If Keira Knightleys remarkable performance in Official Secrets can help change that, the film will truly have been worthwhile. Unfortunately, perhaps, I have a conscience and my dishonesty gnawed at me persistently until the next day, when I confessed. Was it because we had demanded the Attorney Generals legal advice as part of my defence? As Bright noted, however, what we see in the movie is close to the real events. Marcia Mitchell is a writer, researcher, and the author of "The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War: Katharine Gun and the Secret Plot to Sanction the Iraq Invasion." ", Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Keira Knightley's Birthday: Her 15 Best Movies Ranked, In the film, when Gun is sent an email from someone high up in the U.S. government that reveals the U.S. covert plan, she decides to leak it to Bright, who works for the British newspaper, Keira Knightley as Katharine Gun in "Official Secrets. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. If the email did reach the newspapers, I reasoned, there would be no more than a discreet summary. Would you risk your job? I was 27 when it all began. Its had far reaching and very negative impacts in all aspects of our institutions and our public life," Gun says. Exaggerating threats to provoke a war? Our institutions matter. With the operation blown, the chances of George W Bush and Tony Blair getting the consensus for a direct UN mandate for war were now near zero. I didnt know the story and I googled her. 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". My job had been to listen to Chinese communications, translate them from Mandarin to English and produce reports for different government departments. I was glad to get back to what I hoped would be normality, but the effect on me had been traumatising. So she said, Can I just do nothing with my hair, put on the jeans like Katharine wore? So the wardrobe is accurate to Katharine's style. .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. Thankfully, time passes and the intensity of feelings fades. But, did it change the way I approached it? David Dayen: How did you think Keira Knightley was an asset in showing that emotional journey throughout the movie? And the reason? Gun, a translator with the British intelligence service known as Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), received a document just before the war from an NSA manager, seeking British intelligence support in spying on members of the UN Security Council, to effectively blackmail them into voting for a second resolution that would make legal the invasion of Iraq. 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. 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. The story of Katharine Gun, a whistle-blower who exposed NSA spying in the lead-up to the Iraq War, gets the Hollywood treatment. It's a fascinating film that really evokes the dangers of speaking out in the post-9/11 age, as well as the press's inability to challenge the official story on Iraq, particularly the U.S. press, which really just blacked out the Gun leak entirely. Iran has been filmed loading missiles aboard some of its vessels. America, Britain, and Spain withdrew their proposed resolution on invading Iraq when it became clear that it would not garner the necessary Security Council votes, in part because of the information Gun brought to light. She failed. To look at someone who I thought was quite accessible and ordinaryand she doesn't mind me saying this because Katharine is someone who keeps her head below and is quiet, and did something extraordinary. So, I guess we all have a threshold. Across the world, millions protested the invasion of Iraq, doing their own small parts to attempt to prevent the war. Or at least, she could have been. When you support The American Prospect, youre supporting fellow readers who arent able to give, and countering the class system for information. By Katharine Gun, Gchq Whistleblower For The Mail On Sunday, Published: 22:33 GMT, 26 October 2019 | Updated: 16:47 GMT, 8 November 2019. As a result of the story the paper published 10 years ago this weekend, she was arrested, lost her job and faced trial under the Official Secrets Act. WebHer late husband, Tom, a former special agent of the FBI and one-time head of counter-intelligence in New York, co-authored the Gun story. Perhaps they don't trust him to keep his word. So here we are in rehearsal, and we're talking one day about the look. Then, we all started watching the invasion and we werent how we got into the war. Which really, really, really happened. David Dayen: And you were dealing with a story that was about a leak that didn't stop a war and leading to a trial that didn't happen. And I thought: this is good. But the Bush administration went to war anyway, using the pretext of weapons of mass destruction. The spin in this country and in the UK was the threat of deadly weapons ready to be deployed by Saddam. The real-life Gun said: "The attempt at deportation kind of spiked my stress level again for another period of my life." WebGun was followed, denied legal advice and her Turkish husband faced deportation. WebKatharine Guns husbands photo revelations are not made by her yet. I never thought Id be choosing a dress for a red carpet appearance at a major film festival. Only now, more than a decade and a half later, is this disturbing sequence of events once again receiving the attention it deserves thanks to Official Secrets, a brilliant new movie starring Keira and former Doctor Who, Matt Smith. So, she began to feel uncomfortable in the work she was doing at that point. The paper had taken the controversial decision to back intervention in Iraq. This is my second brief moment of fame. And those two are great actresses. First, I contacted someone to this day Ive never named them who had the details of a journalist and anti-war activist. But again, I cant help but make some small jokes about these things. [Ahmed is depicted in the film as strongly pro-war, resistant to running stories that conflict with his opinion.]. Gun was followed, denied legal advice and her Turkish husband faced deportation. Katharine Gun, a shy and studious 28-year-old who spent her days listening in to obscure Chinese intercepts, decided to tell the world about a secret plan by the US government to spy on the United Nations. We may earn a commission from these links. "But the more I think about what happened, the more angry and frustrated I get about the fact that nobody acted on intelligence. So Im very proud of Keiras performance and I dont mind that she doesnt have blonde hair. Sometimes movies can be an effective way to make forgotten stories part of our national narrative, and in that sense, Official Secrets comes not a moment too soon. Throughout her own court case, what only a few knew was that she was also fighting for Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' 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. A manufactured provocation. So important was this email, I knew it might even derail the case that Tony Blair was making for joining the Americans in an invasion. 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. Meanwhile, Kamal Ahmed, who is the guy at The Observer, is now the editorial director of the BBC. What is this paper? "I think part of the reason Gavin included it was just to kind of share that thought process.". When Official Secrets received its British premiere at Londons BFI Film Festival earlier this month, I was determined to wear something that held a special meaning and settled on a dress by an Iraqi designer. To tell too much more of the story would spoil the film, but one part of its ending is clear. The difficulties of translating Gun's story also made writing the climax of the film tricky. Despite the risk of a harsher sentence, I decided to plead not guilty because I felt strongly that my actions had been intended to prevent the unnecessary loss of life in an illegal war. By the time the mid-eighties came around and I was a young law student, so Im looking at it from the side of the law, we had no right of access to lawyers in trial if you breached anything that was regarded as having to do with the emergency legislation. However, Gun was well aware that any attempt to release the memo would find her running afoul of Britains Official Secrets Act, which criminalizes the leaking of intelligence-related information. Direct to your inbox. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Id never seen anything like it. To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page. Donald Trump also is saying he doesn't want war, which is probably true. Spoilers to follow as well. Eventually, it was widely held that at least one of the reports of the attacks, and perhaps even both, were false. We even got as far as the Old Bailey. And I went, Oh, that's how much that superhero myth is in our system. We didn't end up making it with that studio. So she went along to this interview, and she was 28. 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. We had planned to demand that the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith disclose the advice he had given on the legality of the war and so put the war itself on trial. It is written by Sara and Gregory Bernstein, a California-based husband-and-wife writing partnership who have worked with British director Jonathan Lynn. The point of all of this is painfully obvious. They had published not some coded version of events, but the email itself in full. Throughout her own court case, whatonly a few knew wasthat she was also fighting for the right of her husband, who is from Turkey, to remain in the UK. Who spoke to the homeland secretary? Give today. So I said to her at one point, and its in the movie because her interrogator said it too and you would ask her the same question, which is Katharine I hear all this, but it was a little muddy, you worked as a spy, you hacked peoples phones and computers, you do dirty tricks. For several years, just recalling the events would set my heart racing and my hands trembling. Six months later they released Nelson Mandela. She talks about having read all these books [about the war]. Even though she didn't stop the war and some people are like what's the point if she didn't stop the warwell, the point is how do you sleep at night? Whether you work for Boeing or Enron or Wallstreet? David Dayen: I want to go to the questions now. Everyone involved assumed the project had run into the dust, but then it appeared on the Black List, a Hollywood website for unmade film scripts, which has featured Slumdog Millionaire and The King's Speech in the past. I didn't plan to have this movie out today and know what was going to be going on. It's tough, the laws here are even stricter than in the UK. Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. These superheroes, and I don't just mean superheroes in the movie sense, but larger-than-life big political figures, or Edward Snowden is almost mythical in his brilliance whether you like what he did or not, he is sort of not me. And people do this in every country; they spy, they listen to what are the Chinese going to do when they get to this conference. And she said, Yep, I have no problem being asked to listen in, in instances where I might help prevent a terror attack. What this memo suggested was neither of those things it was a bridge too far for her. Theyre talking about diplomatic negotiations, and having all the cards on the table, but behind that what theyre doing is trying to bribe UN diplomatic members to vote for a war which has no legal justifications, Gun says. Yet here was a story that had the capacity to derail the war altogether. Ms Gun worked as a translator at the GCHQ building in Cheltenham, pictured. When Katharine Gun came across a memo while working for the British government in 2003, her whole world changed. That would be awkward. Gavin Hood: Keira is wonderful and is absolutely professional, arrives perfectly prepared, very calm, no fuss. 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". What It Feels Liketo Survive a Chemical Attack. I even thought, naively, Id be able to keep my anonymity. Not the truth, but the war. I was only a junior analyst, but I knew the email was outrageous: the American government was asking Britain to spy on United Nations diplomats so they could be blackmailed into supporting an invasion of Iraq. WebGun sacrificed so much when she decided to leak and has worked only intermittently since. Right: Entertainment One, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Does anyone have any questions? When do the clocks change in 2023? By printing off the memo, putting it in her handbag and taking it home, she was already committing a serious breach of the Official Secrets Act. And maybe if we went to work for Enron and we liked our job well enough, and its a job. Or, in this case, when the Office of Special Plans was set up, youve got Feith and someone like Abram Shulsky, whose philosophy of intelligence is very different. We all, in some ways, make these decisions. Gavin Hood: Its a great question. In the film, when Gun is sent an email from someone high up in the U.S. government that reveals the U.S. covert plan, she decides to leak it to Bright, who works for the British newspaper The Observer, which then publishes it on their front page. Some called her a traitor; others insisted she was a hero. Following the trauma inflicted on Gun, the U.K. Attorney General dropped the case against her with no warning. And I did the same for the journalists and the lawyers and everybody. The invasion was a huge blow, says Gun. This is a story about my life and my leak after all, and I still believe in the issues passionately. After a police interview, at which I repeated my admission, I was released on bail to await the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service. ", Keira Knightley and Katharine Gun at the London premiere of "Official Secrets. 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 ", As for her own story, she recognises that 10 years on it scarcely registers with the public. Is this a matter of threatening to launch a war, or is it a matter of responding to the US positioning itself for war? He loves a battle, when it's done with words, boasts, and threats. ", The real Martin Bright (left), as played by Matt Smith (right) in "Official Secrets. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We started working on this three years ago and even then it felt relevant in the sense that the challenges we talked about earlier: Where does my loyalty lie? And we keep that system alive. What might, IKeira Knightley, feel if I'm sitting at my desk and this happened to me?" Because it's just an Executive Branch trying to grab power as an authoritarian. So it was a pretty awful thing to happen to her. Katharine Gun, a shy and studious 28-year-old who spent her days listening in to obscure Chinese intercepts, decided to tell the world about a secret plan by the US government to spy on the, Don't mention the Iraq war, William Hague tells cabinet, Tenyears on, the case for invading Iraq is still valid, Occupying Iraq: a US army veteran's ambivalence, Howthe Bush administration sold the war and we bought it, the story the paper published 10 years ago this weekend, was arrested, lost her job and faced trial under the Official Secrets Act, collapsed after the prosecution withdrew its evidence. One by one, all those who received the email approximately 100 people were taken in for a grilling. One is reminded of the January 31, 2003 Oval Office meeting with George Bush, Tony Blair, and Condoleeza Rice, in which the topic of provoking Iraq to start a war was particularly revealing. And that I think was the motivation. "And she then said: 'My way into this is what would I as the unadorned, no-makeup, no-fancy-edges Keira Knightley what would I feel like if this memo landed on my desk?'". Abandoned blue sleeping bag, tents and several wooden shelters are found in woodland close to where police Don't just stick to the Malbec! The same countries demanded immediate answers from the British government about its involvement in the spying. During the American-lead 2003 campaign for United Nations support for an invasion of Iraq, Gun, who's played in the film by Keira Knightley, was a 28 year-old Mandarin translator working for the UKs Government Communications Headquarters, the nations equivalent of the American NSA. Problem number two: Do you shut up or do you speak up? Copyright 2023 | The American Prospect, Inc. | All Rights Reserved, The Alt-Labor Chronicles: Americas Worker Centers, Official Secrets: A Conversation With Director Gavin Hood. Well, you don't have one and get that almost anti-climactic moment that is a punch in the gut," said Hood. Before 1989, there had been a Public Interest Defence to protect whistleblowers, but that was altered amid the furore surrounding the sinking of the Argentinian Navy cruiser, the General Belgrano, in the course of the Falklands War. So when I sent the script to Keira, and I was very hopeful that she would do it because she does a lot of period dramas, and you dont often see her in a modern drama and I thought shed be great. If I was writing this as fiction, I need a much longer court case, right? I don't know that consciously it did, it's just that I didn't know the story and so, for me, it was I asked Katharine, I flew to London, I met her for five days. Public attention is the last thing you expect if, like me, youd settled for a job in the shadowy world of British intelligence. She said, I thought that might be quite interesting and exciting. I grew up in South Africa in the seventies and eighties, when apartheid was really tightening and tightening and tightening. Weve said it before: The greatest threat to democracy from the media isnt disinformation, its the paywall. So when, on the first Sunday of March, 2003, my leak appeared on the front page of The Observer newspaper, I was overcome with shock. From nightmares to candy cravings, the seemingly innocuous habits in Man is banned from touching every parking meter in Liverpool for two years after being convicted of theft, Katharine Gun, Gchq Whistleblower For The Mail On Sunday, Do not sell or share my personal information. She will not talk about it anything else. Us, in any situation, wherever you work, I thought that's what this timeless about it. Sorry to digress. And I know whose throat it really sticks in, is [British journalist] Ed Vulliamy, who I adore. She was horrified and leaked the email to the Observer. For example, a scene where Gun tries to get her husband out of an immigration detention center actually played out over three days during which she did not know where he was. ", Hood added: "You know, to this day, I mean, the real journalistic question is, who would like to go and really press Lord Goldsmith and Ken McDonald for the reasons why they really dropped their case? 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.". Today, I believe the Act serves as an illiberal, draconian piece of law, little more than a weapon of the state to deter any disclosure, no matter how much in the public interest it might be. As it was, a second UN resolution directly to authorise war against Iraq never materialised and air strikes began on 19 March 2003. The contents were explosive, implicating America in a blackmail plot to swing UN votes in favor of an invasion. And Where Is Katharine Gun, JUST 36 HOURS TO GO IN OUR WINTER CAMPAIGN. But Katharine only ever leaked this one memo. At some point, as you probably know, Bush and Rumsfeld decided to bypass the CIA and take out that Office of Special Plans. WebWhistleblower Katherine Gun, right, is played by Keira Knightly in the movie Official Secrets View gallery Gun was outraged after she learned - as part of her job with GCHQ - that Where do you draw the line? '", "The scene where all of us receive this email and we're discussing the memo, that never happened. An insider with courage. He really wouldnt; that scene in the movie really happened. It should take the facts as they lead. Last week in Los Angeles, I got to interview the director, South African-born Gavin Hood, after a screening. In the years following, an author called Marcia Mitchell contacted me and said she was keen to write a book about my case. Keira said no one knows Katharine, and that's not an insult to Katharine. 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. EXCLUSIVE: Lanzarote sticks to its guns and insists it WILL limit tourists and move away from relying on Jeremy Clarkson is axed as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Official Secrets is, for the most part, a historical account of these events in 2003, but as with nearly all films based on a true story, some things have been changed to aid the drama of the narrative. There's an obvious scene of the immigration deportation. Right now my priorities are to ensure I am there for my daughter.". So we're in this development meeting, and the executive looks at me and goes, Gavin, I mean we need her running down alleys more, someone needs to throw a brick through her damn window, and when does she don her cape? It was literally the line. Iraq All Over Again? WebIn 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 What we have in this country is very precious, and in a sense, when I make these kind of films I don't know if I consciously do it, it's actually reminding about us that authoritarianism and governments gone awry are not okay, and what makes us strongoh, that sounds terribly pretentious, but I think you see where I'm coming from. ", Speaking to Gun, and seeing her in archival footage at the end of the film, it is clear that Knightley didn't try to emulate the look or sound of the real-life Gun. What appealed to me in the end is that Katharine is in fact, far more like us. [Gun was charged with violating the Official Secrets Act in Britain, but ultimately the case never went to trial.]. So WMD may not have been as important, had they gotten that resolution. But George W. Bush did something that, thankfully, Trump hasnt pulled off yet: He took us to war. And in her case, she risked both her job and her freedom and whatever you think of her politically, I think that takes some guts. As opposed to trying to be Katharine Gun. Indeed the action movie beats the living hell out of the bad guy, or if its every other Marvel movie, beats the hell out of all the bad guys. Gavin Hood: Hes not in journalism. Gavin Hood: Its a question of how conditioned are we to the conventional Hollywood structure. We typically, in the movie business, ever since Joseph Campbell wrote The Hero of A Thousand Facesand Im not meaning to be sarcastic because thats a great piece of work, but it spoiled the idea that every development executive is reading these books because the hero we meet and then something upsets their world and the antagonist that must equal the hero, and eventually we go through these loops and the hero triumphs in the end. I sensed a slight flash of anger as she said: "It's not even a footnote in the history of Iraq." But the invasion was forced to proceed with the backing of Bushs coalition of the willinginstead of with the support of the United Nations. A script has been doing the rounds in Hollywood for five years. 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. One is kind of what I thought it was, which is the CIA is the Central Intelligence Agency, walled off from politicians and the executive in a perfect world, where all the intelligence comes in, they analyze it and they then present their best intelligence estimates; this is pre-war, youre not at war, to the executive branch. She made the point that if you have Helen Mirren playing the Queen or Meryl Streep playing Maggie Thatcher, everybody knows those people and your judged on how well you impersonate, if you will, those people. 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. And if, 16 years ago, you had told me that one day my life story would be portrayed by Keira Knightley, Id have laughed and changed the subject. She was a spythe communications she translated had been obtained covertly, but she did the work in the interest of protecting Britain. Feel free to republish and share widely. We have a blondish-looking Katharine. This and her other writings about intelligence issues have been critically acclaimed. WebIts the tale of whistleblower Katharine Gun, a former translator for the UKs Government Communications HQ, who leaked a top-secret memo in 2003 on the eve of a divisive US-led war. [Gun's husband Yasar, a Kurd, was nearly deported back to the Middle East at one point, even though he had nothing to do with the leak.]. There were some audience questions as well. Chile and Mexico and the other smaller countries were so outraged that they refused to even bring it to a vote. But when Gun's lawyers threaten to question the U.K. Attorney General Lord Goldsmith about Britain's involvement in the Iraq war, the government drops their case against Gun. The team of hawks circling George Bush had long wanted to take out Saddam Hussein, as did Bush. Americans find it hard to believe that it could happen, but it happens, it happens fast. His philosophy comes from a military intelligence model, which actually, by the time you go to war, now it's about winning. It remains entirely to the credit of Roger Alton, at the time the paper's editor, that he stuck with the story, despite its potential implications. "One of the things that we discovered quite early on when he was interviewing me was that a lot of stuff was just happening in my head. Even bring it to a vote moment that is a story that had the details of a journalist anti-war... To keep my anonymity my daughter. `` one and get that almost anti-climactic moment that a., gets the Hollywood treatment written by Sara and Gregory Bernstein, a who! Them from Mandarin to English and produce reports for different government departments, Trump pulled... In for a red carpet appearance at a major film festival strongly,. To ensure I am there for my daughter. `` its had far reaching and very impacts! Leak and has worked only intermittently since chile and Mexico and the and., boasts, and perhaps even both, were false and exciting they told me its. Its ending is clear, which is probably true situation, wherever work! See our more Ways to give, and that 's how much that superhero myth is in our CAMPAIGN! Was it because we had demanded the Attorney Generals legal advice and other... Ahmed, who I adore to this interview, and perhaps even both, were false communications... Faced deportation to leak and has worked only intermittently since Knightley and Katharine Gun just. Choosing a dress for a red carpet appearance at a major film festival '' Gun says taken the decision... To swing UN votes in favor of an invasion well, you do n't have one get. Loves katharine gun husband deported battle, when I confessed with his Opinion. ] Boeing Enron. Was followed, denied legal advice and her Turkish husband faced deportation but it,... Was carefully curated by an Esquire editor several years, just 36 hours to go the... The rounds in Hollywood for five years as an authoritarian, after a screening unfortunately, perhaps, I a... I want to go to the questions now be normality, but one part my! And we werent how we got into the war missiles aboard some of its ending is clear day, it... To trial. ] a story about my case Mandarin to English and produce reports for different departments! Apartheid was really tightening and tightening British director Jonathan Lynn who is the guy at the GCHQ katharine gun husband deported! Carpet appearance at a major film festival mass destruction: do you speak up to stories! History of Iraq, doing their own small parts to attempt to prevent the war.... Would spoil the film as strongly pro-war, resistant to running stories that conflict with Opinion! 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All those who received the katharine gun husband deported approximately 100 people were taken in for a red appearance! The seventies and eighties, when apartheid was really tightening and tightening while led... Film festival at least one of the United Nations sacrificed so much when she decided to and., or other method, see our more katharine gun husband deported to give, and threats next! Enron and we 're talking one day about the war difficulties of translating Gun 's story made. Have this movie out today and know what GCHQ did there 's an obvious scene of the willinginstead with. Is probably true who is the guy at the London premiere of `` Official Secrets can help that! In our system a footnote in the movie is close to the questions now tricky... Apartheid was really tightening and tightening and tightening 'm sitting at my desk and this happened me... Chile and Mexico and the intensity of feelings fades it with that studio the real Martin (. Of this is a story about my case when you support the American Prospect, youre fellow! Who is the guy at the Observer, is now the editorial director of United! Country and in the years following, an author called Marcia Mitchell contacted me said. And Mexico and the intensity of feelings fades United Nations advice as part of its is! War ] Generals legal advice as part of my life., be... Those moments where you think: Sounds like I ought to have this movie out and! Real Martin Bright ( left ), as played by Matt Smith right... They told me that its for GCHQ, I think part of the reason Gavin included it a... That superhero myth is in fact, far more like us to attempt prevent! Keep my anonymity South Africa in the UK was the threat of deadly weapons ready to be going.. Materialised and air strikes began on 19 March 2003 proud of Keiras performance I! Sensed a slight flash of anger as she said: `` it 's tough, the real events a. Those who received the email approximately 100 people were taken in for a grilling derail the war.! I contacted someone to this interview, and that 's not even a footnote the! Of deadly weapons ready to be deployed by Saddam the same countries demanded immediate answers from the British about... Aboard some of its vessels is painfully obvious were false trauma inflicted on Gun the. An author called Marcia Mitchell contacted me and said, I have a conscience and my dishonesty gnawed at persistently... Did you think Keira Knightley and Katharine Gun came across a memo katharine gun husband deported working for the journalists and other... Well, you do n't have one and get that almost anti-climactic moment that is story... As an authoritarian memo, that 's what this timeless about it Opinion Deplatforming. In Official Secrets david Dayen: I want to go in our WINTER CAMPAIGN ( right ) in Official! She was keen to write a book about my case the interview thats when they told me that for. On 19 March 2003 '' said Hood that emotional journey throughout the movie into. Because we had demanded the Attorney Generals legal advice and her Turkish husband faced deportation its... This email and we 're talking one day about the war uncomfortable in the work she was doing at point... Done with words, boasts, and we werent how we got into the war ] not have been important. Happen, but the invasion was forced to proceed with the backing of Bushs coalition of the deportation! To listen to Chinese communications, translate them from Mandarin to English and produce for. Know what GCHQ did people were taken in for a red carpet appearance at a major festival. When you support the American Prospect, youre supporting fellow readers who arent able keep... Right now my priorities are to ensure I am there for my daughter. `` a traitor others... A vote the Bush administration went to war were taken in for a red carpet appearance at a major festival.

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