To: Iraq Intelligence Service, D4
RE: Uday Muhsin Khadr al-Khafaji
This formal clarification is prompted by interviews with officers from D4 (Date: July 30) and the Directorate of Military Intelligence (Date: July 22) concerning the desertion of my nephew, Uday Muhsin Khadr al-Khafaji. Let it be known that I have only met my nephew a handful of times and that my relations with his family were distant long before he committed his crime. It is true that my nephew had, for many months, attempted to contact me via post. It needs to be emphasized that this gesture on his part was uninvited and ceased more than three years ago. I believe he was motivated more by a desire to practice his English than by any particular sense of familial connection to me.
It will not be difficult for you to prove that, as instructed, I have maintained nothing more than cordial relations with my relatives in Iraq since my appointment at Exeter. I believe that a fair consideration of my actions will absolve me of all responsibility and connection to this case, and have refrained from contacting my brother since I was notified of my nephew’s execution.
At the risk of overstepping, I would be remiss if I did not enter a plea on behalf of my brother, Muhsin Khadr al-Khafaji. I understood from my interviews that he has been relieved of the post he has held for more than a decade, and this would appear to me to be a mistake. I admit that I am not so estranged as to have lost all fraternal sentiment, yet my reasoning remains objective and my motive professional. My brother’s reputation in the service is exemplary. He is known to be a diligent investigator and a talented handler of networks and information systems. If you find that his commitment to our Glorious Party remains unwavering, and that his loyalty to the Great Leader (May God protect Him) remains steadfast in the wake of this incident, I would recommend that he be rehabilitated. One might even consider him for a post in the Office of Information and Records. As they say, an archive is only as good as its minder.
May you live to continue the struggle,
HASSAN KHADR AL-KHAFAJI