Operation Mailbag: When families of the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., suddenly stopped receiving mail from Saudi Arabia several weeks ago, word swept through the base that war was imminent and the Army was afraid that soldiers might reveal plans for an air assault in their letters home. Peace broke out when delivery of the mail returned to normal.
Where’s the fire? Wall Street was bullish on war recently following a rumor that the Department of Defense had hired Red Adair, whose Houston-based company specializes in oil fires, to go to Saudi Arabia and prepare for the fires that would be certain to follow any attack.
The turkey trap: There have been persistent rumors that this week’s presidential visit to Saudi Arabia for Thanksgiving was a fake. The way this one goes: George Bush will launch the attack at just the time that the Iraqi forces expect American troops to be preparing to sit down for turkey dinner with their commander in chief.
Southern eyes: Louisiana oilmen, who of course have more than a passing interest in gulf events, predicted an invasion on Nov. 19, three days after they said a satellite would be launched to monitor troop movements in Iraq. A satellite did go up on the space shuttle last week. When you read this the oilmen will have been right or wrong.
