CIA assessment on the trailers.

The design of the trailers matches information from multiple intelligence sources, including defectors. Of course, by your rules, only defectors who agree with your agenda are credible.

Note the manufacturing dates stamped on the equipment. This is NOT the Marconi artillery ranging equipment sent to Iraq by Britain during Thatcher's administration. Any article referring to this is wrong, or lying.

Marconi's balloon inflation system can be seen here. Please notice what the system looks like.

A balloon inflation system made by another vendor can be seen here. Please notice what the system looks like.

No amount of my research was able to turn up an artillery ranging balloon inflation system that looks even remotely like the Iraqi trailers. If these had actually been the systems sent to Iraq by Britain, ten minutes by a reporter in the Marconi offices would have confirmed it.

The entire balloon idea is a lie, sustained by the anti-war people, secure in the knowledge that nobody is going to bother to go to the trouble to check it out themselves.

The lack of residues could be explained simply by the fact that these systems may not have been in operation yet. The manufacture date was as late as 2003. Why ignore that obvious answer?

Maybe if you found a crate of automatic weapons in the house of a known felon, you would not be concerned if none of them had been fired yet.

If you have specific sources that refute this with the reasons behind it, other than "anonymous officials," please come up with them.