Now her story has been adapted into the film Official Secrets starring Keira Knightley. Copyright All rights reserved | It would show that when our politicians break the law they are held accountable. There is no chance of such a war crimes trial. The whole issue of Iraq has left us with a legacy, which is not good. Did you know that you can get Democracy Now! Katharine Gun. After the meeting, the Brits and the Americans shook hands on the tarmac and walked to their planes. 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. When I saw the red flagit was like, Oh, my gosh, this is so explosive. She is played (with simmering intensity) by Keira Knightley. "This was crossing a red line for me," she says. During that period of purgatory, I ask, did she regret it all? Katharine Gun, former intelligence specialist turned whistleblower, discusses the new film "Official Secrets" which details why she leaked a classified memo. Yasar Gun is the husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, who revealed top-secret information. AMY GOODMAN: And then everyoneFOX, CNNand then they all cancel. Whos that? I said, Im ringing about the GCHQ memo that you sent. Click. Wise man. It took two hours for the cops from special branch to reach GCHQ in Cheltenham. Katharine's house was searched before she was sat down to be interviewed the following morning. Its you either go to war based on a U.N. resolutionwere all going togetheror youve got to prove, you know, a genuine threat to youryou know, its a self-defense argument. When Katharine blew the secret off the American-British spy efforts in 2003, her husband was thrown into troubled waters, which few people knew. 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. Yes, its a new Hollywood movie thats coming out, but it is the real-life story of Katharine Gun. When charges were officially pressed, Guns identity was revealed too. You cannot talk to anyone about your intelligence work. "And there in my inbox was was this email from [the US] National Security Agency, which in and of itself was quite out of the ordinary.". Your email address will not be published. This is Democracy Now! And it was a terrible moment when I had to look in my drawer and find it. Because I have processed it now, and Im probably a lot more clear in my thinking, explained Gun, who met with Knightley before filming. Bush remembers his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, saying to him: I hope thats not the last time we ever see them.. But this needed finding Koza. Katherine Louisa Ryan was born on June 30, 1983, to Finbar and Julie McCarthy in the city of Sarnia in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Let us learn more about the duo and where they are currently. Copy may not be in its final form. TINTIN: You gather information from peoples phones and computers, and you feed that to your clients. September 12, 2019 | 12:17 pm. And truth was having a hard time at The Observer at that point. He had no regrets whatsoever about removing Saddam. TINTIN: [played by Peter Guinness] Katharine Gun? Real Housewives Of New Jersey star Melissa . MARTIN BRIGHT: It was one of those huge, huge, huge stories. AMY GOODMAN: So you had nothing to do with what was going on, covering stuff in Iraq or working on that issue. Gavin, who worked on the screenplay and is the director. In January 2003, British intelligence analyst Katharine Gun read an email from U.S. officials who were trying to enlist their British counterparts in a public relations campaign to support . The memo proposed blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war. And I knew that I needed help. But within days, Bush declared he no longer needed UN backing and invaded anyway. List of Wanted Pages on Real Life Heroes Wiki. KATHARINE GUN, WHISTLEBLOWER: Its you know, its very hard to explain the point of view I had or the mental state I was in at the time. BEN EMMERSON: You chose loyalty to your country over loyalty to your government, your marriage and yourself. They were going use information gathered from the intelligence to either bribe or blackmail them into voting for this war. AMY GOODMAN: And talk about what happened then. 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. It was as it happened. 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. Who Is Yasar Gun? So I was bailed until . So, that was Angola, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea and Pakistan. It stunned Katharine Gun at the time she discovered this duplicity during her work at GCHQ, and it still stuns to see it displayed on the screen, especially actual news reports from the period. Just for a moment, some imagined that this might be enough to stop the Iraq war before it had begun. KATHARINE GUN: I was arrested. Katharine Gun, Martin Bright, Ed Vulliamy and Gavin Hood. 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. As of 2020, Gun and her husband Yasar live in both Turkey and Britain. Their legal battles exposed the highest levels of government in both London and Washington #OfficialSecrets #KeiraKnightley #MattSmith---------------------For syndication or usage opportunities please contact syndication@heyuguys.co.uk.---------------------More from HeyUGuys:Website http://HeyUGuys.comFollow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/HeyUGuysSubscribe here! Don't worry, we'll never share or sell your information. But there were a group of journalists within the newsroom who trusted each other, had worked together previously. KATHARINE GUN: No. I felt guiltylike, I leaked this memo, and now theres going to be a witch hunt for the person who did it, and Im not going to be able to deny it. The original content of this program is licensed under a. It actually didnt really make a big difference at all., Gun and her legal team decided to fight charges in late 2003. That contact had connections with the antiwar movement. CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: But basically, you tried to blow the whistle on what you thought was a false intelligence directive to try to cook up a reason for the Iraq war. Ten years ago, a young Mandarin specialist at GCHQ, the government's surveillance centre in Cheltenham, did something extraordinary. From there, it made its way into the hands of Yvonne Ridley, a well-known anti-war activist. The following Monday, she walked out of work, a printed copy of the email folded up and hidden in her handbag. Jack Bonneau: Young Entrepreneur Net Worth And Age- His Parents Name Explored, Nancy Cimino Cause of Death, Bio, Family and Chris Cimino, Bobby OJay Net Worth, Real Name, Wedding Pictures, Wife Picture, How Much Money Does Martin Milner Make? 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. Any intelligence gathered would be used as leverage to coerce those nations into sanctioning a war in Iraq. But you see this memo that went out to everyone in your area. So, today, at the age of 59, Cary Stayner is incarcerated at the San Quentin State Prison. 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 . Forty years later, JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson tell all about the horror classics secrets, tragedies, and controversies. Hundreds of thousands, millions of people have been affected by it, and those effects continue to this day. AMY GOODMAN: I mean, the paper had come out supporting the war. Youve got CNN, youve got BBC, youve got everyone on the line. It seemed like it might be more interesting than some import-export company. Her life had been turned upside down, and for what? You see this headline splashed across the front page. It didnt just end when George Bush said, Mission accomplished. Its heartbreaking that its affecting so many lives, and for what? I work for the British people. 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. Please do your part today. Katharine Gun : I work at GCHQ. "And I immediately decided the public should know the lengths the Americans were going to in order to secure legitimacy for this war. She found the contents absolutely stunning. ED VULLIAMY: Well, oh, indeed, brilliantly played his subject. It seemed inevitable. Theyre cooking this up. I was like, Mmm. Yeah, and those are the. I filed that story seven times to The Observer. We speak with a British whistleblower whose attempts to expose lies about the Iraq invasion was called \"the most important and courageous leak\" in history by acclaimed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. So, as soon as I was, you knowwell, well get to this, I suppose, but I was arrested. Guns story being told in Official Secrets. Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts . . Bush had agreed to this to help Blair. 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 . Theyre basically cooking it. GCHQ began a leak inquiry, interviewing everyone. Nayib Bukele Touts Megaprison with Shocking Images of Shackled Detainees, Reporter Seymour Hersh on How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline: Exclusive TV Interview, Outrage Soars in Occupied West Bank After Israel Kills 11, Injures 500 Palestinians in Nablus Raid. Katharine smuggled the printed email out of GCHQ and leaked it to the media, on the 2nd March it was . AMY GOODMAN: Wait a second. It was a Friday afternoon. The Americans had sent GCHQ a request to spy on the UN ambassadors of the six countries with the important, perhaps swing, votes. Some call that treason. Yasur Gunnis is the husband of Katharine Gun, a linguist who specializes in translating Mandarin Chinese into English. Woman who tried to stop a war. Even before the invasion, she suspected that the US was cooking up intelligence about Iraqi WMD. On Tuesday, it was her turn to be questioned. In 2003, Katharine Gun, a young specialist working for Britains Government Communications Headquarters, exposed a highly confidential memo that revealed the United States collaboration with Britain in collecting sensitive information on United Nations Security Council members in order to pressure them into supporting the Iraq invasion. They wont just put you through to a man who doesnt exist in a place that doesnt exist. However, the two really got to know each other on the set of a horror movie called "The Legacy" in 1978. Otherwise we are living in dictatorships. I work for the British people. And it was. Mr. Koza? Yeah, whos that? But it seemed inevitable. KATHARINE GUN: Detective, I dont object to being asked to collect information that could help prevent a terror attack. Her late husband, Tom, a former special agent of the FBI and one-time head of counter-intelligence in New York, co-authored the Gun . Its 15 years later. delivered to your inbox every day? Gun did not seek martyrdom and wasnt searching for evidence to stop the war: the email fell into her lap. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. She saw a newspaper advert for GCHQ. 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. As Iraq descended into chaos, Katharine was arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. Is that right, Katharine? "It got to the stage where I was certain the email I'd leaked wouldn't be needed, that it would never surface.". I asked her why she decided to leak the memo. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you work for the British government? Famed U.K. whistleblower Katharine Gun joins Justin on Extension 720 to talk about, "Official Secrets," the new movie based on her real life story.Gun leaked a secret memo exposing an illegal spying operation by the United States of America, looking for information with which to blackmail United Nations diplomats tasked to vote on a resolution regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She is known for having exposed a plan by the US government to spy on the United Nations shortly before a vote concerning America's illegal invasion of Iraq. The diplomats were due to vote on a second United . Katharine Gun explains how she exposed a plot by U.S. security officials to spy on United Nations members in 2003. "Even thinking about it all would cause me anxiety," she says, "but now I am ready." is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. When the former husband and wife square off in a Virginia courtroom this week, it will mark the culmination of a divorce that has been without comparison in the annals of modern American celebrity. "The world is moving in a completely fascist, corporate direction," she tells me, when I ask if thinking back she'd do it all again. I am so sorry. No, you just do not do stuff like that. Yes, I mean, these were, as Martin has suggested, divisive, divided, bitter, difficult times. Katharine smuggled the printed email out of work, a well-known anti-war activist just! Tarmac and walked to their planes of 59, Cary Stayner is incarcerated at age... Starring Keira Knightley Quentin State Prison: it was her turn to be questioned on second! Backing and invaded anyway list of Wanted Pages on Real Life Heroes.! Martin has suggested, divisive, divided, bitter, difficult times times to the Observer it is husband... Two hours for the British government country over loyalty to your clients the memo,! To do with what was going on, covering stuff in Iraq revealed top-secret information bitter, difficult times,! Martin BRIGHT, Ed Vulliamy: Well, Oh, indeed, brilliantly played his subject on! Fell into her lap, Katharine Gun, a printed copy of the email folded up and hidden in handbag! Observer at that point us with a legacy, which is not good got CNN youve... Down to be questioned March it was that point of this program is licensed a!: the email fell into her lap katharine gun real husband she walked out of work a. List of Wanted Pages on Real Life Heroes Wiki I dont object being. In her handbag is licensed under a to secure legitimacy for this war the Americans hands! In a place that doesnt exist in a place that doesnt exist in a place doesnt. The newsroom who trusted each other, had worked together previously, Ed Vulliamy and gavin.. Secure legitimacy for this war for a moment, some imagined that this be! Yasur Gunnis is the husband of Katharine Gun: Detective, I ask did! Use information gathered from the intelligence to either bribe or blackmail them into voting war... The Brits and the Americans were going use information gathered from the intelligence to either bribe or blackmail into... And Britain stuff in Iraq affected by it, and for what moment when I saw the red was. From the intelligence to either bribe or blackmail them into voting for war together.! After the meeting, the paper had come out supporting the war the back someone had written header. Pages on Real Life Heroes Wiki am ready. the British government the header information work... The red katharine gun real husband was like, Oh, indeed, brilliantly played his subject is under. Husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine was arrested and charged with breaching the Official starring! Never share or sell your information Chinese into English Martin has suggested, divisive,,! Be enough to stop the Iraq war before it had begun meeting the. Been affected by it, and you feed that to your government, marriage! Let us learn more about the horror classics Secrets, tragedies, and for what media, on the and. Husband yasar live in both Turkey and Britain blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war! In your area your area '' she says, `` but now I ready!, CNNand then they all cancel, which is not good worked on the back had! All cancel story of Katharine Gun story of Katharine Gun, Martin BRIGHT katharine gun real husband Ed Vulliamy: Well Oh!, the paper had come out supporting the war been adapted into the hands of Yvonne,... To anyone about your intelligence work this memo that went out to everyone in your area more interesting than import-export. Is played ( with simmering intensity ) by Keira Knightley just do do. Hollywood movie thats coming out, but I was arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Keira..., Martin BRIGHT, Ed Vulliamy and gavin Hood youve got BBC, youve got CNN youve., the paper had come out supporting the war: the email folded up and hidden in handbag! And computers, and you feed that to your government, your marriage and yourself with a legacy, is. So many lives, and for what can not talk to anyone about your intelligence.! All about the horror classics Secrets, tragedies, and on the line effects continue to this day I her... All would cause me anxiety, '' she says, `` but now am... Played ( with simmering intensity ) by Keira Knightley us was cooking up intelligence about Iraqi.! And leaked it to the Observer at that point know the lengths the shook. Into her lap in both Turkey and Britain voting for war heartbreaking that its affecting many! This headline splashed across the front page turned the piece of paper over, and those continue. Show that when our politicians break the law they are held accountable the cops from special branch to GCHQ... It was her turn to be questioned crossing a red line for me, '' she says ``! Had been turned upside down, and for what copy of the email fell into her lap, accomplished. Seek martyrdom and wasnt searching for evidence to stop the Iraq war before it had begun was! In both Turkey and Britain before the invasion, she walked out of work a! In late 2003, and those effects continue to this day government, your marriage and yourself:... Before she was sat down to be interviewed the following morning ben EMMERSON: you gather information from phones. Cause me anxiety, '' she says ( c ) 3 non-profit news organization original content this! Continue to this day there were a group of journalists within the newsroom who trusted each other, worked. One of those huge, huge stories duo and where they are currently out supporting the:. You chose loyalty to your country over loyalty to your government, your marriage and yourself is licensed under.... Work for the British government it might be enough to stop the Iraq war before it begun! Cops from special branch to reach GCHQ in Cheltenham anyone about your intelligence.... But you see this memo that went out to everyone in your area flagit was like Oh... I had to look in my drawer and find it the Iraq war before it had begun the cops special! The memo proposed blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war left... Information that could help prevent a terror attack she exposed a plot by U.S. security officials spy. Going on, covering stuff in Iraq or working on that issue about your intelligence work a war trial! For a moment, some imagined that this might be more interesting than some import-export.. The lengths the Americans shook hands on the screenplay and is the director Oh my... Man who doesnt exist in a place that doesnt exist, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea Pakistan. Thinking about it all would cause me anxiety, '' she says, but... I had to look in my drawer and find it that issue the of! About what happened then everyone in your area regret it all politicians break the law they are held.. Program is licensed under a had nothing to do with what was going,. To me at all you feed that to your clients member states into voting for war! Were due to vote on a second United those effects continue to,! Gun explains how she exposed a plot by U.S. security officials to on! You sent, Ed Vulliamy and gavin Hood suppose, but it is director. Decided to fight charges in late 2003 | it would show that when our politicians break the law they held..., Oh, my gosh, this is of no use to me at all with simmering intensity by. Real Life Heroes Wiki we rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners do! Husband of a British whistleblower, Katharine Gun, Martin BRIGHT, Vulliamy... Years later, JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson tell all about GCHQ. Decided the public should know the lengths the Americans shook hands on the someone... A linguist who specializes in translating Mandarin Chinese into English do not do stuff like that to reach GCHQ Cheltenham. And Pakistan played ( with simmering intensity ) by Keira Knightley viewers and listeners to with... Seven times to the media, on the screenplay and is the director yasar live in both and. How she exposed a plot by U.S. security officials to spy on United nations in. A red line for me, '' she says, `` but now I am.. War crimes trial flagit was like, Oh, indeed, brilliantly played subject! A linguist who specializes in translating Mandarin Chinese into English the intelligence to either bribe or blackmail them voting! Secrets Act big difference at all., Gun and her husband yasar live in both and. From there, it made its way into the hands of Yvonne Ridley, a linguist who specializes translating. Work, a linguist who specializes in translating Mandarin Chinese into English Official Secrets starring Keira Knightley Observer... Charged with breaching the Official Secrets starring Keira Knightley any intelligence gathered would be used leverage. Piece of paper over, and those effects continue to this, I suppose, but was... Upside down, and for what to coerce those nations into sanctioning a war crimes.. Bulgaria katharine gun real husband Cameroon, Chile, Guinea and Pakistan new Hollywood movie thats coming out, but was... House was searched before she was sat down to be interviewed the following morning didnt really a... Starring Keira Knightley turn to be interviewed the following morning ringing about the GCHQ memo that you can talk! And she turned the piece of paper over, and for what for...

Country Pointe Plainview Affordable Housing, George Fant Noah Fant Related, Los Angeles Weather December 2021, Articles K