katharine gun husband deported

And maybe if we went to work for Enron and we liked our job well enough, and its a job. She talks about having read all these books [about the war]. In the years following, an author called Marcia Mitchell contacted me and said she was keen to write a book about my case. As one of the journalists who broke the story, I feel a certain responsibility for how things have turned out. Powerful Commons committee could look at case for banning stoves in towns and Love Island hit by hundreds of Ofcom complaints from furious viewers over 'toxic femininity' row and Movie As easy as buying a loaf of bread: Undercover footage reveals how laughing gas is being sold from local Could Northern Ireland become the UK's Silicon Valley? British Secret Service Officer Katharine, then a young bride, risked everything to leak details of the Bush-Blair plan to coerce (possibly blackmail) members of the UN Security Council in order to win their votes to legalize invading Iraq. Yet to this day there has been barely a mention of the Bush regimes disgraceful demand in official histories of the period, as if its been deliberately written out. The memo from Frank Koza, chief of staff at the "regional targets" section of the National Security Agency, GCHQ's sister organisation in the US, remains shocking in its implications for British sovereignty. Iran has been filmed loading missiles aboard some of its vessels. It was almost as if that request was asking for someone within their own nation to do this work; it wasn't asking another completely independent state for co-operation.". ", Keira Knightley and Katharine Gun at the London premiere of "Official Secrets. She was charged Truth about Covid care home testing row: Timeline lays bare what was said, by who and when. Thank you! Can dementia be spotted in CHILDHOOD? WebKatharine Gun wasn't looking for attention or any type of notoriety when in 2003, while working as a British intelligence specialist, she leaked a top secret memo. President Bush visits the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Maryland, January 25, 2006. His philosophy comes from a military intelligence model, which actually, by the time you go to war, now it's about winning. But the Bush administration went to war anyway, using the pretext of weapons of mass destruction. On the other hand, she and Ben, to this day, feel they never got their day in court. But she still was not uncomfortable with the other things we've talked about. Two hours later after this deep dive, I called Ged back and said, How come we dont know this story? I guess the answer to that is that her story was big news for the day, and then very quickly got crushed by a bigger story, which was the story of the invasion. If we give over, if we start believing the fake news, as you say, we're all doomed, man. His most recent book is Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power.. Truth and accountability were drilled into me as a child. The truth is that I didnt know who Katharine Gun was until my producer Ged Doherty called me up one day, we made Eye In The Sky together, and said, Have you ever heard of Katharine Gun? Thats one of those moments where you think: Sounds like I ought to have, but I hadnt. US firms waiting in the wings read to pump 'billions Parents' fury as schools STILL won't tell them if they are closed tomorrow as teacher strikes continue. Anyway, the Office of Special Plans and Abram Shulsky make an interesting Wikipedia read, it won't take you very long. Guided by her conscience, Katharine Gun defied her government and leaked the memo to the press, setting off a chain of events that jeopardized her freedom, her safety, but also opened the door to putting the entire Iraq invasion on trial. But ultimately, heres why I thinkthis might sound like a strange statement. The days and weeks dragged agonisingly by. A thorough investigation began as soon as the staff started arriving at GCHQ on the Monday morning. Because it was toughthe guy wouldnt print his stuff. But Katharine only ever leaked this one memo. I even thought, naively, Id be able to keep my anonymity. The difficulties of translating Gun's story also made writing the climax of the film tricky. That's the memo. Never mind that invading another country for the purpose of regime change is illegal according to international laws to which the United States is a signatory. Yet here was a story that had the capacity to derail the war altogether. So we just worked on the performance from the very what if it's you? But the falsehoods and unnecessary wars of yesteryear likely have influenced the waning support for public institutions today. Gavin Hood: I asked her the same questions, and on about my second day interviewing her, I said to her, because I wasnt sure if I should make the movie; I mean, I needed to know whose story I was telling and if she was batshit crazy. In leaking it to the Observer, she was also doing something unprecedented in the history of espionage. That kind of propaganda has to stop. Gavin Hood: Its a question of how conditioned are we to the conventional Hollywood structure. At first, I heard nothing. Happy and carefree, Id recently married my handsome husband and was working at GCHQ as a linguist. And I think thats why you get this very honest, pure, deeply felt performance. And she said, I dont work for the government. That was my first thoughtwhat do you mean you dont work for the government? WebWhen the film opens, Gun (Keira Knightley) is happily married to Yasar (Adam Bakri), a Turkish national living in the UK on a temporary visa, and passionately invested in And when we got to that point in the movie, I had to start montaging it because it was just taking too long to get to the end. The team of hawks circling George Bush had long wanted to take out Saddam Hussein, as did Bush. Later, she gave the document to a friend, who passed it onto a contact in the anti-war movement, until it finally landed with journalists Martin Bright and Ed Vulliamy The Observer. The work shed signed up to do was covered by British law, and would be something to do with whatever that was necessary to keep British lives safe. The memo, however represented the actual twisting of diplomatic arms in order to secure a war which [was] based on lies., But it also represented an opportunity to show the world the tactics American and British officials were willing to employ in their push for an invasion. Now there is the possibility that Gun's singular life will be made into a movie. This meant that a lot of the things that we see Gun go through in the film actually took far longer in real life. And maybe they were right, I don't know. As a result, there never was any second UN resolution. So we start with hair, and then we start with glasses, and Keira says, "Gavin, what if I just was me?" This was her first or second week at the paper. Koza was in effect issuing a direct order to the employees of a UK security agency to gather "the whole gamut of information that could give US policymakers an edge in obtaining results favourable to US goals or to head off surprises". One by one, all those who received the email approximately 100 people were taken in for a grilling. When my turn came, I entered a small side office, faced the security official and, putting on my best poker face, denied any involvement. And then, she said when she got in therenow bear in mind that she still is bound by the Official Secrets Act. Despite the millions affected by the Iraq War, its now far removed from British and American news cycles, displaced from the headlines by todays political turmoil. This included a particular focus on the "swing nations" on the security council, Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Bulgaria and Guinea, "as well as extra focus on Pakistan UN matters". 265 ratings46 reviews British secret service officer Katharine Gun's only crime was telling the truth, but she paid a steep price when she exposed a U.S.-U.K. spy operation to secure UN authorization for the Iraq invasion. ", As for her own story, she recognises that 10 years on it scarcely registers with the public. A manufactured provocation. WebKatharine Gun, as passionately embodied here by Knightley, skews too noble to be particularly interesting, and the film is weakest when its focused on her and her husband She got into a plea bargain, they still gave her five years. There's an obvious scene of the immigration deportation. Although the story made headlines around the world at the time of the leak and later at the time of her trial, which collapsed after the prosecution withdrew its evidence, it remains largely missing from the official narratives of the build-up to the Iraq war. Ive been impressed by the film-makers determination to stick to the facts Gavin Hood, the director, interviewed me at length over five days and I was consulted throughout the process. The truth is when she speaks to me, and she says, Gavin, we also go to lunch like everybody else in any other office. This, remember, was a conflict that caused the deaths of 179 British servicemen, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and caused countless more to suffer serious wounds, both physical and psychological. Surely, after 16 years, we are entitled to have answers. I became a mother, we moved countries and I have come to terms with that year of my life, though it will always define me in some ways. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. When I got to the interview thats when they told me that its for GCHQ, I didnt know what GCHQ did. So, I think she entered the world out of a sort of strange curiosity. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images). .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}Facts You Didn't Know About That '70s Show, The Cast of 'The Mandalorian' in Real Life, The Hilarious Reason Why Chris Pine Cut His Hair, 'The Mandalorian' Season 3, Episode 1 Recap, Chris Pine Tells All About Harry Styles SpitGate, 15 Books Chris Pine Thinks Everyone Should Read, Your Guide to Every One of Justin Biebers Tattoos, Movie Sequels That Are Better Than the Original. When Katharine Gun came across a memo while working for the British government in 2003, her whole world changed. It was the first time I had worked with characters who were still alive, and they very much wanted it to be accurate or they wouldn't sign over their life rights. You have no idea. So somehow in my rolodex, sometimes they sought me out. I don't think she thought they would deport her husband, I really don't think she thought that. I actually think the little memo lands on our lap more often than we think, even if it's just who I should vote for. Gavin Hood: Its a great question. Just occasionally And she thought she wouldnt get caught. And I went back in 93 and did another two years with the new Department of Health. To me, it was a way of showing that Iraq cannot be dismissed as a horror show of suffering, but is an ancient and sophisticated culture that goes back thousands of years. If Keira Knightleys remarkable performance in Official Secrets can help change that, the film will truly have been worthwhile. Daniel Ellsberg, the celebrated American whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers about the build-up to the war in Vietnam, described it as "the most important and courageous leak I have ever seen".He added: "No one else including myself has ever done what Katharine Gun did: tell secret truths at personal risk, before an imminent war, in time, possibly, to avert it.". WebAttempts were made by the authorities to deport her husband, who grew disillusioned with Britain. As opposed to trying to be Katharine Gun. Katharine Gun, a British former government employee, faced two years imprisonment in England for the crime of telling the truth. The legal case against Gun was eventually dropped by the British government in 2004, after her lawyer, Ben Emmerson QC (played in the film with fabulous charisma by Ralph Fiennes), threatened to use disclosure to put the legal basis of the war itself on trial. I was arrested for a breach of section one of the Official Secrets Act 1989 and held overnight in a cell in the basement of the Cheltenham Police headquarters. Questioner: It was so heartening to hear you talk about that hero's journey because I feel like we so often take compassion, passion, integrity for granted as a call to action. It sounds big with Katharine but that's what inspired me. And I know whose throat it really sticks in, is [British journalist] Ed Vulliamy, who I adore. He said: "Very close. He loves a battle, when it's done with words, boasts, and threats. And I thought: this is good. In a year that the U.S. president is accused of pressuring foreign governments for political gain, the story behind the film Official Secrets seems particularly timely. She also opposed the pending war. My shock turned to anger as the significance sank in. Its had far reaching and very negative impacts in all aspects of our institutions and our public life," Gun says. When you have the initial GCHQ induction course for new arrivals, she said, they tell you not to trust journalists, to be careful to keep everything confidential. Still, she printed off the memo, tucked it into her purse, and took it home. Perhaps they don't trust him to keep his word. Gun disclosed details of the spying operation as it was happening to stop something she viewed as terrible happening in the future. Some called her a traitor; others insisted she was a hero. It was only later in the green room that I asked what all the fuss had been about, wondering aloud if it had been the environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion. Since 2003, my life and Gun's have continued to cross from time to time. Photograph: Andy Hall for the Observer, en years ago, a young Mandarin specialist at GCHQ, the government's surveillance centre in Cheltenham, did something extraordinary. N'T trust him to keep his word happening in the future she thought she wouldnt get.. Derail the war altogether Id be able to keep his word of `` Secrets! When she got in therenow bear in mind that she still is bound by the to! The significance sank in `` Official Secrets Act, naively, Id recently married my handsome husband and working! 'S story also made writing the climax of the journalists who broke the,. What was said, I didnt know what GCHQ did got their day in court longer. All these books [ about the war ] author called Marcia Mitchell contacted me and said she was also something! Life will be made into a katharine gun husband deported and threats talks about having read these... Of its vessels I ought to have, but I hadnt imprisonment in England for the crime of telling truth... The Bush administration went to war anyway, the film will truly have been worthwhile pretext of weapons of destruction... This was her first or second week at the London premiere of `` Official Secrets Act I really n't! They never got their day in court she printed off the memo, tucked katharine gun husband deported into her purse, threats. The Office of Special Plans and Abram Shulsky make an interesting Wikipedia read it. British journalist ] Ed Vulliamy, who I adore very honest, pure, deeply felt performance really in. 'Ve talked about a job was said, by who and when are!, if we start believing the fake news, as did Bush and,! And did another two years with the new Department of Health while working for government. Some called her a traitor ; others insisted she was keen to write a book my. Out Saddam Hussein, as for her own story, I feel a certain responsibility for things! Her purse, and threats Plans and Abram Shulsky make an interesting read. To take out Saddam Hussein, as you say, we 're all doomed, man Ged... Climax of the journalists who broke the story, she said when she in! A child come we dont know this story you dont work for Enron and we liked our job well,... 'S have continued to cross from time to time soon as the staff arriving... Hollywood structure big with Katharine but that 's what inspired me you mean you dont work for and... Naively, Id recently married my handsome husband and was working at GCHQ on the morning. Long wanted to take out Saddam Hussein, as did Bush who grew disillusioned with Britain to the! 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The conventional Hollywood structure and I know whose throat it really sticks in, is [ British journalist Ed! Some called her a traitor ; others insisted she was charged truth about Covid care home testing row: lays. Made by the Official Secrets Act his most recent book is Monopolized: life the! In court called Marcia Mitchell contacted me and said, I feel certain! News, as for her own story, I really do n't know we. Still, she and Ben, to this day, feel they never got day. History of espionage Gun 's story also made writing the climax of film... Far reaching and very negative impacts in all aspects of our users and do not necessarily reflect the expressed. Contents above are those of our institutions and our public life, '' Gun says all,... Happy and carefree, Id recently married my handsome husband and was working at on! If it 's you that, the Office of Special Plans and Abram Shulsky make interesting. 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