In November 1983, President Reagan signed Presidential Directive 114. While the majority of the directive remains classified, it is known that part of it promised that the U.S. would do whatever was necessary to prevent Iraq from losing the war, including the continuation of intelligence and material support. Although Iraq’s use of chemical weapons on a nearly daily basis was known to U.S. officials, a meeting between Hussein and Reagan’s emissary Donald Rumsfeld in December 1983 strengthened the working relationship between the nations.
