We should think about that and remember that., 2023 Cond Nast. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images), https://thespectator.com/topic/katharine-gun-spy-iraq-war/, US edition of the world's oldest magazine, Katharine Gun: the spy who tried to stop the Iraq war, How Syria became the worlds most profitable narco state, How the earthquake is strengthening Syrias dictatorship, Why Netanyahu is right about Israels rogue supreme court. MARTIN BRIGHT: It was NSA 'dirty tricks' at the U.N. Yeah, yeah. A year after she walked down the aisle, Ross gave birth to their only child, Cleo Rose, on September 17, 1984, in Malibu, California. Ive always been very proud to work at GCHQ. But they not only are saying they are going to crack down hard on the leaker, but theyre also saying they will crack down on the press, any press that reports this in Britain. GAVIN HOOD: We have to protect the innocent and source, yeah. AMY GOODMAN: So, Katharine, you read this memo. Ross has black color eyes and black color hair. Our obligation is to the truth. In that time, Katharine was interviewed again, and then escorted to the canteen. Truth has a habit of . "But there are things you have to do not for the result but for the principle, because they are right.". Well, now Katharine Guns story is being told in the new film Official Secrets, starring Keira Knightley. The email wasnt even meant for her. Two, there is a shadow intelligence operation going on through the Pentagon, all your favorite names on this programDouglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle. Due to the pandemic, the event was then canceled. I think of journalists as being bullet-proof in a way. I was quite nervous. Nowadays, everyone can invent their own news - and call out stories - on social media, and . They were going use information gathered from the intelligence to either bribe or blackmail them into voting for this war. You cannot talk to anyone about your intelligence work. 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 . But its just because the copy editor ran it through spell check. Again, this is before the Iraq War. Koza's email outlined an American plot to conduct surveillance on the United Nations offices in Angola, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea and Pakistan to find out whether they would vote in favour of supporting the American invasion of Iraq. Its not true. AMY GOODMAN: But what did you see in your email? AMANPOUR: by somebody within your organization. Woman who tried to stop a war. And your memo, that you had leaked, was right front and center. The film is directed by Gavin Hood, and Gun is portrayed . Youre working on translating Mandarin. I mean, its every journalists dream to have these, you know, front-page splash stories that get followed up around the world. 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. Some call that treason. And it was a terrible moment when I had to look in my drawer and find it. KATHARINE GUN: Governments change. 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. And likewise the other performances, extraordinary in this film. Youre sitting at the equivalent of the NSA. Katharine Gun worked as an analyst for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British equivalent of the secretive U.S. National Security Agency. It wasn't that she was naive. Theyre basically cooking it. Otherwise we are living in dictatorships. That is the only consolation I have A lot of people would welcome that. AMY GOODMAN: Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill. Yasur Gunnis is the husband of Katharine Gun, a linguist who specializes in translating Mandarin Chinese into English. Theyre one of Hollywoods brightest starsand most troubled actors. Katharine smuggled the printed email out of GCHQ and leaked it to the media, on the 2nd March it was . Im Amy Goodman. What do you do? I am so sorry. JUDGE HYAM: [played by Kenneth Cranham] Katharine Teresa Gun, youre charged with an offense of the Official Secrets Act. AMY GOODMAN: Which takes us to Mr. Martin Bright. I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people.A colleague whispers to her: Intelligence may be being manipulated to take this country to war. These scenes are set before the invasion, before the shattering truth emerged that Saddam did not have weapons of mass destruction and the war had been based on a lie, or more delicately a false prospectus. 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. Former lead guitarist of The Band Robbie Robertson takes Walter Isaacson behind the scenes of his legendary rock career. [2] r 2003 lckte hon ut hemlig information till tidningen The Observer, angende en begran frn USA om att samla in knslig information om diplomater frn medlemslnder i FN:s . And so we had at least that. AMY GOODMAN: GCHQ leads an investigation. Youve got CNN, youve got BBC, youve got everyone on the line. It was particularly explosive in Chile, which has obviously been used to American intelligence. Yeah. AMY GOODMAN: But the spelling of it is British spelling. It was too dangerous to make the 20-minute drive from the airport to the British base in Basra. Wise man. After university and a couple of years teaching in Japan, she was back in Britain and looking for a job. By Gabrielle Bruney . Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts . "At the back of my mind, the question remained: 'What are they going to do to me? "I'd have a criminal record for doing what was right." Sign up for our Daily News Digest today! Mary Katherine Higdon of Griffin, Georgia, was arrested for the murder of her live-in boyfriend, Steven Freeman. For more on this incredible story and the real-life thriller that is coming out on August 30th in movie theaters around the countryour guest, Katharine Gun, is played by Keira Knightleywere joined by Katharine Gun herself, the whistleblower, former employee of Britains global surveillance center, GCHQ, played by actress Keira Knightley, yes. In Official Secrets, Gun is played by Keira Knightley while Matt Smith takes on the role of Martin Bright. Everybody knows it. That night, Katharine posted the letter to a contact whose identity she continues to withhold. AMY GOODMAN: But this was how long after you were picked up? Katharine Ross's body measurement is 32-38-32 inches, and she wears a shoe size of 7.5 US. AMY GOODMAN: You said, May I please speak to Mr. Koza?, MARTIN BRIGHT: May I please speak to Mr. Koza? And they said, We dont give out names. And he says, Excuse me, Mr. Bright.. So, where I had failed with my whistleblower, Mr. Goodman, Martin, with brave and extraordinary Katharine Gun, succeeded. In 2004, Democracy Now! Nerves tingling, she went home. 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. Never even come close to it! In the movie "Official Secrets," the character called Katharine Gun, who is played by Keira Knightley, actually discusses this memo with colleagues at GCHQ. I filed that story seven times to The Observer. Theyre cooking this up. MARTIN BRIGHT: We have towe have to protect the innocent in the [inaudible]. Were joined also by Martin Bright, who is the journalist who reported Guns revelations in The Observer, as well as Ed Vulliamy. When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married. Target. France and Russia were against a second resolution and they had a veto in the Security Council. Maybe reporters decided it was a fake, Katharine thought; maybe she'd just entirely misjudged its significance. As of 2020, Gun and her husband Yasar live in both Turkey and Britain. 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. 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. Much like the invasion, the plan is considered to have violated international law. 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 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. It actually didnt really make a big difference at all., Gun and her legal team decided to fight charges in late 2003. Angola, Cameroon, Bulgaria, Chile, GAVIN HOOD: Pakistan and Mexico. This is a clip. I mean, you were the man of the hour. 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. He was going in every week to the authorities to prove that he was still a resident and kept an eye on his location to pinpoint where he was. Drawing on more than 100,000 leaked documents, a. "Tony Blair was so obsessed with popularity ratings, I thought that would really affect him.". She struggled to find work after being sacked by GCHQ but she has no regrets. Whos that? I said, Im ringing about the GCHQ memo that you sent. Click. MARTIN BRIGHT: The paperthe editorial line was supporting the war, but obviously there were those of us within the paper who didnt. The Smash actress, 36, admitted her 35-year age gap with Foster, 71, was a concern for her - but more because of the . She saw a newspaper advert for GCHQ. You didnt know who Katharine Gun was, who had leaked it, but you had the story of the memo that was going to get the goods on these U.N. Security Council members, which would force them to vote for the invasion of Iraq. Almost a decade ago, the world was gripped with anxiety as it watched the legal proceedings against a young Se. Heeding the dictates of conscience and true patriotism, Ms. I could not get it in the paper. Keira Knightley plays Katharine Gun in the film Official Secrets (Photo: eOne) Now living quietly in Turkey, Gun has been thrust into the global spotlight once again . Thanks so much for joining us. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. Gun also received the Sam Adams Award, which is awarded to intelligence agents who take a stand for ethics and integrity. I remember the first time I really understood what love was or at least what a nine-year-old could understand as romantic love. On the phone, she tells me how she came to be there. Right away, Katharine knew the significance of this message. KATHARINE GUN: And then I mailed it to a contact, who then passed it on to a journalist, who then passed it on to Martin Bright. We thought it was really interesting to talk to you at this time. "He said, 'It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Gunn, I'm just sorry it was under these circumstances. Some of it was to do with complications over an unfortunate spell check within the memo. Gun, realizing how unfair it was to subject her colleagues to the consequences of her own actions, confessed and was arrested shortly thereafter. Yasars wife is a British linguist who worked as a translator for the GCHQ, Government Communications Headquarters. Ever since their story was documented in Marcia and Thomas Mitchell's 2008 book "The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War," Gun, the British whistleblower who attempted to prevent the Iraq War, and . Subscribe to the US edition here. Gun is in her forties now and living quietly in Turkey. Asking for the whole gamut of information from domestic and office communications was for her a demand for blackmail material blackmail to manipulate their vote, to sanction a war. I went with Blair on his last visit to Iraq as prime minister, in 2007. How scary was it for you to go ahead and do what you did? Neither have many others, especially . Here is a clip of you being interrogated by the police detective. . Katharine was charged with an offense under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1989 on 13 November 2003. It looked like a very exciting story. AMY GOODMAN: But, Katharine Gun, youre home. On 5 March Gun confessed to leaking the plot and was arrested for violating the Official Secrets Act. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. 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. 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. Let us learn more about the duo and where they are currently. AMY GOODMAN: The guy at the NSA. Husband: Not Available: Sibling: Not Available: Children: Not Available: Katharine Gun Net Worth. After the meeting, the Brits and the Americans shook hands on the tarmac and walked to their planes. 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 AFI Life Achievement recipient discusses her most memorable filmsand what moviegoers actually misremember. AMY GOODMAN: Thats the trailer for the new movie Official Secrets, based on the true-life story of whistleblower Katharine Gun. I gather intelligence so that the government can protect the British people. And I said, you know, So, what is this? This month, a new film Official Secrets, in which she's played by Keira Knightly will be released, telling her story. Yasar Gun is the husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who revealed top-secret information. It was only September 2002 but the carrier was about to leave for the Gulf. But, so you have to track down Frank Koza. You know, look at me. AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what happened then. 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. Now, I asked around. AMY GOODMAN: And talk about whatI mean, you risked everything. is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. For eight months she was bailed and bailed again, repeatedly. Keira Knightley says she doesn't think she'd have the courage to follow in the footsteps of the "true hero" whistleblower Katharine Gun, whom she plays in new thriller Official Secrets . 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. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The film stars Ma. GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun speaks out. They question you. Please do your part today. 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