The Saddam Files unveils the inner workings of Saddam Hussein’s regime from 1979 to 2003. Comprising Iraqi documents captured during the 2003 US-led invasion and originally housed at the Conflict Records Research Center (CRRC), the collection includes high-level government records, transcripts of Presidential Diwan meetings, ministerial correspondence, and nearly 200 hours of audio recordings. These materials illuminate Saddam’s leadership during critical junctures such as the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the lead-up to the 2003 invasion, shedding light on the regime’s military strategies, internal governance, and international diplomacy.
Highlights of the collection include transcripts of Saddam’s war councils during the Iran-Iraq War, which detail strategic decisions, discussions of Iraq’s chemical weapons program, and plans for regional military dominance. Audio recordings capture Saddam’s personal reflections on US-Iraq relations, including his response to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and speculation about CIA activities. Other key documents reveal the regime’s tactics to undermine UN sanctions in the 1990s, correspondence with global leaders such as Yasser Arafat and Jacques Chirac, and rare glimpses into Saddam’s views on Arab nationalism and party ideology.
Contributed to the Wilson Center Digital Archive by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll, this collection is a vital resource for scholars and the public, offering a comprehensive view of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and its complex role in regional and global politics.
Michael Brill introduces The Saddam Files. These records, donated by Steve Coll, are a subset of the materials once held at the Conflict Records Research Center.
