The Myth that the US Supplied Saddam with Chemical Weapons

There is a myth out there, widely believed by the Left, that the US supplied Saddam with chemical weapons during his war with Iran.

At one website a poster named Alfie commented:

Sure we didn’t sell Saddam chemical weapons, Tom.

What do you think Rummy was dropping off for Saddam in the famous handshake photo?

The evidence he supplied was a

U.S. State Department memo to Lawrence Eagleburger (then Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs - the number three at State) dated November 22, 1982, entitled “Iraqi Use of Chemical Weapons”. Alphie provided this memo with the intent of demonstrating that the U.S. government was aware of the Iraqi use of chemical weapons, a contention I think is supported by the memo.

The problem for Alfie is that the memo says exactly the opposite of what he contended. Read the entire post, but it is filled with language like this:

In keeping with our policy of seeking a halt to CW use wherever it occurs, we have been considering the most effective means to halt further Iraqi CW use including, as a first step, a direct approach to Iraq.

and this:

because it is a long-standing policy of the U.S. to oppose the use of lethal CW

and this:

Over many decades the U.S. has sought to deter the use of lethal and incapacitating CW when their use appeared to loom as a possibility. Iraq’s use of lethal or incapacitating CW could further undercut an important agreement observed by nearly all nations against chemical warfare.

What's puzzling is how people can take this memo and still believe that we supplied chemical weapons to Saddam.