katharine gun real husband

"We just kept waiting in this state of limbo, a constant cloud over my head," she explains. 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. The film stars Ma. MARTIN BRIGHT: It was cock-up rather than conspiracy. We thought it was really interesting to talk to you at this time. 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. But, so you have to track down Frank Koza. UNIDENTIFIED: This proposed war is historically unpopular. Latest Martin Milner Net Worth Income Salary, Andrew Witty Biography , Wife Age, Family Salary & Net Worth: UnitedHealth Group CEO, Blaize Pearman Wikipedia, Net Worth, Age, Bio, Mother Lydia Gaulden. Some of it was to do with complications over an unfortunate spell check within the memo. This is Democracy Now! I went with Blair on his last visit to Iraq as prime minister, in 2007. I actually felt like, if I do this anonymously, nobody will realize its me and Ill carry on as usual. But about a month after leaking the letter, Gun was stunned to see that The Observer had published the document in full on its front page. As noted in online sources, the former spy's birth year is recorded to be 1974. Hilary Duff and husband Matthew Koma enjoy adorable family day out with their . This was thought crucial to help Blair and his government survive a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons. Theyd already escorted him down to the custody suite and begun the process. Theyre lying about what their motives arethat immediately made me think, I have got to get this out. Your viewers will recall them; I hope not, for their sake, but some of them will. It would show that there isnt a double standard. KATHARINE GUN: I translated signals intelligence, and I reported anything I thought might be of interest to my clients. He was the Observer journalist who was working in Washington on this story, as well, with Martin. At the end of the day, we are accountable to our conscience. When Katharine Gun came across a memo while working for the British government in 2003, her whole world changed. MARTIN BRIGHT: Was one of the six nations. What were you employed to do? It seemed inevitable. The following Monday morning, Katharine could immediately tell there was an atmosphere in the office. Thought-provoking commentary and opinion on politics, books and the arts. KATHARINE GUN: My husband had absolutely nothing to do with this. 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). GUN: Well, no, I was a recipient alongside about a hundred other recipients of that e-mail. She was the real-life translator who photocopied . Scott Davis was asking the questions.Synopsis: The true story of a British whistleblower who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.A morality tale for the 21st century, Official Secrets tells the true story of British Intelligence whistle-blower Katharine Gun who, during the immediate run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. GAVIN HOOD: So, yes, tremendous amount of pressure coming down on these countries, because if Blair and Bush had been able to get that U.N. resolution for the invasion, the weapons of mass destruction issue would have been almost pretty much irrelevant, because theres two legal ways to go to war. Our Daily Digest brings Democracy Now! That is the only consolation I have A lot of people would welcome that. Eight months later, she was charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act. 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 . So, what did it say and what was your decision-making process? "This was crossing a red line for me," she says. These worries crystalized when GCHQ sent her to San Diego for a conference and she was invited on to an American aircraft carrier. Youre sitting at the equivalent of the NSA. He was forced to resign, because it showed that he called President Trump inept, and he said, you know, the singular reason that the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal was because it was signed by President Obama, and other issues. Katharine Gun is the Most Important Whistleblower You've Never Heard of Gun discusses her attempt to stop the Iraq War, which is the subject of the new movie Official Secrets . "But there are things you have to do not for the result but for the principle, because they are right.". You see this headline splashed across the front page. AMY GOODMAN: So it was sort of chicken scratch on the back. And then, one morning, Katharine popped to her local shop to pick up the paper, as she did every Sunday, and there, on the front page of The Observer, was the email she'd leaked. . Official Secrets recounts Gun's story, from her fateful decision (which of course accomplished nothing in the end, even though the leak quickly went public) to her bizarre criminal trial. Katharine leaked top-secret information to The Observer about a request by the United States for compromising intelligence on diplomats. Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Loses Election; Candidates Backed by Police & Teacher Unions Head to Runoff, Death Toll from Migrant Shipwreck Reaches 67 While Italy Cracks Down on, Student Debt Relief in Jeopardy as Conservative Supreme Court Justices Question Bidens Plan, Longest Alabama Strike Ends as Warrior Met Coal Miners Return. For eight months she was bailed and bailed again, repeatedly. When asked by Salon how it felt to see a famous actress act out her life for an audience . AMY GOODMAN: That was a clip from Official Secrets. "I got into the office, turned on my computer and looked through my emails," says Katharine, more than 16 years later. 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. 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 . August 31 2019, 5:30 a.m. Keira Knightley, as whistleblower Katharine Gun, in the 2019 movie "Official Secrets." Photo: Nick Wall/IFC. Finally, she called someone (she has never named) who had connections to the media, telling them: I have something explosive, I think it has the potential to avert a war with Iraq. She went back into work on Monday, printed the email, folded it neatly and put it in her bag. In 2003, Katharine Gun was working for Britains Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ, the intelligence agency similar to the National Security Agency here, when she opened a top-secret NSA memorandum. That does it for our show. This month, a new film Official Secrets, in which she's played by Keira Knightly will be released, telling her story. MARTIN BRIGHT: Yeah, so, initially, we were quite nervous. Ten years ago, a young Mandarin specialist at GCHQ, the government's surveillance centre in Cheltenham, did something extraordinary. AMY GOODMAN: But what did you see in your email? This article was originally published inThe Spectators UK magazine. Katharine Gun worked as an analyst for Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the British equivalent of the secretive U.S. National Security Agency. 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, I decided that the risk to my career was minute compared to the upcoming war in Iraq, and the best thing to do for me was to leak this information to the press, so that everybody else could have the information, and hopefully it could avert this disastrous course of events that have occurred. It's just, back then, she didn't realise quite what her employer could be capable of. Theyre basically cooking it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Otherwise we are living in dictatorships. That contact had connections with the antiwar movement. Did you know that you can get Democracy Now! Amid safety concerns, and anxiety over the fate of a $200 million movie, The Johnny DeppAmber Heard Defamation Trial: The Makings of a Remarkable Moment in American Celebrity. Woman who tried to stop a war. Yes, I mean, these were, as Martin has suggested, divisive, divided, bitter, difficult times. Yes. In April 2020, Katharine was supposed to appear at the 14th edition of the International Journalism Festival as a speaker. I could not get it in the paper. Gun put her career and her very liberty at risk trying to prevent the launching of an illegal war. We should think about that and remember that., 2023 Cond Nast. The email was a request to tamper with the debate of whether or not to invade Iraq. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie to the British people. In the movie "Official Secrets," the character called Katharine Gun, who is played by Keira Knightley, actually discusses this memo with colleagues at GCHQ. 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. In bugging, in spying on, in eavesdropping, wiretapping, whatever? Her case became awidespread controversy among activists, and many people stepped forward to urge the government to drop the case. Required fields are marked *. Yasar's wife is a British linguist who worked as a translator for the GCHQ, Government Communications Headquarters. What do you do? 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. Katharine Teresa Gun (ne Harwood) (born 1974) is a British linguist who worked as a translator for the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). And I pretty much ran home. . He remains on death row as of July 2021, but there have been zero executions in the state of California since a 2006 court . The film is coming out August 30th in theaters around the country. 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. And then, one by one, the American networks pulled out. GCHQ began a leak inquiry, interviewing everyone. They question you. The person responsible for the jeopardy to face Blair and the coalition in invading Iraq was as well as Bush and Blair themselves a young translator at GCHQ, Katharine Gun. MARTIN BRIGHT: So, the header information included the name Frank Koza, who was the NSAs head of regional targets at the time. But as Beyer would soon realize, Finchs past wasnt what she claimedand Beyers own difficult history was up for the taking. Within half an hour, the prosecution had decided to drop its case, for reasons that to this day remain mysterious. Gun also received the Sam Adams Award, which is awarded to intelligence agents who take a stand for ethics and integrity. 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 . It took a maddeningly long periodeight months of existential limbobefore Gun was charged with violating the Official Secrets Act. But it seemed inevitable. This is the trailer. In any walk of life, you can choose to do the right thing, she said. I was initially terrified, Gun said, before learning the sad truth of the 24-hour news cycle: But people dont pay that much attention to the news, and they dont remember peoples names and you certainly dont remember what people look like. When she leaks an NSA memo to the press exposing the American covert manipulation of allies, she will be forced into the spotlight. AMY GOODMAN: So, but talk about this, your argument to the editors. We had no idea where it had come from. In November 2002, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1441, which called on Iraq to get rid of chemical and biological weapons and long-range missiles. Katharine spent that night in a cell underneath the local police station. On January 23 2003, Gun, who worked at GCHQ translating messages from Mandarin Chinese into English, discovered an email from American intelligence agent Frank Koza. Theyre cooking this up. Sam Eliott and Katharine Ross . 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. I mean, my first reaction was shock and anger. 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. I did, rather naively, try calling the press office and getting an interview. When you go to court, you face years in prison. JERRY: [played by Chris Reilly] Hes a Muslim. When an American is asked to define the term whistleblower," they will probably reference Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning. "The problem was that I just didn't feel guilty," she tells me. But were going to go to a break, and then were going to come back to this discussion. So, naturally, it's Katharine Gun who's being punished. Youre working on translating Mandarin. Wise man. KATHARINE GUN: [played by Keira Knightley] Do you mean have I leaked anything else? "I'd have a criminal record for doing what was right." KATHARINE GUN: I was arrested. She had leaked a secret email revealing what was called at the time an illegal dirty tricks campaign to fix the UN vote. Ms. During that period of purgatory, I ask, did she regret it all? TINTIN: You gather information from peoples phones and computers, and you feed that to your clients. 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. Just put me through. And, sure enough, Frank Koza. That was a good brain moment. And on the face of it, it looked like an extraordinary story. BEN EMMERSON: You chose loyalty to your country over loyalty to your government, your marriage and yourself. And also, the memo itself contained language that was consistent with intelligence service language, so we had experts look at that, as well. because my husband wouldn't . BEN EMMERSON: Do you want to risk it all? The Case Against Mary Katherine Higdon 43:11. Just for a moment, some imagined that this might be enough to stop the Iraq war before it had begun. GAVIN HOOD: We have to protect the innocent and source, yeah. AMY GOODMAN: I mean, the paper had come out supporting the war. MARTIN BRIGHT: Yes. It was intended for someone else but had been distributed to everyone in her section. The Americans had sent GCHQ a request to spy on the UN ambassadors of the six countries with the important, perhaps swing, votes. A new film, Official Secrets, tells the story of her actions and subsequent arrest. Where Are Katharine Gun and Husband Now? Copyright All rights reserved | Whistleblowing on wrongdoing is part of that fightback. JASMINE: [played by MyAnna Buring] Youre asking me to collude in a breach of the Official Secrets Act. 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 . A constant cloud over my head, '' she says sort of chicken scratch on the.... To you at this time did she regret it all had absolutely to... ; I hope not, for their sake, but some of was. 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