CPA Press Release

 

December 1, 2003

 

SADDAM’S HEADS ROLL

 

Baghdad, Iraq – With a crowd of Iraqis cheering in the background, the first of four

bronze-plated Saddam Hussein heads came down today from its perch atop the Republican Palace.

 

“The time has come for these heads to roll,” said L. Paul Bremer III, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority.  He added, “These statues stood as a reminder of the megalomania of the former dictator.  We’re sick of them.”

 

Once all of the statues are removed one will be destroyed immediately.  The others will be kept for now to determine whether they should be melted down, or perhaps kept for historical interest.  It will take approximately two weeks to remove all four statues.

 

More than a dozen contractors bid for the opportunity to remove the statues.  

 

BASIC INFORMATION ON STRUCTURE

·        Statue Weight:  3 tons – 6,000 lbs = 2.72 metric tons

·        Weight of Structure Supporting Statue: 4 tons

·        Size of Statue:  65 cubic meters = 67.5 cubic yards = 2,295 cubic feet