Secret Baghdad Embassy Plans Turn Up Online
May 31 09:10 PM US/Eastern
By MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Detailed plans for the new U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad appeared online Thursday in a breach of the tight security surrounding the sensitive project.
Computer-generated projections of the soon-to-be completed, heavily fortified compound were posted on the Web site of the Kansas City, Mo.-based architectural firm that was contracted to design the massive facility in the Iraqi capital.
The images were removed by Berger Devine Yaeger Inc. shortly after the company was contacted by the State Department.
“We work very hard to ensure the safety and security of our employees overseas,” said Gonzalo Gallegos, a department spokesman. “This kind of information out in the public domain detracts from that effort.”
The 10 images included a scheme of the overall layout of the compound, plus depictions of individual buildings including the embassy itself, office annexes, the Marine Corps security post, swimming pool, recreation center and the ambassador’s and deputy ambassador’s residences.
U.S. officials said the posted plans conformed at least roughly to conceptual drawings for the new embassy, which is being built on the banks of the Tigris River behind huge fences due to concerns about insurgents’ attacks.
Dan Sreebny, a spokesman for the embassy in Baghdad, declined to discuss the accuracy of the posted images.
“In terms of commenting whether they’re accurate, obviously we wouldn’t be commenting on that because we don’t want people to know whether they’re accurate or not for security reasons,” he said.
Berger Devine Yaeger’s parent company, the giant contractor Louis Berger Group, said the plans had been very preliminary and would not be of help to potential U.S. enemies.
“The actual information that was up there was purely conjectural and conceptual in nature,” said company spokesman Jeffrey Willis. “Google Earth could give you a better snapshot of what the site looks like on the ground.”
Some U.S. officials acknowledged that damage may have been done by the postings and used expletives to describe their personal reactions. Still, they downplayed the overall risk.
“People are eventually going to figure out where all these places are, but you don’t have to draw them a map,” said one senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the embassy project.
Few are, and in Baghdad, the construction is under heavy guard and treated with extreme secrecy. It is off-limits to all but those with special passes, surrounded by tall, concrete blast walls and impossible to see except from the air.
The images posted on the Web site show that the $592 million embassy, expected to be completed in September on prime real estate two-thirds the size of Washington’s National Mall, will be a spacious and comfortable facility, albeit dangerous.
Identified as the “Baghdad U.S. Embassy Compound Master Plan,” the images show palm-lined paths, green grass gardens and volleyball and basketball courts outside the Marine post, as well as the swimming pool.
“In total, the 104-acre compound will include over twenty buildings, including one classified secure structure and housing for over 380 families,” the Web site says.
It says the compound will include the embassy building, housing, a PX, commissary, cinema, retail and shopping areas, restaurants, schools, a fire station, power and water treatment plants as well as telecommunications and wastewater treatment facilities.
A U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee report last year said embassy security will be extraordinary: Setbacks and perimeter no-go areas will be especially deep, structures reinforced to 2.5 times the standard and five high-security entrances, plus an emergency entrance- exit.
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This country unfortunately is full of morons. Why would any company post the plans for the US embassy so any insurgent would know where to strike? Maroons!
May 31st, 2007 at 8:39 pmI would like to take a bet that someone in the company is
June 1st, 2007 at 1:27 ama. a muslim
b.a moonbat
c.just dumb
I suppose that somewhere in there someone was ready to put the plans of the reinforcing,concrete structures and the whole plans on the new for the terrorists to copy and plan a big truck bomb for the weakest part, and there would be weak parts, as no structure is foolproof.
Its one thing to boast about the company but competly another to aid the enemy. The company should have all its defense contracts cancelled immediatly and new plans drawn up and awarded to another PATRIOTIC american construction company, one with PATRIOIC americans and only americans working in it. No cheap foreiners.
If this were to happen in Aus, he shit would hit the fan big time. Get your house in order.Make this a hanging offense.Christ what a moronic company
It was probably a reporter for the New York Times.
June 1st, 2007 at 8:38 amThe tough the thing about this is that there are people in this country (US) that wake up pissed off because we’re too wealthy & too powerful. If you don’t like this country you have the right to say so, but what the hell is the point of staying here and trying to ensure its destruction if you hate it so much? Not only do we need to enforce the borers we should deport these despots as well.
June 1st, 2007 at 7:48 pmI like the idea of such a complex. Sounds like we’re committed to a long presence in that country like we should be. Now we just need another 300,000 troops in country.
June 3rd, 2007 at 6:48 pm