Were joined also by Martin Bright, who is the journalist who reported Guns revelations in The Observer, as well as Ed Vulliamy. How scary was it for you to go ahead and do what you did? The film stars Matthew Goode, Katherine Kelly, Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes. You wanted to stop the Iraq war. Gun, the consciencestricken spy, will almost certainly remain the only British official charged with anything to do with the war in Iraq. And I pretty much ran home. Almost a decade ago, the world was gripped with anxiety as it watched the legal proceedings against a young Se. 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. Bush never wanted yet another UN resolution and when one failed to arrive, Blair decided it wasnt needed after all. In fact, your husbandwould they attempt to deport him? I think that speaks rather highly of you. AMY GOODMAN: Wait a second. After the meeting, the Brits and the Americans shook hands on the tarmac and walked to their planes. She revealed the dirty tricks on the UN Iraq war vote to the world. In 2003, she leaked top-secret information to The Observer, concerning a request by the United States for compromising intelligence on diplomats from member states of the 2003 Security Council. It was particularly explosive in Chile, which has obviously been used to American intelligence. 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. August 31 2019, 5:30 a.m. Keira Knightley, as whistleblower Katharine Gun, in the 2019 movie "Official Secrets." Photo: Nick Wall/IFC. AMY GOODMAN: Twenty-seven years old, working for thewell, for British intelligence. This information could be huge for the growing anti-war effort Katharine thought it might even help put an end to talk of invasion once and for all. Marcia Mitchell. Instead, helicopters skimmed over the rooftops, so as not to allow any insurgents the chance to fire a rocket propelled grenade. And so, all the header information that you would usually have was not there. "He said, 'It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Gunn, I'm just sorry it was under these circumstances. Martin Bright, youre able to move forward with this story. Katharine Gun. It was intended for someone else but had been distributed to everyone in her section. The AFI Life Achievement recipient discusses her most memorable filmsand what moviegoers actually misremember. BEN EMMERSON: [played by Ralph Fiennes] You might need our help. We were basically going to put the Iraq War on trial, she said. Release date September 13, 2019 She has then attributed to being a huge source of information to the medias watch. I think of journalists as being bullet-proof in a way. I asked Mr. Goodman, I asked others, Can you help me find this guy? Because you had to get an extension number. But its not hard to guess from the, In 2013, Gun spoke with journalist Martin Bright, who published Guns leaked memo and plays a major role in the film, in an interview published by. MARTIN BRIGHT: No, it was a very unusual situation. . Gavin, who worked on the screenplay and is the director. Ross stands at the height of 5 feet 5 inches or 165 cm tall. The invasion proceeded more or less on time with a coalition of the willing led by the United States and Britain. I went with Blair on his last visit to Iraq as prime minister, in 2007. AMY GOODMAN: And the idea was they would figure out which way they were going to vote, so that they could sway them. In 2004, Democracy Now! In April 2020, Katharine was supposed to appear at the 14th edition of the International Journalism Festival as a speaker. Both screenings feature discussions with the real Katharine Gun, South African director Gavin Hood (of 2015's "Eye in the Sky" fame), and the British journalist who helped break the story, The Guardian's Martin Bright (he worked at the sister paper The Observer at the time). Members of the Security Council were outraged and any chance of a UN resolution in favour of war collapsed. Katharine Gun is the Most Important Whistleblower You've Never Heard of Gun discusses her attempt to stop the Iraq War, which is the subject of the new movie Official Secrets . It isn't a crime, it's a responsibility.". 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. Katharine Gun, a shy and studious 28-year-old who spent her days listening in to obscure Chinese intercepts, decided to tell the world about a secret plan by the US government to spy on the United Nations.. She had received an email in her inbox asking her and . Katharine Gun. And it was. And what happened? Back in 30 seconds. Katharine spent that night in a cell underneath the local police station. KATHARINE GUN: Detective, I dont object to being asked to collect information that could help prevent a terror attack. She'd be tried at the High Court; the press and the public would know this whistleblower's name. Now, she was being asked to help get a new war authorised by finding material for the Americans to blackmail and bribe the international community. Finally, she called someone (she has never named) who had connections to the media, telling them: I have something explosive, I think it has the potential to avert a war with Iraq. She went back into work on Monday, printed the email, folded it neatly and put it in her bag. That does it for our show. At the time, her actions received very little attention from journalists in the United Statesunless you were watching Democracy Now! Gun is in her forties now and living quietly in Turkey. In November 2002, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1441, which called on Iraq to get rid of chemical and biological weapons and long-range missiles. JASMINE: [played by MyAnna Buring] Youre asking me to collude in a breach of the Official Secrets Act. Official Secrets recounts Gun's story, from her fateful decision (which of course accomplished nothing in the end, even though the leak quickly went public) to her bizarre criminal trial. It was only September 2002 but the carrier was about to leave for the Gulf. She explained that when she was first arrested, her name wasnt released publicly for eight months. The question remains: Why did they invade Iraq? Katharine Gun explains how she exposed a plot by U.S. security officials to spy on United Nations members in 2003. Join The Spectator community and view or post a comment on this article. KATHARINE GUN: Well, I was just appalled. 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. All rights reserved. What I object to is being asked to gather intelligence to help fix a vote at the U.N. and deceive the world into going to war. I gather intelligence so that the government can protect the British people. Real Housewives Of New Jersey star Melissa . After the issue, they moved to Turkey in 2011 with her whole family to avoid the general public eye. JACQUELINE JONES: [played by Katherine Kelly] Intelligence may be being manipulated to take this country to war. That meant winning over temporary members of the Council, countries such as Angola, Bulgaria, Chile and Mexico. And they attempt to deport your husband, who is a? "I'd have a criminal record for doing what was right." France and Russia were against a second resolution and they had a veto in the Security Council. AMY GOODMAN: And it is explosive. Never heard of Gun? Between the worlds greatest democracy and a murderous dictatorship, it seemed easy to know whom to believe. And she sees this memo that says that the evidence for going to war would not be based on intelligence of whether there were WMD, but on trying to get something on the U.N. Security Council members, personal or whatever, to get them to vote for the invasion, to back President George W. Bush. Instead, the memo had been produced on the front page in its entirety. A year after she walked down the aisle, Ross gave birth to their only child, Cleo Rose, on September 17, 1984, in Malibu, California. Copyright All rights reserved | At great personal and professional risk, journalist Martin Bright published the leaked document in The Observer newspaper in London, and the story made headlines around the world. It wasnt, of course, but hindsight and history may end up judging Guns decisions more kindly than Bushs or Blairs. The Man Who Deleted His Past Before He Was Found Dead. Katherine Louisa Ryan was born on June 30, 1983, to Finbar and Julie McCarthy in the city of Sarnia in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Katharine McPhee shared a sweet snap of her 6-month-old son, Rennie, playing with husband David Foster in the cabin of a private jet. An insider with courage. We thought it was really interesting to talk to you at this time. Yes, in 2003, Gun was working for British intelligencethats GCHQ, the intelligence agency similar to the NSA, the National Security Agencywhen she leaked a memo revealing the United States was collaborating with Britain in collecting sensitive information to hold over U.N. Security Council members to get them to support the Iraq War. Katharine Gun's age is listed as 47 years old as of 2021. This is Katharines story were talking about, but there is a back story in the film, which plays its part, which is mine, and Ill be quick on this. It has been suggested that the government was desperate to ensure that documents containing advice about the legality of the war which the defence had requested would not be made public. Tell us the moment. KATHARINE GUN: Governments change. Right away, Katharine knew the significance of this message. "Once that initial flurry died down," says Katharine, "I returned to London to meet with the team from Liberty and my lawyer, Ben Emmerson. It is based on the whistleblowing investigation by Katharine Gun and Martin Bright. "But there are things you have to do not for the result but for the principle, because they are right.". When Katharine blew the secret off the American-British spy efforts in 2003, her husband was thrown into troubled waters, which few people knew. And he had told me over two meetings, A, we know that Saddam Hussein has no weapons of mass destruction. And the whole process, I think, was just a parallel process that didnt have a. On January 23 2003, Gun, who worked . And also, the memo itself contained language that was consistent with intelligence service language, so we had experts look at that, as well. Latest Martin Milner Net Worth Income Salary, Andrew Witty Biography , Wife Age, Family Salary & Net Worth: UnitedHealth Group CEO, Blaize Pearman Wikipedia, Net Worth, Age, Bio, Mother Lydia Gaulden. Former British intelligence officer Katharine Gun didnt set out to become a whistle-blower. AMY GOODMAN: Right, because it said like F-A-V-O-U-R, instead of V-O-R. AMY GOODMAN: And so that proves its a fake memo, they think. Wise man. I was very much aware of what the leaders of our countries, Tony Blair and George W. Bush, were saying at the time. I had bought a couple of books which had been rushed into print at that pointone called War Plan Iraq and the other was called Target Iraq. I was convinced that there was nothing Iraq had done [to warrant the invasion]. Just put me through. And, sure enough, Frank Koza. That was a good brain moment. MARTIN BRIGHT: The top had been ripped off of the memo. Never even come close to it! I mean, my first reaction was shock and anger. Katharine Gun. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. KATHARINE GUN: Yeah, Mandarin Chinese, linguist. Right here. And I was petrified. Forty years later, JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson tell all about the horror classics secrets, tragedies, and controversies. Whistleblower Katharine Gun and journalist Martin Bright are interviewed for their new movie Official Secrets for the films LFF screening. KATHARINE GUN: Well, its just serendipitous, fortuitous, whatever it is, but his asylum case was coming to an end at the same time that my case began. Subscribe to the US edition here. TINTIN: So, you work for the British government. In his memoir of office, Decision Points, George W. Bush writes about going to see Tony Blair in the Azores in the last days before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Crown Prosecution Service was about to charge her. Raising the issue with a manager briefly crossed Katharine's mind, but time was limited the threat of war was escalating fast and ultimately this operation had already been signed off by British top brass. This Shouldnt Happen: Inside the Virus-Hunting Nonprofit at the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy, Chasing scientific renown, grant dollars, and approval from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Peter Daszak transformed the environmental nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance into a government-funded sponsor of risky, cutting-edge virus research in both the U.S. and Wuhan, China. What do you do? Gun sits down with Christiane to share her story. Gun, youre a spy. GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun speaks out. All I could was this looming war. At the time, the paper, their paper, The Observer, was openly supporting the Iraq invasion, leading up to it. In 2003, the girl in her 20s initiated a courageous move to expose the secret plan made by the US government. We had no idea where it had come from. Therefore, on August 27, 2002, he was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder by a jury and subsequently sentenced to death. They were going use information gathered from the intelligence to either bribe or blackmail them into voting for this war. Ross has black color eyes and black color hair. Ever since their story was documented in Marcia and Thomas Mitchell's 2008 book "The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War," Gun, the British whistleblower who attempted to prevent the Iraq War, and . Katharine Gun : Yas, I understand why you are angry. MARTIN BRIGHT: Was one of the six nations. We speak with Katharine Gun; the British journalists who reported on Guns revelations in The Observer newspaper, Martin Bright and Ed Vulliamy; and Gavin Hood, director of Official Secrets.. As Iraq descended into chaos, Katharine was arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. KATHARINE GUN: My husband had absolutely nothing to do with this. Katharine continues to reside in Turkey and occasionally visits Britain as of 2020. Katharine Gun was a translator at GCHQ, when she received an email in her inbox from Frank Koza, a leading figure in the American National Security Agency. Now, I asked around. 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. Jack Goldsmith, former head of the Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush, discusses the limits of executive power with Christiane Amanpour. Please do your part today. Martin, talk about how you got this memo. Now her story has been adapted into the film Official Secrets starring Keira Knightley. It seemed like it might be more interesting than some import-export company. Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war. She became the spy who tried to stop a war. ANDY DUMFRIES: [played by Jack Farthing] The Americans want us to help them get a U.N. resolution for war. Someone within the antiwar movement, who was a former journalist, took the memo initially to another newspaper. And it was a terrible moment when I had to look in my drawer and find it. Katherine is the eldest of three sisters. It is my fault and I'm sorry. What were you employed to do? Nerves tingling, she went home. You walk in. Her case became awidespread controversy among activists, and many people stepped forward to urge the government to drop the case. Target. The message requested Katharine's assistance in co-ordinating an illegal US-UK spy operation which would secure UN authorisation for the Iraq invasion. But were going to go to a break, and then were going to come back to this discussion. She had never planned a career in intelligence and was slightly surprised to find herself working at GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), Britains electronic spying agency in Cheltenham. Is that right, Katharine? 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. AMY GOODMAN: That was a clip from Official Secrets. She went home and stewed about the email for the whole weekend. "It got to the stage where I was certain the email I'd leaked wouldn't be needed, that it would never surface.". Much like the invasion, the plan is considered to have violated international law. The Drudge Report, famous right-wing website, had followed the story up. KATHARINE GUN: It was a full nine to 10 months after the event. Its 15 years later. View this post on Instagram. "Yeah, I suppose so," she says. whistleblower and former specialist for Britains Government Communications Headquarters. And what we are seeing is a movement of people who are trying to stop it. Together they have a 13-year-old daughter. TINTIN: And now youre upset at being asked to do that to members of the Security Council. It took a maddeningly long periodeight months of existential limbobefore Gun was charged with violating the Official Secrets Act. Some call that treason. MARTIN BRIGHT: Yes. GAVIN HOOD: We have to protect the innocent and source, yeah. But they not only are saying they are going to crack down hard on the leaker, but theyre also saying they will crack down on the press, any press that reports this in Britain. Yes, its a new Hollywood movie thats coming out, but it is the real-life story of Katharine Gun. As of 2020, Gun and her husband Yasar live in both Turkey and Britain. This is a rush transcript. 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. MARTIN BRIGHT: It was one of those huge, huge, huge stories. Two weeks later, on the 15th of February, 2003, a million people took to the streets of London to protest the prospect of Britain joining the war in Iraq. Theyd already escorted him down to the custody suite and begun the process. But as Beyer would soon realize, Finchs past wasnt what she claimedand Beyers own difficult history was up for the taking. So, what did it say and what was your decision-making process? When Katharine Gun came across a memo while working for the British government in 2003, her whole world changed. AMY GOODMAN: Weve got to make this fast; we have three minutes. '", Meanwhile, the war in Iraq had already started. She had passed the memo to one of her contacts. Again, this is before the Iraq War. 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. That night, Katharine posted the letter to a contact whose identity she continues to withhold. She tried to stop the impending . Gun did not seek martyrdom and wasnt searching for evidence to stop the war: the email fell into her lap. Her life had been turned upside down, and for what? That contact had connections with the antiwar movement. AMANPOUR: And that spoke was this memo that had , AMANPOUR: been leaked to you and then you leaked it to the press, not leaked but delivered to you . It is vital to speak up in a democracy. 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. But within days, Bush declared he no longer needed UN backing and invaded anyway. In any walk of life, you can choose to do the right thing, she said. Katharine Gun. And I hope that it can get people, Americans, to follow their conscience, and do the right thingstand up for what they believe in., With the world at an even more critical inflection point under controversial leadership, Gun hopes that others might find the courage to speak up if they come across as damning evidence as she dideven if it means temporarily sacrificing comfort. Katharine Gun is a for mer linguist and analyst at Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency and an Iraq war whistle-blower. Her late husband, Tom, a former special agent of the FBI and one-time head of counter-intelligence in New York, co-authored the Gun . Yasar Gun is the husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who revealed top-secret information. When I saw the red flagit was like, Oh, my gosh, this is so explosive. Yasur is a Turkish Kurd who is married to 47-year-old Katharine. The Smash actress, 36, admitted her 35-year age gap with Foster, 71, was a concern for her - but more because of the . Jack Farthing ] the Americans want US to help them get a U.N. resolution for war live in both and. Did not seek martyrdom and wasnt searching for evidence to stop the war: email! Spy who tried to stop the war in Iraq and Mexico Drudge Report, famous right-wing,. History was up for the British government in 2003, Gun, who was a former,... Craig T. 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