Official Secrets is a movie about real-life whistleblower Katharine Gun, a relatively low-level British Intelligence agent (she was a translator in the Government Communications Headquarters) who . . JUDGE HYAM: [played by Kenneth Cranham] Katharine Teresa Gun, youre charged with an offense of the Official Secrets Act. Did you know that you can get Democracy Now! Blogus by Themeansar. Bush never wanted yet another UN resolution and when one failed to arrive, Blair decided it wasnt needed after all. But there were a group of journalists within the newsroom who trusted each other, had worked together previously. So, I called him and asked him if he could do anything to help track down Frank Koza, or the reality or otherwise of this individual. Know all ye by these presents that Katharine Gun is hereby awarded The Corner-Brightener Candlestick, presented by Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence. His wife then took the help of MP Nigel Jones and managed to free him, and gave him the right to stay in the UK. AMY GOODMAN: And then everyoneFOX, CNNand then they all cancel. Two, there is a shadow intelligence operation going on through the Pentagon, all your favorite names on this programDouglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle. 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 . 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. Now the public knew. I asked her why she decided to leak the memo. MARTIN BRIGHT: Well, but only with a story that you know is true. AMY GOODMAN: As the British government says its identified the person who leaked cables that forced out the British ambassador to the United States for calling President Trump inept, we look at the real-life political thriller of a British intelligence specialist who risked everything to blow the whistle on U.S. dirty tricks at the United Nations in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion. KATHARINE GUN: Well, its just serendipitous, fortuitous, whatever it is, but his asylum case was coming to an end at the same time that my case began. KATHARINE GUN: Well, I didnt do anything immediately, but I went home. Powell span a story of mobile biological weapons factories in trucks and intercepted radio messages about chemical weapons already deployed in the field. In Official Secrets, Gun is played by Keira Knightley while Matt Smith takes on the role of Martin Bright. KATHARINE GUN: It was a full nine to 10 months after the event. In April 2020, Katharine was supposed to appear at the 14th edition of the International Journalism Festival as a speaker. In fact, your husbandwould they attempt to deport him? When I saw the red flagit was like, Oh, my gosh, this is so explosive. Amirah Vann Brings Heart & Depth to Black Womens Stories i British whistleblower named Katharine Gun, Gun how she felt looking back on her decision, Blair has been given the opportunity to speak about Brexit. It was intended for someone else but had been distributed to everyone in her section. Katharine wonders whether the powers that be just didn't want an ex-GCHQ employee with all she knew to be cross-examined on the stand. The advice was that, by accepting what she'd done was illegal, the jail time might end up reduced. After the incident, Katharine struggled to find work, and her husband had grown disillusioned with Britain and then . But it seemed inevitable. KATHARINE GUN: Governments change. Charade or not, the diplomacy was frantic. Its 15 years later. On 5 March Gun confessed to leaking the plot and was arrested for violating the Official Secrets Act. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. Acclaimed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg described Katharine Guns action as the most important and courageous leak I have ever seen. Dan Ellsberg said, No one elseincluding myselfhas ever done what Katharine Gun did: tell secret truths at personal risk, before an imminent war, in time, possibly, to avert it.. AMY GOODMAN: That was a clip from Official Secrets. Katherine is the eldest of three sisters. The ripple effect from that initial invasion is continually being felt in worldwide institutions, in the U.S. and the U.K. Nobody really has been held responsible for it, and the fact remains that the nation of Iraq is still very much traumatized by what happened. KATHARINE GUN: Well, it was a memo from a chap called Frank Koza, who worked at the NSA. 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. Therefore, on August 27, 2002, he was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder by a jury and subsequently sentenced to death. Former employee of Britain's global surveillance center GCHQ (Government Communications Head Quarters) Katharine Gun smiles as she speaks to . Forty years later, JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson tell all about the horror classics secrets, tragedies, and controversies. AMY GOODMAN: Weve got to make this fast; we have three minutes. Katharine feared she'd be fobbed off and then put under surveillance should she report it, so instead she kept silent and headed home for the weekend. Much like the invasion, the plan is considered to have violated international law. "It felt like the protests were what would stop the war," she says. Husband: Not Available: Sibling: Not Available: Children: Not Available: Katharine Gun Net Worth. Because I have processed it now, and Im probably a lot more clear in my thinking, explained Gun, who met with Knightley before filming. The whole issue of Iraq has left us with a legacy, which is not good. Democracy Now! I mean, what are you doing here? When Gun exposed that the U.S. and U.K. wanted information on United Nations diplomats to persuade the vote on the invasion of Iraq, George W. Bush was President of the United States and Tony Blair was the British Prime Minister of the U.K. Guns information affected Blairs politics and government at the time, but he has seemingly recovered from the incident. The memo proposed blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war. A new film, Official Secrets, tells the story of her actions and subsequent arrest. Marcia Mitchell. Gun, youre a spy. Thats Keira Knightley playing Katharine Gun, whos in our studio now, the whistleblower, former British spy, worked for British intelligence, explaining why she leaked this memo, which would get to the press, which would get to The Observer, which brings us to our next two guests, Martin Bright and as well as Ed Vulliamy. A Single Conscience V. the State. It is my fault and I'm sorry. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. 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. A month later, the Observer splashed the story over its front page. He had no regrets whatsoever about removing Saddam. You think this is real, but you do have to track it down. As he spoke at the base, a volley of mortars came in. Thats the critical point. AMY GOODMAN: GCHQ leads an investigation. And so we had at least that. 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. This is the trailer. 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. This is a rush transcript. 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. It would show that when our politicians break the law they are held accountable. There is no chance of such a war crimes trial. And truth was having a hard time at The Observer at that point. Instead, helicopters skimmed over the rooftops, so as not to allow any insurgents the chance to fire a rocket propelled grenade. 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. today: https://democracynow.org/donateFOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! It looked like a very exciting story. You worked for GCHQ in Britain. The western leading man, Sam Elliott, first met his famous actress wife, Katharine Ross, on the set of a movie. I remember the first time I really understood what love was or at least what a nine-year-old could understand as romantic love. Gun, her husband, and their four-year-old daughter shed their coveted privacy long enough to allow Katharine to be one of two former Sam Adams Award winners to present this year's award. Katharine was charged with an offense under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1989 on 13 November 2003. It seemed as if the decision to go to war had already been made, that all the diplomacy then taking place was a charade. It wasn't the news Katharine had been preparing for. Again, this is before the Iraq War. People are cheering you. But this needed finding Koza. No. KATHARINE GUN: I was arrested. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.orgPlease consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! ; Democrats Reintroduce, Mississippi Enacts Transgender Healthcare Ban for Youth Amid Spate of Anti-Trans Laws in Red States, Tennessee Gov. KATHARINE GUN: I work for the British people. It wasn't that she was naive. Gun, outraged by the USA's actions, printed a copy of the email and took it home. Youre working on translating Mandarin. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. She explained that when she was first arrested, her name wasnt released publicly for eight months. It seemed like it was, you know, the wagons were rolling fast and furious towards this awful situation and I was kind of in tunnel vision. Sign up for our Daily News Digest today! Martin faced potential charges too. But when her name was released to the press, she did a few interviews before trying to reclaim her anonymity. A Chinese translator? 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. BEN EMMERSON: You chose loyalty to your country over loyalty to your government, your marriage and yourself. That meant winning over temporary members of the Council, countries such as Angola, Bulgaria, Chile and Mexico. 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. 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. It would show that there isnt a double standard. August 31 2019, 5:30 a.m. Keira Knightley, as whistleblower Katharine Gun, in the 2019 movie "Official Secrets." Photo: Nick Wall/IFC. Were talking about Official Secrets. The moment she walked out of GCHQ, she was breaking the Official Secrets Act, perhaps committing an act of treason. is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. France and Russia were against a second resolution and they had a veto in the Security Council. 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.. She had received an email in her inbox asking her and . I filed that story seven times to The Observer. It isn't a crime, it's a responsibility.". 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 she'd been marching. Former lead guitarist of The Band Robbie Robertson takes Walter Isaacson behind the scenes of his legendary rock career. Theyre cooking this up. This is Democracy Now! Her name is Katharine Gun.Watch Part 1 of this discussion: https://youtu.be/u6n1VFDJ3CY#DemocracyNowDemocracy Now! At the time, I was really focused on the Iraq invasion issue, Gun told Vanity Fair this month, ahead of the August 30 premiere of Official Secrets, an intelligence thriller recounting this terrifying chapter of her life and starring Keira Knightley. AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what happened then. 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. 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). . Yes, its a new Hollywood movie thats coming out, but it is the real-life story of Katharine Gun. ED VULLIAMY: Well, oh, indeed, brilliantly played his subject. By Gabrielle Bruney . Everybody knows it. "Even thinking about it all would cause me anxiety," she says, "but now I am ready." 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 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. It took a maddeningly long periodeight months of existential limbobefore Gun was charged with violating the Official Secrets Act. She had a leading role in the 1969 film, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and Elliott had a small, untitled role. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you work for the British government? Tell us the moment. And also, the memo itself contained language that was consistent with intelligence service language, so we had experts look at that, as well. 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