Greg Theilmann
Encyclopedia
Greg Theilmann was the acting director of the Office of Strategic Proliferation and Military Affairs at the U.S. State Department. He was the person responsible for analyzing the Iraq
i weapons threat for Colin Powell
. Theilmann is a career foreign service officer who spent 25 years as a diplomat and served two different tours in the State Department's Intelligence Bureau, totaling seven years.
Theilmann is a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
(VIPS
).
and the George W. Bush
Administration. He has said that the Bush Administration repeatedly overstated the Iraqi threat, using evidence that the intelligence community knew was questionable. Theilmann says these overstatements continued despite his repeatedly notifying Colin Powell that the claims were baseless. He criticized the Bush Administration for what he called "faith-based intelligence":
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i weapons threat for Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
. Theilmann is a career foreign service officer who spent 25 years as a diplomat and served two different tours in the State Department's Intelligence Bureau, totaling seven years.
Theilmann is a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity is a group of current and former officials of the United States Intelligence Community, including some from the Central Intelligence Agency , the U.S. State Department's Intelligence Bureau, and the Defense Intelligence Agency...
(VIPS
VIPS
VIPS may stand for:* Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, a group of current and former officials of the United States Intelligence Community* Volunteers in Police Service, a volunteer program that provides volunteer assistance to local police...
).
Bush Administration Critic
Theilmann is an outspoken critic of the rationale for the Iraq WarRationale for the Iraq War
The rationale for the Iraq War has been a contentious issue since the Bush administration began actively pressing for military intervention in Iraq in late 2001. The primary rationalization for the Iraq War was articulated by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress known as the Iraq Resolution.The...
and the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Administration. He has said that the Bush Administration repeatedly overstated the Iraqi threat, using evidence that the intelligence community knew was questionable. Theilmann says these overstatements continued despite his repeatedly notifying Colin Powell that the claims were baseless. He criticized the Bush Administration for what he called "faith-based intelligence":
- "There's plenty of blame to go around. The main problem was that the senior administration officials have what I call faith-based intelligence. They knew what they wanted the intelligence to show.
- They were really blind and deaf to any kind of countervailing information the intelligence community would produce. I would assign some blame to the intelligence community and most of the blame to the senior administration officials."