Word: sarin
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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WASHINGTON: With soldiers from Operation Tailwind in the room as living corroboration, Secretary of Defense William Cohen spoke slowly and clearly: "We have found absolutely no evidence to support CNN-TIME's assertions" that the operation involved the use of deadly sarin nerve gas on American defectors. The statement was hardly surprising -- the Pentagon has denied the substance of the report ever since it originally aired on CNN on June 7 -- but a defensive Cohen acknowledged the difficulty of stuffing the report back in its Pandora...
...ever prove to every individual that [the use of sarin] was not the case? Probably not," Cohen said from the Pentagon. But "the retractions of both CNN and TIME should say it all." After mentioning pointedly that the story was welcome grist for Saddam Hussein in his propaganda campaign against the U.S., Cohen repeatedly praised the participants of Operation Tailwind for their valor and said that he hoped their reputations could be fully restored. Cohen looked relieved when the questioning moved on to other topics -- and he is certainly not alone in that sentiment...
Another source was retired Admiral Thomas Moorer, who at the time was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Moorer, now 86, indicated that sarin was "available" and offered what CNN took to be a confirmation that the deadly gas was used. He now says that he never had any direct knowledge that sarin was used, never meant to confirm its use and only heard about it later through "rumors" or "verbal statements...
...General John Singlaub was also quoted in a way that seemed to confirm that American defectors were intentionally killed. He was not, however, involved in the Tailwind mission, and he says he has no knowledge of the events there. Subsequently he has been among those denouncing the assertion that sarin gas was used...
...initial story, CNN also conducted telephone interviews with a former senior military official who would not go on the record but at times seemed to confirm the use of sarin gas. His statements, however, were not based on first-hand knowledge. Since the broadcast and story, this source has stated that he does not believe the gas used was sarin or nerve...