Iraq may still have the knowledge required to build a “supergun” capable of propelling deadly ammunition toward Israel, despite the murder of its designer, according to a declassified Canadian Defense Department report.
The designer, Gerald Bull, who was murdered by unknown assailants, created massive and deadly weapons, which he sold to the highest bidder. The report, “Bull: His Obsession and His Legend,” deals with his career and ballistic achievements.
The report was prepared by the Canadian government’s Intelligence Advisory Committee and the Defense Department’s Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence. Markings on the document, labeled “Secret,” warn that “sensitive methods and procedures” were used to prepare it.
The document refers to rumored Iraqi plans to build a huge cannon-like gun with designs furnished by Bull and parts ordered from half a dozen countries worldwide. These plans were sidetracked when Bull, a former resident of Quebec’s South Shore community of St. Bruno, was found murdered outside his apartment in a Brussels suburb on March 22.
Bull, who was 62, was shot by unknown assassins. At the time, his son was quoted as saying that Bull feared Israel’s Mossad would come for him eventually.
Iraq’s scheme was delayed earlier this year by the seizure in several European ports of massive tubes, which are largely believed to have been intended for construction of a “supergun” or “supercannon.”
Tubes over 3 feet wide and about 475 feet long were discovered in ports in northern England, Italy and Greece. The Iraqis claimed the tubes were to be used for nonmilitary purposes. But the width and strength of the steel casing led experts to believe otherwise.
A cannon constructed of these tubes would be capable of firing a two-ton projectile into low orbit, powerful enough to hit Israel.
Despite the capture of eight tubes, it is believed by their manufacturers that an additional 44 such parts had already reached Iraq.
The Canadian declassified document raises concerns that the involvement of Bull and other leading experts may have already provided Iraq with the capability to deliver dangerous payloads against its enemies, payloads that could alter the delicate strategic balance of the region.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
