The man behind the Iran arms report reveals the backstory

--

Accusations of bias

Critics said Fingar's team understated the threat to undermine the president.

"They wanted to forestall any possible military action by the Bush administration against Iran's nuclear program," said John R. Bolton, the former United Nations ambassador.

Bolton and others said that Fingar had surrounded himself with State Department colleagues who were hostile to the Bush administration and its approach to Iran. There is some evidence to support that view. Immerman published a paper before joining the government in which he called the Bush foreign policy team "cognitively impaired."

Fingar said the Iran intelligence report emphasized the halt in warhead work because that was the newest finding. He attributes the attacks to anger among hard-liners that the report didn't conform to their preconceived views.

"The unhappiness with the finding -- namely that the evil Iranians might be susceptible to diplomacy -- adroitly turned into an ad hominem assault," Fingar said. "Why do we have an intelligence community if all you want are cheerleaders?"

The lasting impact of the report on Iran policy has been unclear. Weeks after its release, the U.N. approved new sanctions against Tehran, but they fell far short of what the Bush administration wanted.

Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney continue to argue that Iran is unbowed in its pursuit of the bomb. And military officials are stepping up charges that Iran is helping destabilize Iraq, accusations denied by Tehran.

But even while brushing aside the complaints from hard-liners, Fingar said the reactions of those on Capitol Hill and elsewhere who welcomed the report's findings still ring in his ears.

"We briefed a lot of committees and members," Fingar said. "In every session, one or more people reached across the table and said, 'Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your integrity.' I began to resent this. Treating integrity and professionalism as if it is an unusual and courageous act. I frankly was dismayed."

--

greg.miller@latimes.com