Were talking about Official Secrets. Former British intelligence officer Katharine Gun didn't set out to become a whistle-blower. I couldn't control myself I was a total state, crying and trembling.". I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people. It didnt just end when George Bush said, Mission accomplished. Its heartbreaking that its affecting so many lives, and for what? Gun, the consciencestricken spy, will almost certainly remain the only British official charged with anything to do with the war in Iraq. Our obligation is to the truth. I could tell this email was pretty explosive.". Instead, helicopters skimmed over the rooftops, so as not to allow any insurgents the chance to fire a rocket propelled grenade. AMY GOODMAN: That was a clip from Official Secrets. I could not get it in the paper. It would show that there isnt a double standard. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images), https://thespectator.com/topic/katharine-gun-spy-iraq-war/, US edition of the world's oldest magazine, Katharine Gun: the spy who tried to stop the Iraq war, How Syria became the worlds most profitable narco state, How the earthquake is strengthening Syrias dictatorship, Why Netanyahu is right about Israels rogue supreme court. MARTIN BRIGHT: Was one of the six nations. It was a crisis meeting because they had failed to get a second UN resolution, to give legal cover for the war. I work for the British people. You know, I thought it was something that people needed to know about, because it was basically exposing what was going on behind the scenes and the fact that, you know, all the flowery words that they used in front of the cameras about doing everything diplomatically was a sham. She was angered by how nonchalant the email was in asking GCHQ to carry out an illegal operation but she didnt know what to do. I felt guiltylike, I leaked this memo, and now theres going to be a witch hunt for the person who did it, and Im not going to be able to deny it. Martin faced potential charges too. This was thought crucial to help Blair and his government survive a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons. AMY GOODMAN: The guy at the NSA. Almost a decade ago, the world was gripped with anxiety as it watched the legal proceedings against a young Se. Katharine Gun in the Liberty office, 2019. It seemed like it was, you know, the wagons were rolling fast and furious towards this awful situation and I was kind of in tunnel vision. And so, I was going crazy. Know all ye by these presents that Katharine Gun is hereby awarded The Corner-Brightener Candlestick, presented by Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence. At the end of the day, we are accountable to our conscience. When she leaks an NSA memo to the press exposing the American covert manipulation of allies, she will be forced into the spotlight. In that time, Katharine was interviewed again, and then escorted to the canteen. But its just because the copy editor ran it through spell check. So, today, at the age of 59, Cary Stayner is incarcerated at the San Quentin State Prison. She headed up to Yorkshire and went into hiding, as a media circus descended onto Cheltenham to find her. It wasn't that she was naive. Says He Will Sign Bill Criminalizing Drag as Old Photo of Him in Drag Circulates, Lori Lightfoot Loses Reelection for Chicago Mayor; Paul Vallas & Brandon Johnson Advance to Runoff, El Salvadors Pres. Katharine Gun who's played by Keira Knightley in a forthcoming film blew the whistle on a dodgy scheme by the American government. In 2003, Katharine Gun exposed a plot by U.S. security officials to spy on United Nations members as they ramped up pressure to secure a resolution to go to war with Iraq, and she leaked the classified memo to The Observer newspaper. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. For eight months she was bailed and bailed again, repeatedly. Gun, youre a spy. There were a million people in the streets, the Parliamentary Labour party was in revolt, cabinet ministers were resigning; there might be regime change in Britain before it happened in Iraq. And I knew that I needed help. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. But the Iraqis were right and the Americans were wrong. Amid safety concerns, and anxiety over the fate of a $200 million movie, The Johnny DeppAmber Heard Defamation Trial: The Makings of a Remarkable Moment in American Celebrity. Yasar Gun : All you do is listen to people talking! AMY GOODMAN: GCHQ leads an investigation. Target. However, the two really got to know each other on the set of a horror movie called "The Legacy" in 1978. Famed U.K. whistleblower Katharine Gun joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about, "Official Secrets," the new movie based on her real life story.Gun leaked a secret memo exposing an illegal spying operation by the United States of America, looking for information with which to blackmail United Nations diplomats tasked to vote on a resolution regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Two days later, she gave the email to a friend who had several contacts in the press. Katharine Gun, Martin Bright, Ed Vulliamy and Gavin Hood. I actually felt like, if I do this anonymously, nobody will realize its me and Ill carry on as usual. But about a month after leaking the letter, Gun was stunned to see that The Observer had published the document in full on its front page. I work for the British people. You know, its not every day you get a top-secret memo, and not just a top-secret memo from GCHQ, but a top-secret memo from the NSA sent to GCHQ. Charade or not, the diplomacy was frantic. Official Secrets is a 2019 British drama film based on the case of whistleblower Katharine Gun, who leaked a memo exposing an illegal spying operation by American and British intelligence services to gauge sentiment of and potentially blackmail United Nations diplomats tasked to vote on a resolution regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was only September 2002 but the carrier was about to leave for the Gulf. AMY GOODMAN: And it is explosive. The Man Who Deleted His Past Before He Was Found Dead. Gun sits down with Christiane to share her story. Democracy Now! He remains on death row as of July 2021, but there have been zero executions in the state of California since a 2006 court . You tried to call. Ad Choices, In any walk of life, you can choose to do the right thing, whistle-blower Katharine Gun, whom Knightley plays in the film, told, Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Fragile Snowflake Donald Trump for Allegedly Trying to Censor Him, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 2. In January 2003, British intelligence analyst Katharine Gun read an email from U.S. officials who were trying to enlist their British counterparts in a public relations campaign to support . "He said, 'It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Gunn, I'm just sorry it was under these circumstances. The morning of Friday the 31st of January, 2003 started out just like any other. Her whistleblowing was not enough to change the path of history, of course, and her last-gasp act of courage was all but forgotten in the brutal "shock and awe" of war. LONDON - FEBRUARY 25: Former employee of Britain's global surveillance center GCHQ (Government Communications Head Quarters) Katharine Gun smiles as she speaks to the media during a press conference February 25, 2004 in London, England. Theres a back story. Gun believes that because there was no specific UN authority to attack Iraq, in theory Bush and Blair could be put on trial for waging an aggressive war (the charge at Nuremberg). And so it was decided: on the stand she'd state her innocence and hope for the best. Acclaimed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg described Katharine Guns action as the most important and courageous leak I have ever seen. Dan Ellsberg said, No one elseincluding myselfhas ever done what Katharine Gun did: tell secret truths at personal risk, before an imminent war, in time, possibly, to avert it.. Martin Bright, youre able to move forward with this story. And then, one morning, Katharine popped to her local shop to pick up the paper, as she did every Sunday, and there, on the front page of The Observer, was the email she'd leaked. The defense would have argued that, at the time I leaked the memo, I believed the war was illegal. Scott Davis was asking the questions.Synopsis: The true story of a British whistleblower who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.A morality tale for the 21st century, Official Secrets tells the true story of British Intelligence whistle-blower Katharine Gun who, during the immediate run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. I was quite nervous. Gun put her career and her very liberty at risk trying to prevent the launching of an illegal war. They want to interview Martin Bright, because youve got the story of this memo. AMY GOODMAN: Which takes us to Mr. Martin Bright. And . There was speculation that this was done to keep the governments legal advice on the war a secret, though that has been denied. Katharine Gun knew exactly the sort of work she was employed to do; two years into a job at GCHQ as a Mandarin "analyst" and "translator", it's hard not to. How scary was it for you to go ahead and do what you did? Katharine was charged with an offense under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1989 on 13 November 2003. "I need to have a word with you," she gulped. And my husband Yasar was still in bed. KNIGHTLEY: Governments change. "Once that initial flurry died down," says Katharine, "I returned to London to meet with the team from Liberty and my lawyer, Ben Emmerson. She'd been reading up on the preparations being made for a US-led invasion and wasn't convinced by the arguments; images of the first Gulf War she'd seen in her teenage years had forever been seared onto her mind. MARTIN BRIGHT: Well, I did. Katharine Gun in the Liberty office, 2019. "Tony Blair was so obsessed with popularity ratings, I thought that would really affect him.". She went home and stewed about the email for the whole weekend. AMY GOODMAN: As the British government says its identified the person who leaked cables that forced out the British ambassador to the United States for calling President Trump inept, we look at the real-life political thriller of a British intelligence specialist who risked everything to blow the whistle on U.S. dirty tricks at the United Nations in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion. His wife then took the help of MP Nigel Jones and managed to free him, and gave him the right to stay in the UK. And I went home and thought about it over the weekend. Katharine smuggled the printed email out of GCHQ and leaked it to the media, on the 2nd March it was . AMY GOODMAN: Because Chile was one of the six. People hid under the tables. Drawing on more than 100,000 leaked documents, a. The film stars Ma. We're sitting together in a quiet room at the headquarters of human rights organisation Liberty, just around the corner from the streets through which . How old were you at the time? Katharine Gun is a for mer linguist and analyst at Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency and an Iraq war whistle-blower. In 2004, Democracy Now! Tweet. Official Secrets. Yes. What were you employed to do? Gun, outraged by the USA's actions, printed a copy of the email and took it home. MARTIN BRIGHT: So, the header information included the name Frank Koza, who was the NSAs head of regional targets at the time. Let us learn more about the duo and where they are currently. Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war. She became the spy who tried to stop a war. Record Coal Prices Help Break Strike. KATHARINE GUN: Detective, I dont object to being asked to collect information that could help prevent a terror attack. AMY GOODMAN: You said, May I please speak to Mr. Koza?, MARTIN BRIGHT: May I please speak to Mr. Koza? And they said, We dont give out names. And he says, Excuse me, Mr. Bright.. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. Yasur Gunnis is the husband of Katharine Gun, a linguist who specializes in translating Mandarin Chinese into English. And this was before Isis, which exists, in part, because of events set in train by the war. Theyd already escorted him down to the custody suite and begun the process. The terror of that period took a toll on Gun, who suffered from PTSD for years. This is the trailer. And I pretty much ran home. "Even thinking about it all would cause me anxiety," she says, "but now I am ready." I certainly thought, Oh, my gosh, this is it and theyre going to find out it was me, Gun recalled. I had found a source called Mel Goodman, namesake of yours, who was the ex-head of the Soviet desk at the CIA, had kept his clearance. Keira Knightley as Katharine Gun in 'Official Secrets.' Courtesy of IFC Films In the past, you've taken on roles in many period films but Official Secrets is set not that long ago, in 2003. And tell the final results of what happened. I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people. MARTIN BRIGHT: We have towe have to protect the innocent in the [inaudible]. AMY GOODMAN: I know. You cannot talk to anyone about your intelligence work. The daughter of Maurizio Gucci and Patrizia Reggiani was overwhelmed as a child by a wave of tragedy and looked for a gasp of air to breathe, even as sharks circled all around. Now, she tells, Monica Lewinskys Verdict on the Johnny DeppAmber Heard Trial: We Are All Guilty. I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people. List of Wanted Pages on Real Life Heroes Wiki. Asking for the whole gamut of information from domestic and office communications was for her a demand for blackmail material blackmail to manipulate their vote, to sanction a war. It took a maddeningly long periodeight months of existential limbobefore Gun was charged with violating the Official Secrets Act. Some call that treason. AMY GOODMAN: So, you call Ed, and you say, Can you track down this guy? Among many other things. We speak with a British whistleblower whose attempts to expose lies about the Iraq invasion was called "the most important and courageous leak" in history by. GAVIN HOOD: So, yes, tremendous amount of pressure coming down on these countries, because if Blair and Bush had been able to get that U.N. resolution for the invasion, the weapons of mass destruction issue would have been almost pretty much irrelevant, because theres two legal ways to go to war. Thought-provoking commentary and opinion on politics, books and the arts. We were getting calls from all over the world. We were handed a simple sheet of A4 paper that had a series of words typed on it. Amirah Vann Brings Heart & Depth to Black Womens Stories i British whistleblower named Katharine Gun, Gun how she felt looking back on her decision, Blair has been given the opportunity to speak about Brexit. A new film, Official Secrets, tells the story of her actions and subsequent arrest. You think this is real, but you do have to track it down. I went with Blair on his last visit to Iraq as prime minister, in 2007. We were going to bring all of this out and it was all going to be in the public. Instead, the case was droppeda temporary relief for her, but a troubling outcome on a greater scale, since it essentially meant they slammed the door shut on that discussion.. Within half an hour, the prosecution had decided to drop its case, for reasons that to this day remain mysterious. AMY GOODMAN: But this was how long after you were picked up? In 2003, Katharine Gun, a young specialist working for Britains Government Communications Headquarters, exposed a highly confidential memo that revealed the United States collaboration with Britain in collecting sensitive information on United Nations Security Council members in order to pressure them into supporting the Iraq invasion. I disappeared with my husband down to the coast in Brighton, on the coast of England, and spent some time away from the limelight, Gun said in the interview. But I watched Blair with his smug smile and his sterile speeches that tell us nothing . On the night of the 19th of March, 2003, the bombs began to fall. She revealed the dirty tricks on the UN Iraq war vote to the world. AMY GOODMAN: And the idea was they would figure out which way they were going to vote, so that they could sway them. delivered to your inbox every day? Her life had been turned upside down, and for what? If people knew about this, nobody would support this invasion.. whistleblower and former specialist for Britains Government Communications Headquarters. Its not true. TINTIN: So, you work for the British government. ED VULLIAMY: Well, oh, indeed, brilliantly played his subject. JACQUELINE JONES: [played by Katherine Kelly] Intelligence may be being manipulated to take this country to war. I remember the first time I really understood what love was or at least what a nine-year-old could understand as romantic love. We should think about that and remember that., 2023 Cond Nast. You walk in. AMY GOODMAN: So, but talk about this, your argument to the editors. I couldnt see beyond this war and all I wanted to do is just to put a spoke in the wheel of this wagon. Did you know that you can get Democracy Now! KATHARINE GUN: [played by Keira Knightley] I translated signals intelligence, and I reported anything of interest to my clients. She was brought up in Taiwan her parents moved there to work when she was three and so was fluent in Mandarin. Thats Keira Knightley playing Katharine Gun, whos in our studio now, the whistleblower, former British spy, worked for British intelligence, explaining why she leaked this memo, which would get to the press, which would get to The Observer, which brings us to our next two guests, Martin Bright and as well as Ed Vulliamy. We welcome you all to Democracy Now! She saw a newspaper advert for GCHQ. The AFI Life Achievement recipient discusses her most memorable filmsand what moviegoers actually misremember. And thats where you get through. Bush remembers his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, saying to him: I hope thats not the last time we ever see them.. 2019 | Maturity Rating: R | 1h 51m | Social Issue Dramas. Back in 30 seconds. Its 15 years later. To this day, she has no idea how convincing she was during her interrogation but really, it doesn't matter: on the Wednesday, she marched right up to her manager. Someone within the antiwar movement, who was a former journalist, took the memo initially to another newspaper. Angola, Cameroon, Bulgaria, Chile, GAVIN HOOD: Pakistan and Mexico. . She has then attributed to being a huge source of information to the medias watch. You know, look at me. KATHARINE GUN: The idea was to gather information that they could use to bribe them or, you know, threaten them into voting yes for the resolution. Ten years ago, a young Mandarin specialist at GCHQ, the government's surveillance centre in Cheltenham, did something extraordinary. Was it? You wanted to stop the Iraq war. Theyre cooking this up. After university and a couple of years teaching in Japan, she was back in Britain and looking for a job. 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