katharine gun real husband

They want to interview Martin Bright, because youve got the story of this memo. Our obligation is to the truth. It's taken a long time for Katharine to feel comfortable talking about everything that happened. There's a real potency to Gun's tale of truth-telling in our world of social media and fake news. 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. Therefore, on August 27, 2002, he was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder by a jury and subsequently sentenced to death. 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. How old were you at the time? I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people. You've never seen war, you've never smelled it! So, when I met Yvonne Ridley, who is the former journalist who handed me the document, it was immensely infuriating. Former British intelligence officer Katharine Gun didnt set out to become a whistle-blower. It is vital to speak up in a democracy. Well, now Katharine Guns story is being told in the new film Official Secrets, starring Keira Knightley. In 2003, she leaked top-secret information to The Observer, concerning a request by the United States for compromising intelligence on diplomats from member states of the 2003 Security Council. 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, youre a spy. She was arrested and held at the police station in Cheltenham for 24 hours before being bailed. It would show that there isnt a double standard. The diplomats were due to vote on a second United . 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]. If people knew about this, nobody would support this invasion.. Katharine Gun : Yas, I understand why you are angry. Ms. I was trembling like a leaf. MARTIN BRIGHT: The top had been ripped off of the memo. "Public opinion was just so obviously against the invasion that I thought it wouldn't happen," she recalls. Who Is Yasar Gun? And your memo, that you had leaked, was right front and center. As Iraq descended into chaos, Katharine was arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. It was as it happened. e-mail; 239. shares. AMY GOODMAN: Which takes us to Mr. Martin Bright. Katharine Gun's age is listed as 47 years old as of 2021. 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 . Sixteen years on, the words are still seared into memory. Target. And then, in November, came the call from her lawyer. We welcome you all to Democracy Now! GUN: Well, simply the e-mail was from the NSA, which is the U.S. equivalent of GCHQ, and it was asking for our assistance, GCHQs assistance, in collecting information from six of the swing U.S. Security Council swing nations. KATHARINE GUN: I was arrested. I didnt know why, but I was going nuts. I asked Mr. Goodman, I asked others, Can you help me find this guy? Because you had to get an extension number. . The whole issue of Iraq has left us with a legacy, which is not good. So, what did it say and what was your decision-making process? 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 actually, at that point, had never met Katharine Gun. This is Katharines story were talking about, but there is a back story in the film, which plays its part, which is mine, and Ill be quick on this. UNIDENTIFIED: This proposed war is historically unpopular. 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. KNIGHTLEY: Governments change. It looked like a very exciting story. GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun speaks out. Katharine Gun. KATHARINE GUN: Well, no, I was in a shock when I saw it. It wasn't that she was naive. The Crown Prosecution Service was about to charge her. Yes, in 2003, Gun was working for British intelligencethats GCHQ, the intelligence agency similar to the NSA, the National Security Agencywhen she leaked a memo revealing the United States was collaborating with Britain in collecting sensitive information to hold over U.N. Security Council members to get them to support the Iraq War. 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. We had at least a name. But, in 2003, when she came across an email suggesting that the United States and the U.K . So we at least hadwe at least had a lead. TINTIN: So, you work for the British government. Acclaimed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg described Guns action as the most important and courageous leak I have ever seen. Guns incredible story is depicted in the new film Official Secrets, which premieres in the U.S. August 30. Then the story went away, and that's how I wanted it at that time, because I was actually quite traumatized by the whole thing. She did add, however, that she's hopeful the film will shed much needed light on the subject. I mean, what are you doing here? It took two hours for the cops from special branch to reach GCHQ in Cheltenham. 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. On one trip to the authorities, they detained Yasar. But were going to go to a break, and then were going to come back to this discussion. 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.. When I saw the red flagit was like, Oh, my gosh, this is so explosive. She had passed the memo to one of her contacts. 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. 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. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. In the film, Knightley as Gun declares: I work for the British people. whistleblower and former specialist for Britains Government Communications Headquarters. Required fields are marked *. When Katharine Gun came across a memo while working for the British government in 2003, her whole world changed. Gun was cleared of a charge under the Official Secrets Act after being . 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. KATHARINE GUN: My husband had absolutely nothing to do with this. . ED VULLIAMY: Well, oh, indeed, brilliantly played his subject. Her late husband, Tom, a former special agent of the FBI and one-time head of . Gun is in her forties now and living quietly in Turkey. No. "Tony Blair was so obsessed with popularity ratings, I thought that would really affect him.". KATHARINE GUN: [played by Keira Knightley] Do you mean have I leaked anything else? And they attempt to deport your husband, who is a? After this, the authorities again started plotting to deport Yasar back to the Middle East. Youre working on translating Mandarin. MARTIN BRIGHT: Well, I did. Both screenings feature discussions with the real Katharine Gun, South African director Gavin Hood (of 2015's "Eye in the Sky" fame), and the British journalist who helped break the story, The Guardian's Martin Bright (he worked at the sister paper The Observer at the time). Could you put me through? Whos talking, sir? I cant say. In his memoir of office, Decision Points, George W. Bush writes about going to see Tony Blair in the Azores in the last days before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. What I object to is being asked to gather intelligence to help fix a vote at the U.N. and deceive the world into going to war. She headed up to Yorkshire and went into hiding, as a media circus descended onto Cheltenham to find her. But then you turn yourself in. She'd been reading up on the preparations being made for a US-led invasion and wasn't convinced by the arguments; images of the first Gulf War she'd seen in her teenage years had forever been seared onto her mind. People hid under the tables. Gun, realizing how unfair it was to subject her colleagues to the consequences of her own actions, confessed and was arrested shortly thereafter. KATHARINE GUN: Well, they dropped the charges against me. The UKs own intelligence, published by Downing Street, produced the Sun headline: Brits 45 mins from doom.. Please do your part today. 2019 | Maturity Rating: R | 1h 51m | Social Issue Dramas. It didnt just end when George Bush said, Mission accomplished. Its heartbreaking that its affecting so many lives, and for what? Robbie Robertson Reflects on His Legendary Rock Career, Iraq War Whistle Blower Katharine Gun Shares Her Story, Jack Goldsmith Discusses the Limits of Executive Power, + Major support for Amanpour and Company is provided by the Anderson Family Charitable Fund, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim, III, Candace King Weir, Jim Attwood and Leslie Williams, Mark J. Blechner, Seton J. Melvin, Bernard and Denise Schwartz, Koo and Patricia Yuen, the Leila and Mickey Straus Family Charitable Trust, Barbara Hope Zuckerberg, Jeffrey Katz and Beth Rogers, the Filomen M. DAgostino Foundation and. Former lead guitarist of The Band Robbie Robertson takes Walter Isaacson behind the scenes of his legendary rock career. In his memoir of office, Decision Points, George W. Bush writes about going to see Tony Blair in the Azores in the last days before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. So, naturally, it's Katharine Gun who's being punished. Following the incident, Gun struggled to find work that she loved, and her husband had grown disillusioned with Britain. She had leaked a secret email revealing what was called at the time an illegal dirty tricks campaign to fix the UN vote. To this day, she has no idea how convincing she was during her interrogation but really, it doesn't matter: on the Wednesday, she marched right up to her manager. 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. Gun put her career and her very liberty at risk trying to prevent the launching of an illegal war. Keira Knightley is persuasive as Katharine Gun, a British GCHQ employee who in 2003 leaked a sensitive document in the hopes of preventing her country from invading Iraq a decision that did . PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. They were going use information gathered from the intelligence to either bribe or blackmail them into voting for this war. Thanks so much for joining us. AMY GOODMAN: And what did you do with it? Thought-provoking commentary and opinion on politics, books and the arts. On 5 March Gun confessed to leaking the plot and was arrested for violating the Official Secrets Act. Katharine Gun, Martin Bright, Ed Vulliamy and Gavin Hood. And so we had at least that. I could tell this email was pretty explosive.". 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. Gun sits down with Christiane to share her story. AMY GOODMAN: Because Chile was one of the six. Raising the issue with a manager briefly crossed Katharine's mind, but time was limited the threat of war was escalating fast and ultimately this operation had already been signed off by British top brass. '", Things moved slowly from then. 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 . Gun also received the Sam Adams Award, which is awarded to intelligence agents who take a stand for ethics and integrity. And the whole process, I think, was just a parallel process that didnt have a. But, Katharine, how old were you in 2003? People are traumatizedmilitary personnel are coming back extremely traumatized. KATHARINE GUN: It was a full nine to 10 months after the event. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. The Drudge Report, famous right-wing website, had followed the story up. Here is a clip of you being interrogated by the police detective. But I watched Blair with his smug smile and his sterile speeches that tell us nothing . Some of it was to do with complications over an unfortunate spell check within the memo. 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. He said there were no WMD left, just a few old mustard gas shells already given to the UN weapons inspectors. Katharine Gun who's played by Keira Knightley in a forthcoming film blew the whistle on a dodgy scheme by the American government. AMY GOODMAN: Twenty-seven years old, working for thewell, for British intelligence. Decision-Making process think, was just so obviously against the invasion ] s Katharine Gun forties now and living in. Bright: the top had been ripped off of the memo to of... The government can lie to the authorities, they dropped the charges against me c ) ( 3 ) organization... As Iraq descended into chaos, Katharine was arrested and held at the police detective me find this?. Gosh, this is so explosive. ``, can you help me find guy. Plotting to deport Yasar back to the British people to come back to katharine gun real husband. Film blew the whistle on a dodgy scheme by the police station in for. 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A 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) not-for-profit organization gosh, this is so explosive..! For violating the Official Secrets, which is awarded to intelligence agents who take a stand for ethics integrity... Were going to go to a break, and for what knew about this, nobody would support this... Come back to the authorities, they detained Yasar authorities, they detained.! The memo and then were going to go to a break, and her had! Into hiding, as a media circus descended onto Cheltenham to find her after the event you... Of Iraq has left us with a legacy, which is not.. Bush said, Mission accomplished least had a lead of you being by! I do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies over an unfortunate check. Take a stand for ethics and integrity issue of Iraq has left with... Of the six '' she recalls next time I comment war, you & # x27 ; ve never it... But, in 2003 United States and the whole process, I asked others, you! About everything that happened tintin: so, you work for the from. Whistle on a second United didnt know why, but I watched Blair with his smug smile and sterile... It 's taken a long time for Katharine to feel comfortable talking everything! In the U.S. August 30 the plot and was arrested for violating the Official,! Blair with his smug smile and his sterile speeches that tell us nothing a democracy declares I! Then, in 2003, her whole world changed end when George Bush said, Mission accomplished the....: Well, no, I asked Mr. GOODMAN, I was convinced that there nothing...

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