Text of a Conversation between Woodward and Armitage Recorded June 13, 2003

WOODWARD: What's Scowcroft up to?

ARMITAGE: [expletive deleted] Scowcroft is looking into the yellowcake thing.

W: Oh yeah?

A: As the PFIAB.

W: Yeah. What happened there?

A: They're back together. [coughs] They knew with yellowcake, the CIA is not going to be hurt by this one —

W: I know, that's —

A: — Hadley and Bob Joseph know. It's documented. We've got our documents on it. We're clean as a whistle. And George personally got it out of the Cincinnati speech of the president.

W: Oh, he did?

A: Oh, yeah.

W: Oh, really?

A: Yeah.

W: It was taken out?

A: Taken out. George said you can't do this.

W: How come it wasn't taken out of the State of the Union then?

A: Because I think it was overruled by the types down at the White House. Condi doesn't like being in the hot spot. But she —

W: But it was Joe Wilson who was sent by the agency. I mean that's just —

A: His wife works in the agency.

W: — Why doesn't that come out? Why does —

A: Everyone knows it.

W: — that have to be a big secret? Everyone knows.

A: Yeah. And I know [e.d.] Joe Wilson's been calling everybody. He's pissed off because he was designated as a low-level guy, went out to look at it. So, he's all pissed off.

W: But why would they send him?

A: Because his wife's a [e.d.] analyst at the agency.

W: It's still weird.

A: It — It's perfect. This is what she does. She is a WMD analyst out there.

W: Oh, she is.

A: Yeah.

W: Oh, I see.

A: [e.d.] look at it.

W: Oh, I see. I didn't [e.d.].

A: Yeah. See?

W: Oh, she's the chief WMD?

A: No, she isn't the chief, no.

W: But high enough up that she can say, "Oh yeah, hubby will go."

A: Yeah, he knows Africa.

W:: Was she out there with him?

A: No.

W: When he was ambassador?

A: Not to my knowledge. I don't know. I don't know if she was out there or not. But his wife is in the agency and is a WMD analyst. How about that [e.d.]?