I hope you weigh your choice carefully and choose wisely, for
much will depend upon it.
George Bush
