But when she arrived for her trial at the Old Bailey, the prosecution dropped the case with no explanation. Katharine was charged with an offense under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1989 on 13 November 2003. Gun did not seek martyrdom and wasnt searching for evidence to stop the war: the email fell into her lap. Within half an hour, the prosecution had decided to drop its case, for reasons that to this day remain mysterious. This is a rush transcript. Real Life Heroes Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. 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. AMY GOODMAN: And then everyoneFOX, CNNand then they all cancel. e-mail; 239. shares. She had leaked a secret email revealing what was called at the time an illegal dirty tricks campaign to fix the UN vote. Gun, realizing how unfair it was to subject her colleagues to the consequences of her own actions, confessed and was arrested shortly thereafter. Gun leaked the memo to the press, setting off a chain of events that jeopardized her freedom and safety, but also opened the door to putting the entire legality of the Iraq invasion on trial. And likewise the other performances, extraordinary in this film. It is tough for me to be in the public domain againbut I felt like it was a good thing. The western leading man, Sam Elliott, first met his famous actress wife, Katharine Ross, on the set of a movie. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.orgPlease consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! Instead, the memo had been produced on the front page in its entirety. KATHARINE GUN: Well, they dropped the charges against me. Katharine Teresa Gun (ne Harwood; born 1974) is a British whistleblower who worked as a linguist at the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ; a British intelligence facility) from 2001 to 2003. I couldnt see beyond this war and all I wanted to do is just to put a spoke in the wheel of this wagon. The ripple effect from that initial invasion is continually being felt in worldwide institutions, in the U.S. and the U.K. Nobody really has been held responsible for it, and the fact remains that the nation of Iraq is still very much traumatized by what happened. The film stars Matthew Goode, Katherine Kelly, Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes. The Smash actress, 36, admitted her 35-year age gap with Foster, 71, was a concern for her - but more because of the . The true story of British Intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun, who leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation. And what did you think? In 2003, the girl in her 20s initiated a courageous move to expose the secret plan made by the US government. I was quite nervous. Official Secrets. 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. She was sitting at her computer in GCHQ when an email arrived from one Frank Koza, chief of staff at the regional targets division of the US National Security Agency. We had just come from a press conference with the Iraqi information minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, better known as Comical Ali. It would show that there isnt a double standard. Katharine Gun's age is listed as 47 years old as of 2021. ED VULLIAMY: Yeah, I came upon an extension number. When the former husband and wife square off in a Virginia courtroom this week, it will mark the culmination of a divorce that has been without comparison in the annals of modern American celebrity. "But there are things you have to do not for the result but for the principle, because they are right.". 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. Tell us the moment. The British governments own lawyers were afraid that without specific UN authorization, the war might be illegal; British soldiers could even be prosecuted for war crimes. whistleblower and former specialist for Britains Government Communications Headquarters. MARTIN BRIGHT: Was one of the six nations. That does it for our show. It later emerged that the newspaper was collaborating very, very closely with Tony Blair and his sort of enforcers to keep this kind of thing out of the paper. KATHARINE GUN: Detective, I dont object to being asked to collect information that could help prevent a terror attack. 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. Theres a back story. But this needed finding Koza. It is vital to speak up in a democracy. MARTIN BRIGHT: We have towe have to protect the innocent in the [inaudible]. 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. KATHARINE GUN, WHISTLEBLOWER: Its you know, its very hard to explain the point of view I had or the mental state I was in at the time. Yasars wife is a British linguist who worked as a translator for the GCHQ, Government Communications Headquarters. Katharine Teresa Gun (ne Harwood; born 1974) is a British whistleblower who worked as a linguist at the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ; a British intelligence facility) from 2001 to 2003. And I knew that I needed help. Katharine Gun (ne Harwood), 47, is married to Yasar Gn, a Turkish Kurd, with whom she has a 13-year old daughter. At the time, the paper, their paper, The Observer, was openly supporting the Iraq invasion, leading up to it. The film stars Ma. So, I decided that the risk to my career was minute compared to the upcoming war in Iraq, and the best thing to do for me was to leak this information to the press, so that everybody else could have the information, and hopefully it could avert this disastrous course of events that have occurred. And my husband Yasar was still in bed. Bush remembers his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, saying to him: I hope thats not the last time we ever see them.. And so we had at least that. So, I called him and asked him if he could do anything to help track down Frank Koza, or the reality or otherwise of this individual. So, naturally, it's Katharine Gun who's being punished. Gun sits down with Christiane to share her story. Eight months later, she was charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act. She had a leading role in the 1969 film, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and Elliott had a small, untitled role. is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. 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. The diplomats were due to vote on a second United . The Crown Prosecution Service was about to charge her. Katharine wonders whether the powers that be just didn't want an ex-GCHQ employee with all she knew to be cross-examined on the stand. This article was originally published inThe Spectators UK magazine. Katharine feared she'd be fobbed off and then put under surveillance should she report it, so instead she kept silent and headed home for the weekend. 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.The diplomats were due to vote on a second United . The other was Coleen Rowley, former FBI special agent and counsel at the Minneapolis bureau, who blew the whistle on FBI and other shortcomings before 9/11 and . "Public opinion was just so obviously against the invasion that I thought it wouldn't happen," she recalls. Charade or not, the diplomacy was frantic. Katharine Gun worked as an analyst for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British equivalent of the secretive U.S. National Security Agency. Jack Goldsmith, former head of the Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush, discusses the limits of executive power with Christiane Amanpour. Gun, outraged by the USA's actions, printed a copy of the email and took it home. It was as it happened. I mean, my first reaction was shock and anger. Katherine is the eldest of three sisters. MARTIN BRIGHT: Well, but only with a story that you know is true. 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). At the time, I was really focused on the Iraq invasion issue, Gun told Vanity Fair this month, ahead of the August 30 premiere of Official Secrets, an intelligence thriller recounting this terrifying chapter of her life and starring Keira Knightley. AMY GOODMAN: Tony Blair was the prime minister of Britain at the time. Youre sitting at the equivalent of the NSA. 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. to your inbox each morning. When asked by Salon how it felt to see a famous actress act out her life for an audience . Katharine continues to reside in Turkey and occasionally visits Britain as of 2020. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. '", Meanwhile, the war in Iraq had already started. We still dont know, to this day, why they did that. Today, she lives in Turkey, with her husband and their child. Just for a moment, some imagined that this might be enough to stop the Iraq war before it had begun. That level of pressure, stress and attention took its toll. I went with Blair on his last visit to Iraq as prime minister, in 2007. After this, the authorities again started plotting to deport Yasar back to the Middle East. AMY GOODMAN: And who were these six countries? People are cheering you. 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. Therefore, on August 27, 2002, he was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder by a jury and subsequently sentenced to death. AMY GOODMAN: But what did you see in your email? TINTIN: You gather information from peoples phones and computers, and you feed that to your clients. Discover Katharine Gun's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. 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. A month later, the Observer splashed the story over its front page. "It felt like the protests were what would stop the war," she says. And thats where you get through. Could you put me through? Whos talking, sir? I cant say. ED VULLIAMY: Well, oh, indeed, brilliantly played his subject. Some of it was to do with complications over an unfortunate spell check within the memo. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. TINTIN: [played by Peter Guinness] Katharine Gun? Your email address will not be published. And, guys, you do not want to miss this story and what would then take place. And so, we knew that time was short. Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts . Between the worlds greatest democracy and a murderous dictatorship, it seemed easy to know whom to believe. And you were what? ; Democrats Reintroduce, Mississippi Enacts Transgender Healthcare Ban for Youth Amid Spate of Anti-Trans Laws in Red States, Tennessee Gov. Gun, the consciencestricken spy, will almost certainly remain the only British official charged with anything to do with the war in Iraq. The original content of this program is licensed under a. KATHARINE GUN: I was arrested. This was thought crucial to help Blair and his government survive a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons. And I felt it was explosive information. Sam Eliott and Katharine Ross . The Drudge Report, famous right-wing website, had followed the story up. MARTIN BRIGHT: So, the header information included the name Frank Koza, who was the NSAs head of regional targets at the time. 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. I asked Mr. Goodman, I asked others, Can you help me find this guy? Because you had to get an extension number. From there, it made its way into the hands of Yvonne Ridley, a well-known anti-war activist. It was directed by Gavin Hood and the cast comprises Matt Smith, Indira Varma, Rhys Ifans, MyAnna Buring, Jack Farthing, Jeremy Northam, Tamsin Grieg and Conleth Hill. delivered to your inbox every day? MARTIN BRIGHT: Yes. And tell the final results of what happened. Nayib Bukele Touts Megaprison with Shocking Images of Shackled Detainees, Reporter Seymour Hersh on How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline: Exclusive TV Interview, Outrage Soars in Occupied West Bank After Israel Kills 11, Injures 500 Palestinians in Nablus Raid. AMY GOODMAN: Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill. You didnt know who Katharine Gun was, who had leaked it, but you had the story of the memo that was going to get the goods on these U.N. Security Council members, which would force them to vote for the invasion of Iraq. Robbie Robertson Reflects on His Legendary Rock Career, Iraq War Whistle Blower Katharine Gun Shares Her Story, Jack Goldsmith Discusses the Limits of Executive Power, + Major support for Amanpour and Company is provided by the Anderson Family Charitable Fund, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim, III, Candace King Weir, Jim Attwood and Leslie Williams, Mark J. Blechner, Seton J. Melvin, Bernard and Denise Schwartz, Koo and Patricia Yuen, the Leila and Mickey Straus Family Charitable Trust, Barbara Hope Zuckerberg, Jeffrey Katz and Beth Rogers, the Filomen M. DAgostino Foundation and. They question you. Also with us, the director of Official Secrets, Gavin Hood. That contact had connections with the antiwar movement. Theyre one of Hollywoods brightest starsand most troubled actors. After the meeting, the Brits and the Americans shook hands on the tarmac and walked to their planes. today: https://democracynow.org/donateFOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! AMY GOODMAN: Thats the trailer for the new movie Official Secrets, based on the true-life story of whistleblower Katharine Gun.
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