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"We destroyed them. We told you, with documents. That's it."

These are the recorded words of Saddam Hussein referring to the weapons of mass destruction Iraq was thought to have possessed. Earlier this month, a series of FBI interviews conducted with the former Iraqi dictator after his capture were released, detailing Hussein's account of how and why he convinced the world he possessed WMD even with an invasion by allied forces imminent.

Hussein reveals that it was not America but Iran that Iraq perceived as a threat. States one memo, "Hussein... was more concerned about Iran discovering Iraq's weaknesses and vulnerabilities than the repercussions of the United Stated for his refusal to allow U.N. inspectors back into Iraq."

"By God," says Hussein to the interviewer. "If I had such weapons, I would have used them in the fight against the United States."

Iraq's government considered Iran -- long developing its own WMD -- to be a serious threat. Hussein points in the memo to Iran's advantages, saying that "Iran's weapons capabilities have increased dramatically, while Iraq's have been eliminated by the U.N. sanctions." The memo continues, "The Iranians obtained long-range missiles from Libya which could strike deep into Iraq."

Hussein's concern about Iran led him to construct an elaborate hoax to convince the world -- and even his own subordinates -- that Iraq possessed those weapons. The memo reads, "Even though Hussein claimed Iraq did not have WMD, the threat from Iran was the major factor as to why he did not allow the return of the UN inspectors."

Furthermore, the memo states that Hussein claimed Iraq was able to withstand another United States strike, and, in his opinion, this was less threatening to Hussein than appearing vulnerable to Iran.

The trick worked, leading to a unanimous verdict among Western intelligence agencies: Hussein had the weapons. Among the many reasons given for the American decision to invade Iraq -- including his ties to al-Qaeda, which The Jewish State detailed last year after the release of another batch of previously classified information -- was Iraq's weapons capability. Hussein was apparently willing to risk an invasion and even his ouster to keep Iran at bay.

Hussein remains staunch in his opinions throughout the memos. "[He] believed that Iraq could not appear weak to its enemies, especially Iran. ... Operationally, Hussein was demonstrating Iraq's compliance with the United Nations in its destruction of its Weapons of Mass Destruction."

Throughout the discussion of WMD, Hussein's frustration with the parade of the U.N. inspectors becomes evident. Cooperation with inspectors meant completely opening up Iraq to the U.N., including allowing access to the palaces of Iraq, which Hussein tells the interviewer was very difficult for him. The memo reads, "The palaces represented the sovereignty of Iraq." At one point, Hussein asked if the U.S. would condone an inspection for weapons carried out by the Iraqis in the White House. He went on to say, "A country that accepts being violated will bring dishonor to its people."

Regardless of the absence of WMD, Hussein stated his beliefs that the U.S. was "looking for a reason to do something" and that the Iraqi government merely provided the opportunity for a conflict between the two nations. Even with his insistence that Iran was a greater threat than the U.S., Hussein states in the memo that he knew a battle with the U.S. would leave Iraq in a poor position. However, Hussein stands by the decisions made: "If Iraq had given up its principles, we would have been worthless." As the memo continues, he consistently defers responsibility for U.N. sanctions and points to traditions and cultural convictions as the basis for decisions that led to the sanctions.

He concludes this particular discussion by asserting that Iraq was wholly compliant with the U.N., and it was the U.S., not himself, who was to blame for the way politics unraveled surrounding the issue of Iraq and WMD. "The United States was planning to destroy Iraq," reads the memo. "An intention pushed by Zionism and the effect of Zionism on elections in the United States."

In spite of the idea that the United States intended to "destroy Iraq," Hussein maintained his dangerous front before the world. In respect to being victim to the United States' intentions and the U.N. sanctions he believed resulted from these intentions, Hussein told one interviewer, "We are among the few remaining cavaliers."