New book to reveal who leaked identify of CIA agent

The Bush Administration is bracing itself for another blow this weekend as former ambassador Joe Wilson names the US Government official who "outed" his wife as a CIA agent in apparent revenge for his role in proving the White House made false claims about Iraq's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

Wilson's memoir will be published on Sunday.

The former ambassador to Niger and a member of President Bill Clinton's national security council was sent back to the African country by Vice-President Dick Cheney to investigate claims that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from Niger for its nuclear weapons programme. Wilson found the claims to be false and told senior CIA officials.

After Bush repeated the false claim in his State of the Union address, Wilson revealed his trip and conclusion.

The White House leaked that the ambassador's wife, Valerie Plame, was a CIA operative.

The FBI is investigating the naming, a federal offence, and has put together a grand jury to consider evidence.


Herald Feature: Iraq