Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author: Bush Ordered Back-Dated, Fake Letter Linking Iraq to 9/11

Pulitzer Prize-Winning author Ron Suskind's latest book, "The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism, available Tuesday, has already stirred up quite a storm of controversy. In the book, Suskind alleges that not only did the White House know Iraq had no WMDs, President Bush ordered the CIA to forge a back-dated, handwritten letter from the head of Iraq's intelligence service, Tahir Jalil Habbush, to Saddam Hussein, linking Iraq to the 9/11 hijackers.

The letter was first published by the conservative Sunday Telegraph in December 2003 and used as key evidence, eventually propelling the U.S. to the invasion of Iraq. For example, conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly said: "Now, if this is true, that blows the lid off al-Qaida --- Saddam."

Suskind appeared on the Today show on Tuesday to discuss the book.

Vieira: You say that this is worse than Watergate, in large part because of this letter, that you claim the White House ordered the CIA to forge that would like Iraq with 9/11, Mohamed Atta, and with al-Qaida. And CIA agents that you quote in the book agree that there was a letter, but, what has convinced you that the White House was behind it? What evidence do you have that the White House ordered it?

Suskind: Well, the CIA folks involved in the book and others talk about George coming back, Tenet coming back from the White House with the assignment on White House stationery, and turning to the CIA operatives, who are professionals, and saying, "You may not like this, but here is our next mission."

And they carried it through step by step, all the way to the finish. And ultimately people even talked about it after the fact.

It was a dark day for the CIA. It was the kind of thing where they said, "Look, this is not our charge. We’re not here to carry forth a political mandate — which is clearly what this was — to solve a political problem in America." And it was a cause of great grievance inside of the agency.

Watch the interview, from NBC's Today Show, Tuesday August 5th.