Recent Controversy Ritter has been in a continuing squabble with the Pentagon over a forthcoming book in which he is expected to accuse the Clinton administration of establishing roadblocks in the search for evidence of Iraqi chemical and biological weapons. According to published reports, Ritter's book also will detail some of his work for the United Nations. In February, the Defense Department wrote Ritter's lawyer, saying the former arms inspector was required to turn over the book for a security review prior to publication. Such a move would be likely to delay publication, scheduled for this month. Ritter has balked at the Pentagon's demand, charging the government's action is an effort to silence him.
Court action is possible.
In the aftermath of last December's Anglo-American bombing of Iraq, Ritter accused the United States of maneuvering U.N. arms inspectors in Iraq into providing a pretext or provocation for the attacks. Role as U.N. Arms Inspector Ritter joined the United Nations' arms inspection effort in Iraq in 1991. Subsequently, his presence on U.N. inspection teams became a flash point with the Iraqi government. The U.N. inspectors' mission was to certify that Iraq was free of weapons of mass destruction before economic sanctions, residue of the Gulf War, could be lifted. Iraq has implosion-type nuclear devices, which could become atomic bombs if fissionable material is obtained.