The bitter transatlantic row over Iraq intensified today as another key British general lambasted the US for bungling the aftermath of the invasion.
Major General Tim Cross, the most senior UK officer involved in the post-war planning, said Washington's policy had been "fatally flawed".
He also insisted he had raised serious concerns about the possibility of the country sliding into chaos with Donald Rumsfeld - but the then-US defence secretary "dismissed" the warnings.
Gen Cross's comments, in an interview with the Sunday Mirror, emerged after the former head of the British army, General Sir Mike Jackson, branded the American approach "intellectually bankrupt".
Sir Mike, who was in charge at the time of the 2003 invasion, also singled out Mr Rumsfeld for criticism, saying his claim that US forces "don't do nation-building" was "nonsensical".
Gen Cross said: "Right from the very beginning we were all very concerned about the lack of detail that had gone into the post-war plan and there is no doubt that Mr Rumsfeld was at the heart of that process.
"I had lunch with Rumsfeld in February in Washington - before the invasion in March 2003 - and raised concerns about the need to internationalise the reconstruction of Iraq and work closely with the United Nations."
Gen Cross (59) who was deputy head of the coalition's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in 2003, added: "Amongst others in the US, I also raised concerns over the numbers of troops on the ground available to maintain security and aid reconstruction in Iraq.
"He didn't want to hear that message. The US had already convinced themselves that, following the invasion, Iraq would emerge reasonably quickly as a stable democracy.
"Myself and others were suggesting that things simply would not be as easy as that - they didn't want to hear that.
"Rumsfeld didn't feel that working with the international community to rebuild Iraq was going to be necessary and he ignored my comment. He dismissed it.
"I fully briefed Gen Jackson on my return to the UK and he absolutely shared my concerns. "There were also other people within the American military system and State Department who also shared our concerns. "There is no doubt that with hindsight the US post-war plan was fatally flawed and many of us sensed that at the time."
The latest public recriminations are bound to add to the perception of a rift between the US and the UK over who is to blame for the chaotic situation in Iraq, and how best to deal with it.
There has been concern in the US that Prime Minister Gordon Brown was planning to "cut and run" by withdrawing troops from the south of the troubled country.
Retired US General Jack Keane, who has just returned from Iraq, said last week there was "frustration" among commanders who wanted to avoid having to fill any vacuum left if the British withdrew.
The security situation in southern Iraq was "deteriorating" and there was "general disengagement" by the British military in Basra, he added.
However, Mr Brown has sought to quash worries by stressing that any move will be dictated by conditions on the ground rather than political motives.