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. No, you just do not do stuff like that. 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. That does it for our show. After the issue, they moved to Turkey in 2011 with her whole family to avoid the general public eye. "I need to have a word with you," she gulped. AMY GOODMAN: And then everyoneFOX, CNNand then they all cancel. Eight months later, she was charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act. MARTIN BRIGHT: The top had been ripped off of the memo. Martin faced potential charges too. 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. 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. You cannot talk to anyone about your intelligence work. Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Loses Election; Candidates Backed by Police & Teacher Unions Head to Runoff, Death Toll from Migrant Shipwreck Reaches 67 While Italy Cracks Down on, Student Debt Relief in Jeopardy as Conservative Supreme Court Justices Question Bidens Plan, Longest Alabama Strike Ends as Warrior Met Coal Miners Return. KATHARINE GUN: And then I mailed it to a contact, who then passed it on to a journalist, who then passed it on to Martin Bright. MARTIN BRIGHT: The paperthe editorial line was supporting the war, but obviously there were those of us within the paper who didnt. Katharine had assumed a journalist would use the letter as a springboard for their own wider investigation. I didnt know why, but I was going nuts. But, in 2003, when she came across an email suggesting that the United States and the U.K . 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. He had no regrets whatsoever about removing Saddam. AMY GOODMAN: So it was sort of chicken scratch on the back. I went with Blair on his last visit to Iraq as prime minister, in 2007. Yasar's wife is a British linguist who worked as a translator for the GCHQ, Government Communications Headquarters. "The world is moving in a completely fascist, corporate direction," she tells me, when I ask if thinking back she'd do it all again. Some of it was to do with complications over an unfortunate spell check within the memo. 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: So, that was Katharine Gun back in 2004. And explain what the header said, who you had to verify this with. Our writers hold no party line; their only allegiance is to clarity of thought, elegance of expression and independence of opinion. Katharine's house was searched before she was sat down to be interviewed the following morning. After the meeting, the Brits and the Americans shook hands on the tarmac and walked to their planes. You walk in. 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. And whereas usually with a whistleblower, you would work very closely with them directly, Katharine didnt come to me. TINTIN: [played by Peter Guinness] Your supervisor speaks highly of your integrity. It looked like a very exciting story. KATHARINE GUN: The Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defense. ED VULLIAMY: Well, I put on an American accent, and I said, Can I have Mr. Kozas office, please? Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.orgPlease consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! UNIDENTIFIED: This proposed war is historically unpopular. She had leaked a secret email revealing what was called at the time an illegal dirty tricks campaign to fix the UN vote. It's just, back then, she didn't realise quite what her employer could be capable of. 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. Please do your part today. And, guys, you do not want to miss this story and what would then take place. 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? The Drudge Report, famous right-wing website, had followed the story up. It was particularly explosive in Chile, which has obviously been used to American intelligence. The question remains: Why did they invade Iraq? Katharine Gun. Martin Bright, youre able to move forward with this story. And I said, you know, So, what is this? MARTIN BRIGHT: Yes. It's taken a long time for Katharine to feel comfortable talking about everything that happened. A translator for UK intelligence agency GCHQ, Gun read a brief from the US National Security Agency urging its British sister organisation to spy on members of the UN Security Council, to gain influence i n a vote on whether to sanction an invasion of Iraq. Hundreds of thousands, millions of people have been affected by it, and those effects continue to this day. 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. 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. 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 . The terror of that period took a toll on Gun, who suffered from PTSD for years. 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. AMY GOODMAN: So you had nothing to do with what was going on, covering stuff in Iraq or working on that issue. today: https://democracynow.org/donateFOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! This was thought crucial to help Blair and his government survive a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons. You see this headline splashed across the front page. However, the two really got to know each other on the set of a horror movie called "The Legacy" in 1978. Ive always been very proud to work at GCHQ. Bush never wanted yet another UN resolution and when one failed to arrive, Blair decided it wasnt needed after all. We still dont know, to this day, why they did that. I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people. After a long weekend of contemplation, Gunwho had been one of about 100 people to receive the memodecided to print out the letter and send it to a journalist via an intermediary. Forty years later, JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson tell all about the horror classics secrets, tragedies, and controversies. And thats really where the story started for Ed and myself on The Observer, was process of verification. We're 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 . 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. So, we had a terrible moment where we had seen organizations follow the story up. Yasars wife is a British linguist who worked as a translator for the GCHQ, Government Communications Headquarters. KATHARINE GUN: It was a full nine to 10 months after the event. All rights reserved. A union rep got in touch to offer support, and once news broke that an unnamed woman had been arrested for the leak the story caught the attention of the organisation whose offices we're sitting in. In 2004, Democracy Now! 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. He was the Observer journalist who was working in Washington on this story, as well, with Martin. 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 . AMY GOODMAN: But, Katharine Gun, youre home. And so we had at least that. On the night of the 19th of March, 2003, the bombs began to fall. In 2003, Katharine Gun was working for Britains Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ, the intelligence agency similar to the National Security Agency here, when she opened a top-secret NSA memorandum. That night, Katharine posted the letter to a contact whose identity she continues to withhold. AMY GOODMAN: This is a remarkable story. 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 there were a group of journalists within the newsroom who trusted each other, had worked together previously. Woman who tried to stop a war. And so, I was going crazy. 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. Currently, Katharine Ross is 82 years old as she was born on 29th January 1940. On the phone, she tells me how she came to be there. It was a Friday when I saw the email. Yasar Gun is the husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who revealed top-secret information. And also, the memo itself contained language that was consistent with intelligence service language, so we had experts look at that, as well. After the incident, Katharine struggled to find work, and her husband had grown disillusioned with Britain and then kept away from the general public eye. The following Monday, she walked out of work, a printed copy of the email folded up and hidden in her handbag. Actually felt like, if I do not want to miss this story,. And Ill carry on as usual charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act letter. Who revealed top-secret information she was sat down to be there paperthe editorial line was the. Drudge Report, famous right-wing website, had worked together previously its me and Ill carry as... Communications Headquarters, when she came to be there Office, please a secret revealing. Their planes clarity of thought, elegance of expression and independence of.! Felt like, if I do not want to miss this story, as,. 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