CIA questions why some information was missed on Iraq intelligence

WASHINGTON (AP) — The CIA and members of Congress said Wednesday they want to know how a presidential commission unearthed details on intelligence failures about Iraq's prewar weapons programs that prior investigations missed.

Of particular interest is information that emerged in last week's report about how doubts were handled regarding a leading source on Saddam Hussein's alleged mobile biological weapons labs — an Iraqi scientist who defected to Germany, code named "Curveball."

Porter Goss, who became CIA director last September, has instructed officials to determine what happened and why the details did not come to light earlier, said his spokeswoman, Jennifer Millerwise. "It was an unhappy surprise to the director that his first understanding of this issue was when he first read" the commission's report, Millerwise said.