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15 Years Later: How U.K. Whistleblower Katharine Gun Risked Everything Megan (Knightley) is having a quarter-life crisis after her boyfriend proposes, so she escapes for a week to her new friend, a 16-year-old named Annika's ( Chlo Grace Moretz) house . And I dont know how authentic it appeared to the person interviewing me, but I just felt terrible. You know, banks of civil servants couldnt do that. She was arrested and charged with breach of the Official Secrets Act. ED VULLIAMY: Yes. 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. Sorry, no pun intended, Katharine. Get Democracy Now! GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun speaks out - Daily Mail Katharine Gun's case can also be very relevant for Julian Assange's defense: "Within half an hour, the case was dropped because the prosecution declined to offer evidence. Ben Emmerson is. And all of a sudden his safe, you know, this civil servant wife is in a whole lot of bother that he never expected to have to deal with. Within half an hour, the case was dropped because the prosecution declined to offer evidence. Official Secrets is based on the actions of Brit Katharine Gun, who revealed that America had been eavesdropping on diplomats from other countries. Photos from Keira Knightley's Best Roles - E! Online That is a difficult question, she says. Katharine 'Kay' Griggs knows what it's like to have a gun pointed in her face. I was calling Nigel Jones, my MP. Iraq war whistleblower Katharine Gun: 'Truth always matters' GAVIN HOOD: By Ralph Fiennes. She was 27. We could haveyou know, you always have regrets, dont you? And yet this rather shy 30-year-old leaked details of an alleged plot to bug UN delegates before the Iraq war and was sacked from her . Before I knew it, I had spent two hours researching Katharine. You know, this is hundreds of thousands of people killed. I had, you know, encounters with Blair. And I justI just determined to deny it. So I was in a dreadful state. AMY GOODMAN: How rarely a woman actress, an actor, gets to play, you know, the protagonist, the solid, strong hero, Gavin. However, Yasar could not be there for her trial as Gun, and her associates worried that his presence would turn Guns story into that of his as a refugee in Britain. Well, if Bush and Blair could have got a U.N. resolution, they would have had perfect cover for going to Iraq without having to bring up the WMD, the weapons of mass destruction, argument, because the whole weapons of mass destruction argument is the self-defense, that they needed a legalyou know, you do want to be going to war legally. Yeah, so it was panic stations after that. I took up teaching. MARTIN BRIGHT: Well, they didnt even say why. In a way, President Trump has been a gift for the previous president, George W. Bush, because it has really rehabilitated his reputation. [5] Less than a week after the Observer story, on Wednesday 5 March, Gun confessed to her line manager at GCHQ that she had leaked the email, and was arrested. And also, I didnt want to even risk having a criminal record. KATHARINE GUN: Oh, yes, absolutely. And I went back to Martin. And that mattered, because, for all their faults, it seems to me that Tony Blair and George Bush understood that if they were caught out in a lie, that was a problem for them. There is a small group of us, she says. Dr. AMY GOODMAN: And this is a critical moment, when you say October, because thats when the U.S. Senate voted to authorize war. [5] In February, she travelled to London to take part in the demonstration against the impending invasion of Iraq. The relationships that form as a result of Gun's acting are quite inspiring. Gun is a singular presence, and she answers with characteristic care, speaking slightly haltingly, weighing her words. AMY GOODMAN: What did you think about your own prime minister? Gun was defended by Alex Bailin KC. "I never set out to be a whistleblower": Katharine Gun tells - Salon But it was, yeah, a moment of great humility, actually. [4], After spending her childhood in Taiwan, where she attended Morrison Academy until the age of 16, Katharine returned to Britain to study for her A-levels at Moira House School, a girls' boarding school in Eastbourne. For example, youre racing to the hospital with your wife. I wonder what she made of the scattershot download methods of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange? With me, it was this. It was a very big audience, lovely, lovely theater. To see Part 1 of our discussion, go to democracynow.org. And at some point, with great respect to Lord Goldsmith, he caves. And through the lights, I couldnt quite see who the guy was. AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. In an interview with Democracy Now!, Gun explained, After they charged me, thats when they tried to deport my husband. And so, but theres another irony about the position of the attorney general, which is, the director of public prosecutions in Britain generally has real autonomy in deciding what cases to prosecute, except in cases of the Official Secrets Act, when he or she must get the authorization of the attorney general to prosecute. Youre, KATHARINE GUN: And then I was taken away. First day, what did you feel? [19] AMY GOODMAN: What was it called? Therefore, it is not surprising that Gun chose to move away from the center point of all the chaos once it died down. Dont just swallow what politicians tell you. GAVIN HOOD: Chile, Bulgaria, Angola, Cameroon, Pakistan, Mexico. KATHARINE GUN: Oh, no. But as it happened, I wasnt called up on Monday. So, was that Frank Koza? You know, I mean, once itsif you plead guilty and you go away for three months, and its, you know, maybe not so bad as going away for two years, but still I would have had a record. Of course I did, yes. Following the dropping of the case, Liberty commented, "One wonders whether disclosure in this criminal trial might have been a little too embarrassing. The day before the trial, Gun's defence team had asked the government for any records of legal advice about the lawfulness of the war that it had received during the run-up to the war. If the war was illegal and she broke the law in order to expose an illegal war and potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives, I can use this defense of necessitythats usually used in more mundane, dare I say, contextsin this great political trial., And so he says, All right, now I need to know whether the war was legal or illegal. And he says, I need to find out what Lord Goldsmiths, the attorney-generals, legal position was in the run-up to that war. diamond a ranch new mexico hunting using the weber burger press what does it mean when a willie wagtail follows you. I didnt want to be that. 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 . AMY GOODMAN: So, theyre processing him. And if you are working in government, make sure that you are really clued up about what is going on, and think very hard where your responsibility lies.. It just means that the job is even more difficult than it was before. And we worked five, six hours every day. [23] Daniel Ellsberg praised the swiftness and importance of Gun taking action, saying it was in some ways more significant than his own whistleblowing on the Vietnam War. Were on the set. Because it offered her both a resolution, and none? KATHARINE GUN: Well, OK, I know I was guilty in the facts of the matter. You cannot talk to anyone about your intelligence work. Laggies. Domination, Sing Your Song: Remembering Harry Belafonte, Who Used His Stardom to Help. Shes pregnant. I heard things that stuck. BBC NEWS | UK | Politics | Interview: Whistleblower Katharine Gun And they said they would try their best. GAVIN HOOD: Well, for me, what I love about the story is actually, on the one hand, its got this huge global political relevance, and it resonates still today. It was in a police cell that she uttered those two sentences that now seem to define the person she was and is. I mean, this has been going on for a number of years, and it always sort of ended up kind of petering out, so, GAVIN HOOD: Other people had approached you before. GAVIN HOOD: They failed. Gavin Hood, the director of Official Secrets, expressed scepticism about Macdonald's statement and called for the declassification of the official documents referred to by Macdonald. Katharine Gun - who's played by Keira Knightley in a forthcoming film - blew the whistle on a dodgy scheme by the American government. MARTIN BRIGHT: Yeah, I mean, the story doesnt end. By Ben Davies BBC News Online political staff at the TUC in Brighton There is something about Katharine Gun that makes her seem an unlikely candidate for whistleblowing. Katharine Gun Husband: Learn Everything About Iraq War Whistleblower I watched you last night at one of the premieres of the film, a kind of secret showing of Official Secrets. Keira Knightley to star in 'forgotten' story of Iraq war whistleblower GAVIN HOOD: What she discovers saysis a request from the NSA to GCHQ to hack, bug the private communications and the office communications of U.N. Security Council members, in particular the nonpermanent members, the more junior members. Does she think that was a unique belief among colleagues at GCHQ? Ben Emmerson decides the way to defend Katharine Gun is to ask for Lord Goldsmiths documents. Frequent Fox News guest and conservative commentator Mary Katharine Ham announced the death of her husband, Jake Brewer, on Sunday morning in a heartfelt Instagram post . What Happened to Katharine McPhee? Find Out Where the - Yahoo You were just waiting. As soon as I opened the door and he saw me coming in, and he could see something was wrong, and thenand I said, Theyve taken him. And he went, The bastards! So, anyway, I was on the phone. AMY GOODMAN: And Alton went from The Observer and ultimately made his way, ED VULLIAMY: Via variousvia Rupert Murdochs Times, yes. [12] A government spokesman said that the decision to drop the case had been made before the defence's demands had been submitted. But it may say more about the BBC than it does about him, that with this track record you can get to the top. There are 15 members of that council, and there are these nonpermanent members who could swing the vote in favor of an invasion of Iraq in U.N. resolution. How did she go about rebuilding her life? What does she hope people will take from the film? And so I did. With no life insurance and unpaid maternity leave on the horizon, Mary Katharine forged ahead with a singular conviction. Katharine Gun Official Secrets True Story Interview - Esquire AMY GOODMAN: So you just thought this was routine. 'Official Secrets': The True Story Behind the Keira - Newsweek Gun had, of course, been forced to abandon her career in the civil service and finally, struggling for work, left Britain altogether. Considering the support it has received from its central character and the journalist who helped get the story published, 'Official Secrets' is an accurate dive into the events that happened. So, Lord Goldsmith decides to prosecute Katharine Gun. AMY GOODMAN: Now, he goes in for a regular check-in. I had made a film called Eye in the Sky, with the producer Ged Doherty, and we were looking for another project to do together. My marriage to my husband was very new at that juncture, and he had a very unstable status in the UK. You get pulled over. Does she tell her story when she meets new people? How often does she go through that fateful weekend, where she wrestled with her conscience after seeing the memo? And I called Jed back, and I said, This is an amazing way into how we got into the Iraq War, thatwhy isnt it better known? And he saidI said, Could I come and meet Katharine? What was he telling Blair until the 11th hour, where he changed his mind, it seems, at the 11th hour, and said, 'Oh, well, you can justify on the basis of Resolution 678 from 1991,' this fringe idea that no decent international lawyerand Im an ex-lawyerbelieves to be even remotely sensible?. MARTIN BRIGHT: Yes, we had a great, a dramatic moment at the Q&A session. After they charged me, thats when they tried to deport my husband. . And towards the end of the Q&A session, an elderly gentleman put up his hand and said, Im very interested in the issue of Frank Koza. Now, the defense of necessity is usually used in very more simple circumstances. There was a feeling ofas what you felt, Ed, in this case, yeah. Much of the news desk was opposed. You dont do you? Katharine Gun outside the Old Bailey after charges had been dropped against her, 2004. ", "US plan to bug Security Council: the text", "Let's free the Official Secrets Act from its cold war freeze | Alex Bailin", "Leaking or briefing? Its a paper that supported fascism between the wars, and sort of still does, in its way. Truth has a habit of . Yes, in 2003, Gun was working for British intelligencethat's . KATHARINE GUN: Well, I mean, its terrifying. Katharine Gun is a British Linguist and Iraq War Whistleblower. As Coordinator for Shalom Mission Communities, a peace church fellowship near the southern border, Joel, his wife, Anali, and their new baby girl, Daniela Bea, are actively helping . I mean, I think we did feel that we journalisticallyyou know, we could have done more as a newspaper. 'You've caused an international incident': how my work mistake came 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.Or at least, she could have been. I mean, I dont think we imagined that we would be still friends and still talking about it 14, 15 years later. AMY GOODMAN: Martin, you went on to work with Tony Blair, didnt you? Katharine Gun: The GCHQ whistleblower who tried to stop the Iraq War on Something like. But yeah, I mean, I was hugely impressed. KATHARINE GUN: I was waiting outside in the police station, yes. I mean, no ones going tono crocodile tears over that. Few are aware that her husband had also been thrown into troubled waters when Gun blew the lid off the alleged spy efforts in 2003. No need for weapons of mass destruction arguments. In the very typical British manner, we just pretended we had never met, she recalled. And Ben comes up with this idea. 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. So give us the nutthe nutshell description of this story. But lets go back to the moment. This is viewer supported news. You didnt have that kind of support. Katharine Gun - Wikipedia And, with great respect, I think he did. AMY GOODMAN: Gavin, introduce us to Ben Emmerson. And I had to thank her forI mean, you know, in totally selfish terms, helping me break the biggest story of my life. And that if the perpetrators in these situations get away scot-free, that has a knock-on effect. There have been other attempts to make a film over the years. Woman who tried to stop a war. The love between Katharine and her husband, Yasar Gun, is undeniable, and the punishment they must to endure together is heart stopping. So, no, I mean, I didnt want to say I was guilty when I didnt feel guilty. Well, this article is all about the Katherine Johnson childhood, Katherine Johnson husband (s), Katherine Johnson family and Her career in NASA. I was aware I was doing something I wasnt supposed to be doing. So, you know, it doesnt end, as Martin said. whistleblower and former specialist for Britains Government Communications Headquarters. I would love to know. Iraq 'Dirty Tricks' Tale Gets Star Treatment, But Big Questions Remain Given my experience I would want to hear what happened from the horses mouth, I think.. Explain what happened at the Q&A, Martin. It was shown in the Castro Theatre. As Katharine Gun told me during our "Salon Talks" conversation, being played by Keira Knightley in a movie was approximately the last thing she ever thought might happen to her. AMY GOODMAN: That was 2014. Its incredibly daunting, you know. It is not often that a persons character is revealed in two sentences. There is a sense of, Did it really happen? Is that really me?. Im going to start with you, Gavin. So I was . Gavin Hoods 2019 film Official Secrets is the thrilling political drama that explores the events that followed British linguist Guns 2003 media leak. . AMY GOODMAN: But so, did you have any conversations with the former prime minister at the time, Tony Blair? Iraq war whistleblower Katharine Gun: 'Truth always matters' It was weird. MARTIN BRIGHT: Well, I mean, I think at that time, you knowwe knew, I suppose, by that point, that our paths were destined to cross. On the one hand I was relieved because my life wouldnt have to be scrutinised in court. I felt awful after I denied it. AMY GOODMAN: Shes then arrested. He left the Observer not long after the events it describes and now runs the Creative Society, a charity that helps widen access to jobs in the media and the arts to candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. I think youll find hes hiding in plain sight. And there was a dramatic hush in the audience. And he says, Well, I called Elizabeth Wilmshurst, who is the assistant attorney general, who had resigned. I was teaching Mandarin in the local college in Cheltenham. You work for the British government, her interrogator said, with a sneer. We met in London. In fact, Iyou know, I couldnt bear to watch the scenes. Katharine Gun: Ten years on what happened to the woman who revealed ED VULLIAMY: Mr. Alton, screechy, ultra-right-wing. I wish I could have written that scene. Is that when you both met? She has a younger brother who teaches in Taiwan. But to discover that it was such a young and such a junior employee was extraordinary to us, yeah. The Bold True Story Of Official Secrets Katharine Gun - Refinery29 Were also joined by Martin Bright and Ed Vulliamy, the two journalists who reported Guns revelations in The Observer newspaper, at a time when the paper was editorially openly supporting the Iraq invasion. [13] Speculation was rife in the media that the prosecution service had bowed to political pressure to drop the case so that any such documents would remain secret. UPDATED with latest attendees, livestream link: President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, will attend Saturday's . Is Official Secrets Based on a True Story? - The Cinemaholic I mean, I literallyI couldnt eat. Yes and no. My childhood friend, for example, I remember hearing her father was on a blacklist because he had been agitating for the opposition. I hope when shes ready for this story, she will [see the film]. And I had already not been able to eat for about 24 hours. MARTIN BRIGHT: Yeah, I must say, when I found out how young she was, it did take me by surprise, and the fact that she was a translator. "That story" concerns British whistleblower Katharine Gun, played by Keira Knightley in a film that premiered at Sundance festival in January.Fluent in Mandarin, the 28-year-old Gun was . In the movie, her husband (Adam Bakri) is initially portrayed as a civilian, perceiving her job to be mundane. And the potential chink in the Official Secrets Act we had found, which could have become a defence for others, the defence of necessity [of speaking up to save imminent danger to life], it wasnt tested in court.. All I want to do is feel the emotions that this young woman felt, and dont want to be fussed over. And it was great. Of course he does. Katharine Teresa Gun (ne Harwood; born 1974) is a British linguist who worked as a translator for the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). Macdonald stated that Gun would not have received a fair trial without the disclosure of information that would have compromised national security. I havent watched the films about either of them, she says. You know, I felt vindicated. You know, these things happen. He succumbed to his wounds and Knight dragged his body downstairs, skinned him, and hung his body from a meat hook in the living room. I am currently reading a book about how to blow the whistle. It wasn't that she was naive . And Jed called me up and said, Have you heard of Katharine Gun? And you get this moment where you feel like you should have, because of the way hes saying it. About five months or something? MARTIN BRIGHT: No, it was the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. I dont have to be in makeup or wardrobe for hours. And she just said what she loved about Katharine isand I hope this isnt said the wrong way, and I keep saying itshes one of us. ED VULLIAMY: Yes. We, as a collective group of countries, decide that we need to stop an event, a humanitarian disaster or a genocide or whatever. At the time, Katharine Gun was working for Britains Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ. Gun is not active on social media and occasionally participates in small-scale conferences and discussions pertaining to politics. The film -- quite plausibly -- depicts the charges being dropped against Gun for the simple reason that the British government feared .