KATHARINE GUN: Well, I was just appalled. How frustrating it was for Gun to sit in her modest home next to her husband, and see fiction portrayed on the evening news. AMANPOUR: OK. AMY GOODMAN: So, you call Ed, and you say, Can you track down this guy? Among many other things. Whos that? I said, Im ringing about the GCHQ memo that you sent. Click. January of 2003. KATHARINE GUN: Detective, I dont object to being asked to collect information that could help prevent a terror attack. It is tough for me to be in the public domain againbut I felt like it was a good thing. But within days, Bush declared he no longer needed UN backing and invaded anyway. Katharine Gun who's played by Keira Knightley in a forthcoming film blew the whistle on a dodgy scheme by the American government. More than that, Koza wasnt just asking for information on what these ambassadors and their governments were planning, he seemed to want dirt. Democracy Now! 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.. 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. AMY GOODMAN: So, Katharine, you read this memo. KATHARINE GUN: Youre putting me on the spot now. You've never seen war, you've never smelled it! Katharine Gun in the Liberty office, 2019. A new film, Official Secrets, tells the story of her actions and subsequent arrest. If people knew about this, nobody would support this invasion.. Thanks so much for joining us. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Thought-provoking commentary and opinion on politics, books and the arts. Former British intelligence officer Katharine Gun didnt set out to become a whistle-blower. These actors are so clever, Amy. "The problem was that I just didn't feel guilty," she tells me. Hundreds of thousands, millions of people have been affected by it, and those effects continue to this day. The original content of this program is licensed under a. Yasar Gun : All you do is listen to people talking! This presented a problem. In 2004, Democracy Now! 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? Were going to do Part 2, and were going to post it online at democracynow.org, to talk about thesethe courage Katharine Gun had in revealing this information, and then what this means for whistleblowers today and for U.S.-British policy today. 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). 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. e-mail; 239. shares. Yeah. JERRY: [played by Chris Reilly] Hes a Muslim. In the movie "Official Secrets," the character called Katharine Gun, who is played by Keira Knightley, actually discusses this memo with colleagues at GCHQ. Yasar Gun is the husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who revealed top-secret information. Ross stands at the height of 5 feet 5 inches or 165 cm tall. Katharine smuggled the printed email out of GCHQ and leaked it to the media, on the 2nd March it was . Everyone was a suspect, as one by one colleagues were called into interviews with GCHQ's internal security team. BRITISH INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: Someone has betrayed their government and their country. Gun received bail each month, so she was able to make it seem like she still worked for GCHQ and had a normal life. The following Monday, she walked out of work, a printed copy of the email folded up and hidden in her handbag. When she leaks an NSA memo to the press exposing the American covert manipulation of allies, she will be forced into the spotlight. But nonetheless, you wanted to do that. Former lead guitarist of The Band Robbie Robertson takes Walter Isaacson behind the scenes of his legendary rock career. Courtroom porn and social media have turned innocent bystanders into a mass of mudslingers. Could you put me through? Whos talking, sir? I cant say. Required fields are marked *. 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. After university and a couple of years teaching in Japan, she was back in Britain and looking for a job. And I knew that Ed was an extremely experienced journalist. And then, one by one, the American networks pulled out. "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. From there, it made its way into the hands of Yvonne Ridley, a well-known anti-war activist. It is vital to speak up in a democracy. GAVIN HOOD: Who were the nonpermanent members on the U.N. Security Council at the time. Was it? "It was me.". Gavin, who worked on the screenplay and is the director. ED VULLIAMY: Yeah, I came upon an extension number. And it was a very collaborativeit was a very collaborative place. And its so relevant to be talking about this today, as the British government is talking about cracking down on the leaker of the memos of the British ambassador to the U.S. that forced him out. Well, now Katharine Guns story is being told in the new film Official Secrets, starring Keira Knightley. AMY GOODMAN: This is a remarkable story. 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 . Katharine Gun knew exactly the sort of work she was employed to do; two years into a job at GCHQ as a Mandarin "analyst" and "translator", it's hard not to. In fact, your husbandwould they attempt to deport him? MARTIN BRIGHT: The paperthe editorial line was supporting the war, but obviously there were those of us within the paper who didnt. Katharine Gun worked as an analyst for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British equivalent of the secretive U.S. National Security Agency. Yasur Gunnis is the husband of Katharine Gun, a linguist who specializes in translating Mandarin Chinese into English. Gun was cleared of a charge under the Official Secrets Act after being . This is of no use to me at all. And she turned the piece of paper over, and on the back someone had written the header information. By Gabrielle Bruney . It is based on the whistleblowing investigation by Katharine Gun and Martin Bright. Economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram on World Bank, Climate Emergency, Global Debt Crisis & More, We Want a Better Future: Meet an Asylum Seeker Evicted from, Jeremy Scahill on Mistreatment of Whistleblowers & Uneven Enforcement of Laws over Classified Papers, Part 1: In 2003, This U.K. Whistleblower Almost Stopped the Iraq Invasion. I was like, Mmm. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. BEN EMMERSON: Do you want to risk it all? Katharine's house was searched before she was sat down to be interviewed the following morning. http://bit.ly/HeyUGuysYTSubFacebook http://facebook.com/HeyUGuysInstagram http://instagram.com/HeyUGuysOfficial--------------------- But it seemed inevitable. TINTIN: And now youre upset at being asked to do that to members of the Security Council. 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. They wont just put you through to a man who doesnt exist in a place that doesnt exist. Your viewers will recall them; I hope not, for their sake, but some of them will. Truth has a habit of . 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. Yasar's wife is a British linguist who worked as a translator for the GCHQ, Government Communications Headquarters. I think the film will help to focus people on those issues again. Gun believed that this would be illegal, a breach of the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations. There's a real potency to Gun's tale of truth-telling in our world of social media and fake news. Now the public knew. 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. Neither have many others, especially . 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. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. She believes that her leak probably finished off the second resolution, turning Chile and Mexico against it. And what did you think? On January 23 2003, Gun, who worked at GCHQ translating messages from Mandarin Chinese into English, discovered an email from American intelligence agent Frank Koza. It seemed as if the decision to go to war had already been made, that all the diplomacy then taking place was a charade. Five years later after her fourth divorce, she married her fifth husband, Sam Elliott. Never heard of Gun? delivered to your inbox every day? Martin, talk about how you got this memo. Again, this is before the Iraq War. Were joined also by Martin Bright, who is the journalist who reported Guns revelations in The Observer, as well as Ed Vulliamy. 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. 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. And so it was decided: on the stand she'd state her innocence and hope for the best. And you said you say that, you know, I didnt join in order to fix a vote in the U.N. to convince the world to go to a war to go to war. Katharine was amongst them. Maybe reporters decided it was a fake, Katharine thought; maybe she'd just entirely misjudged its significance. KATHARINE GUN: I was arrested. 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. There were a million people in the streets, the Parliamentary Labour party was in revolt, cabinet ministers were resigning; there might be regime change in Britain before it happened in Iraq. Record Coal Prices Help Break Strike. I couldnt see beyond this war and all I wanted to do is just to put a spoke in the wheel of this wagon. Just put me through. And, sure enough, Frank Koza. That was a good brain moment. Its you either go to war based on a U.N. resolutionwere all going togetheror youve got to prove, you know, a genuine threat to youryou know, its a self-defense argument. She saw a newspaper advert for GCHQ. In 2019, she finally returned to the general public eye for the promotional press occasions for Official Secrets. AMY GOODMAN: The guy at the NSA. She couldnt shake the indelible images of the turkey shoot of retreating Iraqis on the Highway of Death during the first Gulf War in 1991, the road out of Kuwait strewn with burnt-out vehicles and charred bodies. She had a leading role in the 1969 film, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and Elliott had a small, untitled role. What were you employed to do? 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. She had leaked a secret email revealing what was called at the time an illegal dirty tricks campaign to fix the UN vote. When she arrived, escorted by security, all her colleagues knew too. This is her story. Otherwise we are living in dictatorships. The person responsible for the jeopardy to face Blair and the coalition in invading Iraq was as well as Bush and Blair themselves a young translator at GCHQ, Katharine Gun. As Iraq descended into chaos, Katharine was arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. Theyre one of Hollywoods brightest starsand most troubled actors. Keira Knightley as Katharine Gun in 'Official Secrets.' Courtesy of IFC Films In the past, you've taken on roles in many period films but Official Secrets is set not that long ago, in 2003. Her case became awidespread controversy among activists, and many people stepped forward to urge the government to drop the case. I talked to a couple of colleagues about it, about even taking it to the editor, because you dont want to take a half-baked story to your editor, particularly at the time of intense prewar preparation. That meant winning over temporary members of the Council, countries such as Angola, Bulgaria, Chile and Mexico. Katharine McPhee was initially hesitant about dating David Foster . They question you. KATHARINE GUN: Governments change. 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