Summary
Deba‘thification
is undoubtedly one of the most important tasks facing the new Iraq.
The Ba‘th Arab Socialist Party Regional Command Collection (BRCC),
in the custody of the Iraq Memory Foundation (MF), represents a
thorough record of the extent of ba‘thification to which
Iraqi society was subjected, and will as such constitute an
essential resource in the design and implementation of approaches
towards removing the institutional advantage with which the Saddam
regime endowed the Ba‘th Arab Socialist Party (BASP), through the
identification of structures and patterns, as well as individuals,
used for the creation of a totalitarian instrument of control under
the guise of a political party.
Provenance
The BRCC
documents were collected from the headquarters of the BASP Regional
Command—with authority covering party organizations in Iraq. This
location was previously used as the headquarters of the BASP
National Command—with authority covering party organizations in the
rest of the Arab world—and is adjacent to the mausoleum of Michel
‘Aflaq, the founder of the BASP.
Chain of Custody
The BRCC belongs
to the category of documents “left on site” (Category 9 in the MF
Initial Status Assessment Scale). Upon the capture of Baghdad by
Coalition forces on April 9th, 2003, BRCC documents fell
within the restricted area (the “Green Zone”), and were as such
essentially safe from tampering. They were left uncollected and
unexamined until identified by Kanan Makiya, MF Founder, who secured
authorization from the CPA for their removal for processing. Over a
period of 3 days, from September 23rd to 25th,
2003, under the supervision of core MF personnel, the documents were
relocated from the original site to an MF processing facility.
Size
The total count
of standard documents pages for the BRCC is estimated at 2.5
million: 1.5 million pages in 6,000 box files, 750,000 pages in
75,000 bound files, and 250,000 pages in loose files. In addition,
the BDS contains 300,000 oversized pages in 1000 registers, 3,000
books, and an estimated 50,000 pages and items in various
unclassified formats. These numbers are preliminary estimates based
on sample calculations and are subject to revision and refinement.
Description
The history of
the original location of the BRCC, as described in the Provenance
section above, seems to be reflected in its contents. While the
majority of the documents belong to the BASP Regional Command (RC),
National Command (NC) files and folders are also present, as well as
papers and books from Michel Aflaq’s private collection. The main
components of the BRCC, by order of size and/or importance, are as
follows:
-
BASP regular membership files.
-
BASP special membership files.
-
RC correspondence.
-
RC dossiers.
-
NC dossiers.
-
School registers.
-
BASP literature.
In addition, the BRCC contains a
large quantity of miscellaneous items and uncategorized documents
that will require further examination and assessment.
BASP regular membership files
provide a detailed record of the initiation, promotion, and
functions of BASP members in its various branches throughout Iraq.
Random sampling of these files indicates that they represent the
higher echelons of party membership. From the application for
membership, through recommendations issued by party superiors, to
letters and requests presented by the member detailing their roles
in securing the party’s interests in their localities and places of
work, these files can serve as a basis for investigation of advanced
BASP members in the process of lustration and vetting that Iraqi
society seems inclined to undertake in the next phase. While
considerations of fairness and privacy, as well as concerns for the
potential of misuse, should be taken into account, it is the
intent of the MF to proceed in the creation of a BASP Membership
Database on the basis of these files.
BASP special membership files
are distinguished from regular membership files by the allocation of
additional shelf space to them, through their inclusion in separate
box files. Criteria for elevating membership files to this status
seem to vary. Documents relating to the top tier of party leadership
are thus placed in separate box files each corresponding to one
member (however, it should be noted that these documents are not the
membership files of these individuals, but contain information about
their security details and other tangential issues). Similarly, but
sporadically, second tier leadership of some branches are allocated
separate box files, and so are a number of non-leadership members
for various reasons, such as dismissal from the party. While regular
files provide a wide view of party membership, special files allow
an in-depth survey of party procedures, corrective measures, and
special allowances. Upon organization and analysis, it is the
intent of the MF to publish a monograph detailing the inner
functioning of the BASP in practice on the basis of these files.
RC correspondence
is typically grouped by originating office and date. Since the
organization of the BRCC has not been completed, it has not been
determined whether it comprehensively contains all the
correspondence received and produced by the Regional Command. Also,
it is noted, through random sampling surveys, that documents might
have been excluded on the basis of their level of classification.
However, this component of the BRCC contains correspondence
originating from many key agencies and offices in the Saddam regime
(Diwan al-Ri’asah, al-Mukhbarat, al-Amn al‘Am, al-Istikhbarat,
etc.), and as such can serve as corroborating evidence for many of
their important documents. Upon organization and prioritization, it is the intent of the MF to process these documents according to
General Document Processing Schedule 5 (Detailed reference input
with translation).
RC dossiers
cover a wide range of topics, from the preparation and
implementation of special events, to the provision for the families
of the executed, through investigations of accusations of disrespect
for Saddam Husayn. In addition to their potential value as evidence
for crimes against humanity, these dossiers constitute detailed case
studies of the application of the BASP totalitarian ideology upon
Iraqi society. Using this material as a source, it is the intent of
the MF to invite writers and researchers to produce articles and
studies, both in Arabic and in English, about the mechanisms of
oppression practiced by the previous regime.
NC dossiers,
while fewer in numbers, are potentially of considerable importance,
since they highlight the activities of the BASP, as an arm of the
Saddam regime, in other countries. It is the intent of the MF to
process these documents according to General Document Processing
Schedule 3 (Summary input with translation).
School registers
are a case study of the BASP grip over Iraqi society and its use of
schools as an instrument of control. While indoctrination and
pressure were ubiquitously used in Iraqi schools to channel the
youth towards the BASP template, these registers are also a
testimony to the survival of the free spirit of Iraqi society, in
the form of lone voices that have not succumbed to the weight of
power exercised by the BASP, and are as such recorded as
“independent”. The MF is mindful of the privacy issues surrounding
public access to these records, and has therefore no current
intention of providing it. However, the MF will invite an Iraqi
scholar to research and write a monograph on BASP policy towards
schools, partially on the basis of these registers.
BASP literature
in the BRCC consists of a large number of titles, most in multiple
copies, ranging in date of publication from the 1970s to the early
2000s. The BRCC also contains many BASP paraphernalia (membership
cards, pre-printed forms, medals). In consultation with the Harvard
University Library, it is the intent of the MF to create a
“Library of Ba‘thism” with this literature at its core.
