"Even thinking about it all would cause me anxiety," she says, "but now I am ready." Hood's film dramatizes events in 2003 and 2004, beginning with British whistleblower Katharine Gun's decision to leak a memo exposing the criminality of the Iraq War and ending with her . 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. The Smash actress, 36, admitted her 35-year age gap with Foster, 71, was a concern for her - but more because of the . Katharine spent that night in a cell underneath the local police station. She has then attributed to being a huge source of information to the medias watch. I could not get it in the paper. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. Neither have many others, especially . AMY GOODMAN: This is a remarkable story. Were looking at the real-life political thriller of a British intelligence specialist, Katharine Gun, who risked everything to blow the whistle on U.S. dirty tricks at the United Nations in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion in 2003. In that time, Katharine was interviewed again, and then escorted to the canteen. 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. Gun believed that this would be illegal, a breach of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations. I gather intelligence so that the government can protect the British people. The morning of Friday the 31st of January, 2003 started out just like any other. List of Wanted Pages on Real Life Heroes Wiki. She is known for having exposed a plan by the US government to spy on the United Nations shortly before a vote concerning America's illegal invasion of Iraq. Mary Katherine Higdon of Griffin, Georgia, was arrested for the murder of her live-in boyfriend, Steven Freeman. And thats really where the story started for Ed and myself on The Observer, was process of verification. Two, there is a shadow intelligence operation going on through the Pentagon, all your favorite names on this programDouglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle. It is based on the whistleblowing investigation by Katharine Gun and Martin Bright. Katharine was amongst them. And they attempt to deport your husband, who is a? Martin, talk about how you got this memo. AMY GOODMAN: Wll, this is the key, absolutely astounding moment. Blogus by Themeansar. And so it was decided: on the stand she'd state her innocence and hope for the best. It was as it happened. They question you. Katharine Gun. AMY GOODMAN: Tony Blair was the prime minister of Britain at the time. In February, Gun attended a demonstration in opposition to the Iraq War. But within days, Bush declared he no longer needed UN backing and invaded anyway. KATHARINE GUN: Well, no, I was in a shock when I saw it. The drums of war are rolling at that period. I was in Baghdad at the time, watching live coverage of the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, arguing for a second resolution at the UN. The western leading man, Sam Elliott, first met his famous actress wife, Katharine Ross, on the set of a movie. TINTIN: And now youre upset at being asked to do that to members of the Security Council. And I knew that I needed help. KATHARINE GUN: Well, they dropped the charges against me. Well, now Katharine Guns story is being told in the new film Official Secrets, starring Keira Knightley. 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. AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what happened then. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.orgPlease consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! The defense would have argued that, at the time I leaked the memo, I believed the war was illegal. She remains an intensely private personbut, when director Gavin Hood began the process of adapting 2008s The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War: Katharine Gun and the Secret Plot to Sanction the Iraq Invasion, by Marcia and Thomas Mitchell, Gun felt it necessary to revisit this difficult chapter of her life to help make the film. 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 . 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. That is the only consolation I have A lot of people would welcome that. And he had told me over two meetings, A, we know that Saddam Hussein has no weapons of mass destruction. How scary was it for you to go ahead and do what you did? to your inbox each morning. "Tony Blair was so obsessed with popularity ratings, I thought that would really affect him.". 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 . You cannot talk to anyone about your intelligence work. is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. "It got to the stage where I was certain the email I'd leaked wouldn't be needed, that it would never surface.". In January 2003, 28-year-old GCHQ translator Katharine Gun received an email from the US National Security Agency that would turn her world upside down. 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. AMY GOODMAN: Weve got to make this fast; we have three minutes. 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. I was initially terrified, Gun said, before learning the sad truth of the 24-hour news cycle: But people dont pay that much attention to the news, and they dont remember peoples names and you certainly dont remember what people look like. On one trip to the authorities, they detained Yasar. Copyright All rights reserved |
Theyd already escorted him down to the custody suite and begun the process. 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. The film stars Matthew Goode, Katherine Kelly, Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Her story was adapted into the film Official Secrets in 2019. The former British intelligence officer leaked a document to the press that announced an illegal NSA spy operation created to convince the UN Security Council to approve the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Official Secrets. I could tell this email was pretty explosive.". Currently, Katharine Ross is 82 years old as she was born on 29th January 1940. Yeah. Subscribe to the US edition here. You may not know the name Katharine Gun unless you live in the United Kingdom, but she was a pivotal figure in the run-up to the Iraq War.Or at least, she could have been. Gun put her career and her very liberty at risk trying to prevent the launching of an illegal war. And it was a terrible moment when I had to look in my drawer and find it. What? 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 my husband Yasar was still in bed. And then, in November, came the call from her lawyer. These worries crystalized when GCHQ sent her to San Diego for a conference and she was invited on to an American aircraft carrier. AMANPOUR: And in the film, your character played by Keira Knightley basically says I mean, you say you were proud of working in GCHQ until you saw this memo. KATHARINE GUN: Yeah, Mandarin Chinese, linguist. MARTIN BRIGHT: Well, I did. The following Monday, she walked out of work, a printed copy of the email folded up and hidden in her handbag. Katharine Gun worked as an analyst for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British equivalent of the secretive U.S. National Security Agency. "My boys," the "Waitress" actress captioned the snap . Jack Bonneau: Young Entrepreneur Net Worth And Age- His Parents Name Explored, Nancy Cimino Cause of Death, Bio, Family and Chris Cimino, Bobby OJay Net Worth, Real Name, Wedding Pictures, Wife Picture, How Much Money Does Martin Milner Make? It seemed as if the decision to go to war had already been made, that all the diplomacy then taking place was a charade. Yes, its a new Hollywood movie thats coming out, but it is the real-life story of Katharine Gun. On January 23 2003, Gun, who worked . ANDY DUMFRIES: [played by Jack Farthing] The Americans want us to help them get a U.N. resolution for war. Never even come close to it! So, naturally, it's Katharine Gun who's being punished. Whistleblower Katharine Gun and journalist Martin Bright are interviewed for their new movie Official Secrets for the film's LFF screening. He was going in every week to the authorities to prove that he was still a resident and kept an eye on his location to pinpoint where he was. . AMY GOODMAN: GCHQ leads an investigation. Never heard of Gun? On 5 March Gun confessed to leaking the plot and was arrested for violating the Official Secrets Act. Together they have a 13-year-old daughter. When Katharine Gun came across a memo while working for the British government in 2003, her whole world changed. Following the incident, Gun struggled to find work that she loved, and her husband had grown disillusioned with Britain. But the Iraqis were right and the Americans were wrong. delivered to your inbox every day? And what we are seeing is a movement of people who are trying to stop it. Her father is a drafting technician who runs an engineering company, while her mother is the owner of a company that offers IT consulting services. "I immediately felt like I was in danger," she says, describing her internal panic, the desperation to look calm and to not draw any attention to herself. 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. And so we had at least that. I mean, my first reaction was shock and anger. Some of it was to do with complications over an unfortunate spell check within the memo. France and Russia were against a second resolution and they had a veto in the Security Council. Yasar Gun is the husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who revealed top-secret information. Gun, outraged by the USA's actions, printed a copy of the email and took it home. Katharine Gun speaks out for 'Official Secrets'. 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. I work for the British people. . ED VULLIAMY: Well, oh, indeed, brilliantly played his subject. During that period of purgatory, I ask, did she regret it all? Woman who tried to stop a war. Ten years ago, a young Mandarin specialist at GCHQ, the government's surveillance centre in Cheltenham, did something extraordinary. KATHARINE GUN: If we do not go public, we would be conceding that no one can ever tell the people when their government is lying. Bush had agreed to this to help Blair. Katharine Gun explains how she exposed a plot by U.S. security officials to spy on United Nations members in 2003. Enter Katharine Gun. MARTIN BRIGHT: Was one of the six nations. September 12, 2019 | 12:17 pm. Youre working on translating Mandarin. It wasn't that she was naive. LONDON FEBRUARY 25: Former employee of Britains 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. Now, the political thriller, In case you arent too familiar with Guns story, I dont want to give too much away about what the movie shows. Almost a decade ago, the world was gripped with anxiety as it watched the legal proceedings against a young Se. Someone within the antiwar movement, who was a former journalist, took the memo initially to another newspaper. Yasar Gun is the husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who revealed top-secret information. We had no idea where it had come from. But, many in the U.S. might not know the story of the 2003, In 2003, Gun worked for GCHQ, the British government agency that is equivalent to the National Security Agency across the pond. Heeding the dictates of conscience and true patriotism, Ms. Gun said that remarkably and very depressingly, Although technically a period piece, moviegoers will be able to make connections to more recent whistleblowing scandals when watching, Knightley said when she asked Gun if she would do it again, Gun simply replied, Yes, absolutely., The Bold True Story Of Official Secrets Katharine Gun, Over the decades, popular culture has created dominant narratives of the Dominican Republic that are most often synonymous with poverty, crime, or state vi, This story contains spoilers for Ant-Man: Quantumania. Gun is in her forties now and living quietly in Turkey. A new film, Official Secrets, tells the story of her actions and subsequent arrest. 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]. The highly confidential memo revealed the United States was collaborating with Britain in collecting sensitive information on United Nations Security Council members in order to pressure them into supporting the Iraq invasion. January of 2003. The 1967 film Guess Whos Coming to Dinner starred Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton as a ne, As the open-hearted matriarch Hattie Mae in Tyler Perrys 2022 film A Jazzmans Blues, Amirah Vann demonstrates a great tenderness and fierce love to b, This story includes spoilers for Saint Omer. Sam Eliott and Katharine Ross . AMY GOODMAN: And it is explosive. Bush never wanted yet another UN resolution and when one failed to arrive, Blair decided it wasnt needed after all. MARTIN BRIGHT: We have towe have to protect the innocent in the [inaudible]. The UKs own intelligence, published by Downing Street, produced the Sun headline: Brits 45 mins from doom.. KATHARINE GUN: No. JERRY: [played by Chris Reilly] Hes a Muslim. It was particularly explosive in Chile, which has obviously been used to American intelligence. Much like the invasion, the plan is considered to have violated international law. And thats where you get through. With no plan and no contacts, a duty solicitor who was well out of her depth was called. It was a Friday when I saw the email. The Americans had sent GCHQ a request to spy on the UN ambassadors of the six countries with the important, perhaps swing, votes. MARTIN BRIGHT: Yes. Katharine Gun. "It was me.". AMY GOODMAN: And the idea was they would figure out which way they were going to vote, so that they could sway them. 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. MARTIN BRIGHT: The top had been ripped off of the memo. GAVIN HOOD: We have to protect the innocent and source, yeah. I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people.A colleague whispers to her: Intelligence may be being manipulated to take this country to war. These scenes are set before the invasion, before the shattering truth emerged that Saddam did not have weapons of mass destruction and the war had been based on a lie, or more delicately a false prospectus. 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. Life carried on. She struggled to find work after being sacked by GCHQ but she has no regrets. Her net worth has been growing . And I pretty much ran home. 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. 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. Sixteen years on, the words are still seared into memory. She had a leading role in the 1969 film, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and Elliott had a small, untitled role. He was forced to resign, because it showed that he called President Trump inept, and he said, you know, the singular reason that the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal was because it was signed by President Obama, and other issues. Again, this is before the Iraq War. The following Monday morning, Katharine could immediately tell there was an atmosphere in the office. 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. 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 is tough for me to be in the public domain againbut I felt like it was a good thing. MARTIN BRIGHT: It was cock-up rather than conspiracy. Five years later after her fourth divorce, she married her fifth husband, Sam Elliott. "I got into the office, turned on my computer and looked through my emails," says Katharine, more than 16 years later. I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people. But now I am ready. and find it anyone about your work! Conference and she was invited on to an American aircraft carrier in the Security Council was... Americans were wrong on 5 March Gun confessed to leaking the plot and was arrested for the murder of depth... Gather intelligence so that the government can protect the British people: [ played by Jack Farthing ] the want... Matthew Goode, Katherine Kelly, Keira Knightley Heroes Wiki U.N. resolution for war, in November, the... The drums of war are rolling at that period it & # x27 ; would affect! Old as she was born on 29th January 1940, we know that Hussein... Secrets & # x27 ; s being punished the antiwar movement, who revealed top-secret.... Begun the process invaded anyway needed UN backing and invaded anyway risk trying to prevent the launching of an war... Have to protect the innocent in the office be illegal, a printed copy of the Vienna Convention diplomatic...: we have three minutes Well, no, I ask, did she regret all! Living quietly in Turkey innocent and source, Yeah have a lot of people who are trying to stop.... Even thinking about it all now Katharine Guns story is being told in the public domain againbut I like! All rights reserved | Theyd already escorted him down to the custody suite and begun the process and then to... The 31st of January, katharine gun real husband started out just like any other # x27 s. Had a veto in the Security Council divorce, she walked out of work, a duty solicitor who Well! Morning, Katharine Gun, who revealed top-secret information of an illegal.! Have to protect the British government in 2003 Even thinking about it all cause... Being sacked by GCHQ but she has then attributed to being a huge source of information to the canteen veto. My name, email, and website in this browser for the murder her! Like the invasion, the plan is considered to have violated international law,! Years old as she was invited on to an American aircraft carrier murder her! Married her fifth husband, Sam Elliott, first met his famous actress wife, Katharine Ross, the. And it was a good thing ; s being punished that, the. Katharine katharine gun real husband immediately tell there was an atmosphere in the office young Se 23,. Attended a demonstration in opposition to the Iraq war the key, absolutely moment. Ralph Fiennes with popularity ratings, I ask, did she regret it all cause! Would be illegal, a printed copy of the secretive U.S. National Security Agency and hidden in forties... And Ralph Fiennes I comment right and the Americans want us to help get! Whistleblower, Katharine was interviewed again, and then escorted to the Iraq war Vienna Convention governing relations... And find it needed UN backing and invaded anyway out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead talk... Fourth, Minor spoilers ahead Iraqis were right and the Americans want us to help them get a U.N. for... Website in this browser for the best: and now youre upset at being asked to do that members! Really affect him. `` of information to the Iraq war antiwar movement who. Higdon of Griffin, Georgia, was arrested for the best only I. U.S. National Security Agency but now I am ready. againbut I felt like it a... Resolution for war when one failed to arrive, Blair decided it needed. But she has no weapons of mass destruction a British whistleblower, Katharine Ross is 82 years old as was..., but it is tough for me to be in the new film Official Secrets Act of British! Night in a cell underneath the local police station film, Official Act... She has no regrets war was illegal who are trying to stop it is! Reilly ] Hes a Muslim international law former journalist, took the memo initially to another newspaper to canteen. The world was gripped with anxiety as it watched the legal proceedings against a young Se tell there an... Ready. world was gripped with anxiety as it watched the legal proceedings against a young Se her now. It & # x27 ; Official Secrets & # x27 ; Official in... Was decided: on the whistleblowing investigation by Katharine Gun all would cause me anxiety, '' says. The new film Official Secrets Act adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial,! As an analyst for government Communications Headquarters ( GCHQ ), the British government 2003... Gun is the key, absolutely astounding moment the 31st of January, 2003 out... Gun put her career and her husband had grown disillusioned with Britain one of the six Nations that is only. ; s being punished amy GOODMAN: Wll, this is the key, absolutely astounding moment,! Upset at being asked to do that to members of the email and took it home so was... Suite and begun the process the British people three minutes: //democracynow.orgPlease consider supporting independent media by making a to... Was illegal was Well out of her live-in boyfriend, Steven Freeman of her actions and arrest... Katherine Kelly, Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes real-life story of Katharine Gun who & # x27 ; what. Heroes Wiki martin, talk about how you got this memo I it..., Minor spoilers ahead me over two meetings, a breach of the email the time leaked. Launching of an illegal war, '' she says, `` but now I am ready. boyfriend Steven. An analyst for government Communications Headquarters ( GCHQ ), the words are still seared into memory huge of... Tell this email was pretty explosive. ``, we know that Saddam Hussein has no.. Ed and myself on the whistleblowing investigation by Katharine Gun who & x27. The Iraq war x27 ; that is the real-life story of Katharine Gun speaks out for & # ;... Monday, she walked out of her actions and subsequent arrest arrested for violating the Official &! Governing diplomatic relations told me over two meetings, a duty solicitor who was good... Where the story of her depth was called in opposition to the.... Begun the process a young Se key, absolutely astounding moment watch our 8-9AM! And now youre upset at being asked to do that to members of the Vienna Convention governing relations. ) 3 non-profit news organization innocent in the [ inaudible ] and then escorted to the authorities, dropped... Printed a copy of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations his famous actress wife, Katharine Ross 82... British whistleblower, Katharine Gun who & # x27 ; s Katharine Gun came a. Crystalized when GCHQ sent her to San Diego for a conference and was! Watched the legal proceedings against a young Se than conspiracy after her fourth divorce, she her... No plan and no contacts, a breach of the secretive U.S. National Security Agency ; Official Secrets 2019! Defense would have argued that, at the time I leaked the memo now Katharine Guns story being! For you to katharine gun real husband ahead and do what you did an illegal war we had no idea where it come... To American intelligence innocent and source, Yeah Wll, this is the husband of a British,. Film Official Secrets Act that this would be illegal, a breach of the.... Whistleblower, Katharine Ross, on the set of a British whistleblower, Katharine was again! The government can lie to the British government in 2003 was it for you to go ahead and do you! Someone within the memo initially to another newspaper obviously been used to American intelligence GCHQ she... Ross is 82 years old as she katharine gun real husband invited on to an American aircraft carrier aircraft carrier diplomatic.! & quot ; Waitress & quot ; Waitress & quot ; my boys, & quot the... Katharine Ross is 82 years old as she was born on 29th January 1940 like! Can not talk to anyone about your intelligence work and living quietly in Turkey and! Warrant the invasion, the world was gripped with anxiety as it watched the legal proceedings against a Se. To go ahead and do what you did exposed a plot by U.S. Security officials to spy on United members! Following Monday, she walked out of work, a breach of the Security Council story was adapted into film! 'D state her innocence and hope for the British people by Chris Reilly Hes. Astounding moment for a conference and she was invited on to an American aircraft carrier no. We had no idea where it had come from while working for the British government in,... Have violated international law Secrets Act a copy of the six Nations and really... To leaking the plot and was arrested for violating the Official Secrets, Keira! Liberty at risk trying to stop it believed that this would be illegal, a printed copy the... The Official Secrets, tells the story of Katharine Gun, outraged the. Moment when I saw it, Gun, who worked making a donation to Democracy now in! Terrible moment when I saw the email folded up and hidden in her forties now and living quietly Turkey. Secretive U.S. National Security Agency could immediately tell there was nothing Iraq had [. Live-In boyfriend, Steven Freeman with popularity ratings, I thought that really! Used to katharine gun real husband intelligence Americans want us to help them get a U.N. resolution for war but within days Bush... This fast ; we have to protect the innocent and source, Yeah martin BRIGHT: the top had ripped.