Original subtitles

"Katharine Teresa Gun,

"you are charged with an offence

"contrary to Section 1, Subsection 1

"of the Official Secrets Act of 1989

"and that you did knowingly and intentionally

"disclose top secret intelligence information

"contrary to the said act."

How do you plead?

Guilty or not guilty?

- What? - The neighbors will hear.

Let's move over.

- Better? - Better.

And what about the situation of persuading the people?

Because it's very, to put it mildly

uncomfortable to go to war with 73% against.

If people are being asked today do you support a war,

my answer to that is we're not at war today.

I think especially, obviously, if the UN pass

the second resolution, as I believe they will

if the inspectors carry on saying he's not cooperating,

I think public opinion is in a different place.

When your correspondent was saying

the war is inevitable, war is not inevitable.

It depends on Saddam.

If he cooperates with the inspectors,

if he says how much material he's got,

if he cooperates fully with them,

then the issue's over.

But he's not doing that at the moment.

Bloody liar.

They're all bloody liars.

You know, actually, I don't think they are.

I don't think the weapons inspectors are lying.

This and international terrorism

are the two big security threats.

- Want coffee? - No, thanks.

We were told, we were given to understand

that what these inspectors were gonna come up with was

evidence of weapons of mass destruction,

chemical, biological and nuclear.

What we know is that he has this material.

Oh, my God, we don't know that. We don't know that.

I mean, he just keeps repeating the lie.

You sure it's a lie? Saddam's a psychopath.

Yeah, well, just because you're the Prime Minister,

it doesn't mean you get to make up your own facts.

Do you think you have the goods on him now?

I've got no doubt at all that he's developing these weapons

and that he poses a threat.

- Be at the cafe by 4:00. - I can fetch you at 5:00.

No, no, no. I was gonna get the bus. I love you.

Love you.

Yes.

You know he has a place in Devon.

He wants to take me surfing with his dog.

- Is that a bad thing? - No, it's a great dog.

Okay.

When was the last time you got away?

Oh, don't know, three or four weeks ago.

We went hiking in Yorkshire.

Oh. Shall we all go hiking together?

Yeah, that would be lovely. With the dog?

Mmm.

Oh!

Oh, thank you.

I'm starving.

I've been here since 5:00,

listening to a Russian embassy staffer

trying to bribe a North Korean defector

who's been downloading some kinky shit.

- Very arousing few hours. - You're disgusting.

It's for the Queen and country.

MI6 thought the Korean was one of ours.

I just proved he's not.

GCHQ, 1. MI6, 0.

Katharine.

I need your Beijing report for the Foreign Office.

They start trade talks next week.

Yeah, on it.

"As you've likely heard by now

"the Agency is mounting a surge

"particularly directed at the UN Security Council members

"minus US and Great Britain, of course

"for insights as to how membership is reacting

"to the ongoing debate RE Iraq.

"That means a QRC surge effort to revive,

"create efforts against UN Security Council members,

"Angola, Cameroon,

"Chile, Bulgaria and Guinea."

Andy.

Did you get this NSA e-mail?

Are the Yanks really asking us to dig up personal shit

on UN Security Council delegates?

"They want the whole gamut of info

"that could give US policy makers an edge

"in obtaining results favorable to US goals."

Christ, they wanna fix the vote.

"This effort will probably peak in the middle of next week

"following the Secretary of State's presentation

"to the UN Security Council."

Powell's gonna argue for war.

And they're gonna blackmail the smaller nations

to make sure they get it. Fuck.

Excuse me. Question.

Yeah.

Uh, this NSA memo, our people approved it?

Yes, that's why it's been forwarded.

The Americans want us to help them get a UN resolution for war?

By next week?

It's a joint UK/USA operation.

UKUSA. Right. Got it.

Hey, ours not to reason why.

Everything good today, Mrs. Archer?

Yes, thank you. Very good. Very, very good.

I'll see you again tomorrow, yes?

Yes.

Thank you, dear.

- Hey. - Hey.

You okay?

Yeah, it's been a long day.

I need ten minutes. Want something to eat?

No.

You working this weekend?

Could we go somewhere, get out of town?

Sorry, janum, I'll get next weekend for sure.

A question for the President if I may.

What is the status, in your view, of any second resolution?

Is it something that you think is worth

spending time and energy trying to assemble?

Just let me reiterate what I just said.

This is a matter of weeks, not months.

Any attempt to drag the process on for months

will be resisted by the United States.

- Can we watch something else? - No, no, this is important.

Secretary Powell will make a strong case

about the danger of an armed Saddam Hussein

and he will also talk about Al-Qaeda links.

Come on, there are no credible links

between Saddam and Al-Qaeda.

...really do portend a danger...

- I'll turn it off. - No, no, no, no, no.

Please, I need to watch this.

I need to know what they're saying.

I mean, yes. Yes, Saddam is a dictator,

but he is not a religious nut.

I mean, why would he risk arming Al-Qaeda

and have them turn against him? It doesn't make any sense!

Fine, but yelling at the TV

isn't going to make any difference.

They can't bloody hear you.

- Where you going? - To read a book.

You see, my vision shifted dramatically

after September 11.

I realized the world has changed.

My most important obligation is to protect

the American people from further harm.

And I will do that.

Thank you all very much.

- Love you. - Love you.

Don't forget to check in at the station.

What are you gonna do?

- I don't know. - Read a book.

I'll be back by 7:00 latest.

- Mr. Gun. Signing in? - Yes, thank you.

When will you know if you can stay?

They don't say.

Could be weeks. Could be months.

You never know with immigration, do you?

- I know. - Thank you.

Hi, Jasmine, it's Kath.

Uh, are you around today?

I'd love to come and see you.

- Kath. - Hi.

Oh, come here.

Hello.

Targeting who?

The UN Security Council.

Particularly the non-permanent members

who could swing the vote in favor of war.

Jesus.

Maybe it's time to quit.

You know, they say if you stay at GCHQ

for more than five years, you never leave.

I've still got two to go then.

So you've still got a conscience.

Are you still organizing against the war?

Does GCHQ have a problem with that?

- What? No. - Give me your phone.

I've already taken the battery out.

- I called you from a payphone. - Sorry.

Go on.

I just thought...

...if I could get you a copy of the memo,

then maybe you could get somebody to look it over.

I don't know, a journalist,

someone in the anti-war movement.

Look, if the press think it's nothing, fine.

At least my conscience is clear.

Your conscience?

Kat, you're asking me to collude in a breach

of the Official Secrets Act. Some call that treason.

I am not trying to overthrow my government.

I just think if someone in the press saw it,

they might ask more questions about what the Americans

are asking this country to do.

Hey, Kat, they're sending me and Dan to London

to learn Farsi.

Wow, Farsi. Congrats.

- How many languages now? - Eight.

She's a freakin' super spy.

Andy, where's my Pyongyang report?

- Ah, one more hour. - Yeah, just get it done.

- When do you leave? - Two weeks.

You'll have to come visit me.

Is that the Foreign Office report?

- Uh, it's a rough draft. - Well, finish it.

Defense section needs extra hands.

I said I'd send you over there this afternoon.

Okay, will do.

What we're giving you our facts and conclusions

based on solid intelligence.

The issue before us is not how much time

we are willing to give the inspectors,

but how much longer are we willing to put up

with Iraq's non-compliance before we as a council,

we as United Nations say enough.

Enough.

We have first-hand descriptions

of biological weapons factories on wheels and on rails.

The trucks and train cars are easily moved

and are designed to evade detection by inspectors.

Although Iraq's mobile production program

began in mid-1990s,

UN inspectors at the time only had vague hints

of such programs.

Confirmation came later in the year 2000.

The source was an eyewitness.

An Iraqi chemical engineer

who supervised one of these facilities.

Hi.

Hi.

I'm gonna watch some football. Do you mind?

No. Go for it.

From the north, the south, the east and the west,

from the left, the right

from the radical to the uncommitted

they came.

Well, we can argue forever about the validity of opinion polls,

but what surely matters today

is that this proposed war by Britain

is historically unpopular

and the mother of all focus groups has descended.

Hey, Martin. We're now doing some real reporting.

It's huge. Police are saying over 500,000.

Organizers are saying over two million.

So it will be a million then?

Well, it's everywhere. Every country.

Biggest demonstration in human history.

Roger, I filed this story seven times.

And seven times I have told you I'm not going to print it.

Ed, this paper supports the war.

Our sources support the war, Kamal.

All I'm asking is that mine be given equal time.

- Fair enough. - Thank you.

Well, what do they say, Ed?

That intelligence is being manipulated

to support an invasion that Bush Junior's been pushing for

ever since Saddam tried to kill his daddy in '93.

Oh, come on, your source is retired.

My source is ex-CIA!

He talks to agents every day

and he's talking to me on the record!

Named source! Christ!

If you're gonna encourage a country to go to war,

perhaps you should spend some time on the front lines yourself!

- That is a cheap shot, Ed. - Is it?

We're the press, for God's sake,

not a fucking PR agency for Tony Blair.

- That's enough! - All right!

You, go back to the States.

I want you to find me something from a source

who hasn't already retired

and then maybe I'll rethink it.

You're doing a great job of it. We just need some more.

Yes, Peter. Fuck you very much.

And fewer words!

If I ask for 500, don't send me 3,000!

This paper needs to take its finger out of its arse

and stop taking Tony Blair's press releases

at face fucking value!

- Hear, hear. - Abso-fucking-lutely.

- Christ! - You're too bloody right.

Brighty, where's my piece

comparing Saddam to Milosevic? I need 400 words.

Yeah. It's not really a 400-word topic, Rog.

Yeah, it is. We have a right to intervene in the Balkans.

We should do the same in Iraq.

Iraq's a little more complicated.

- You've got Suni and Shia... - Oh, fuck Sonny and Cher!

What is this? "I got you babe?"

Just give me 400 words the average reader will understand.

Milosevic bad. Saddam bad.

Just write a fucking story. Stop overthinking it.

All right.

That was helpful.

Just write the piece as you see it, Martin,

and we'll cut it down later if we need to, all right?

Okay. Thank you, Peter.

Sonny and Cher.

Martin Bright.

I've got something you need to see.

It's big, Martin, really big.

Yvonne?

Yvonne?

Martin. So good to see you.

In an underground car park?

It's a little Deep Throat, don't you think?

- There's no signal down here. - Right.

Wait till you see this.

- Who gave you this? - Can't say.

There's no info saying who sent it.

This could have been written by anyone.

- That's who wrote it. - Well.

Frank Koza.

- Who the fuck is Frank Koza? - NSA.

And this I know because the letters NSA

have been written on the back with a leaky ballpoint.

My source says the header wasn't printed

to protect the recipients at GCHQ.

When did you get it?

- Two weeks ago. - Two weeks?

I gave it to The Mirror first. Sorry.

Jesus. Why didn't they run it?

- They thought it was fake. - No shit.

- Is your source NSA? - No. A friend of the recipient.

- A good friend. - A friend of a friend?

A good friend of a trusted friend.

I'm sure it's real.

Then why don't you write the story?

Oh, come on, Martin.

I'm anti-war. You're with The Observer.

Just check it out.

NSA Press Office. How may I assist you?

Yes, hi, hello there.

This is Martin Bright from The Observer in London.

Um, I'd like to arrange an interview

with Mr. Frank Koza.

May I speak to his office, please?

- I'm sorry, Mr. Bright? - Martin Bright, yes.

Yes. Who did you wanna get?

Frank Koza, "Chief of Staff, Regional Targets."

Mr. Bright, I'm afraid we can't confirm

the names of people who work here.

Could you give me a little more detail

about the story you're working on?

Uh, well, no. That's something I need to talk to Mr. Koza

about directly, I'm afraid.

Well, then I'm afraid I'm not sure I can help you.

When you have a little more detail

please feel free to call back.

Yeah, well...

Hello?

- You rang the NSA Press Office? - Yeah.

They have a press office.

I thought that was a good place to start.

But you didn't tell them anything?

No, Peter. I just asked for Frank Koza.

Because if this is real, you could go to jail

just for having it in your possession.

I'm not letting this go. It's too good a story.

I agree, but if you get it wrong

it will sink you, it will sink the paper.

I'd like to get a credible intelligence expert

to offer a view on the language.

- Yeah. - And I thought you could run it by

your MI6 contact?

- I don't have a MI6 contact. - Sorry.

I meant your tennis club friend.

Sure.

I'll take it to Admiral Wilkinson.

Be careful. Before we risk

a D-notice against publication

I'd actually like confirmation that Frank Koza exists.

Do you think it's authentic?

Well, certainly the words he used,

"TOPI," for example,

few outside of the security apparatus

would know what that means.

What does it mean?

Target of primary interest.

And this term, "QRC surge effort,"

that's NSA military speak

for significant intensification of surveillance operations.

And this, where they ask for "valuable information

"from accesses in your product lines..."

...product lines are intelligence sources.

So it's been written by someone

who's familiar with security speak

but that doesn't mean it's definitely NSA.

True, but there are no obvious amateur mistakes.

- Have you heard of Frank Koza? - No.

Paul, if we, if we wanted to confirm that he exists...

Oh, sorry. I couldn't help you do that.

Yeah, but if we wanted to confirm that he...

Well, my own sources wouldn't ever trust me again.

Understood.

Understood.

- What? - Ed, Martin Bright.

Martin, Christ, I just got back to DC.

Sorry, Peter and I have something urgent

that we'd like to run by you.

Are you on speaker?

We are now. Hey...

Peter, you need to tell Roger to publish what I'm filing.

This paper can't be seen to be supporting a war

that we should be doing everything in our power

to expose as a con.

A neocon. A giant fucking con!

Ed, that's why we're phoning. We need your help.

We have something that might corroborate

these things, you could say.

Hey. Sorry.

- Do you wanna get lunch? - What?

Lunch. Eat. Now. Yes.

Oh, no, I'm fine, thanks.

- Are you all right? - Yeah. Yeah. I'm good.

It, um...

This new BBC poll, it says that less than one in ten people

think it's right to attack Iraq without a UN resolution.

Which is why that memo was sent. They need to twist arms.

I don't think it will make any difference.

Most of the world is against them.

You wanna eat, eat.

National Security Agency. How may I direct your call?

Hello, I'm returning Frank Koza's call.

My secretary said it was urgent.

I'm sorry. Who are you trying to reach?

Frank Koza. Mr. Frank Koza.

Sir, I'm sorry, there's no one

by that name in the directory, sir.

Oh, well, then that's odd. He called me.

I'm sorry, but I'll need an extension number.

Do you have an extension number?

Ah...

Nah.

Is there anything else I can do for you?

No. No.

Thank you. Thank you.

You have a nice day, sir.

You too.

Fuck off.

So I read the weapons inspector's report.

Oh, congratulations.

That's more than most MP's ever done.

- Well, shit, that's depressing. - Mmm-hmm. It is.

Look, there are a few pre-98 chemical weapons

we have yet to be accounted for but inspectors said

they found absolutely no evidence

of an active chemical or biological program.

Correct.

And yet Colin Powell presented

clear evidence of mobile labs.

His evidence may be based on poor human intel

from an Iraqi dissident.

Really?

The dissident isn't our product

and should not be seen as our product.

Whose product is he then?

Look, Peter, I didn't say this,

but there is concern in certain quarters

that intelligence may be being manipulated

to take this country to war.

So why don't you tell your journalists

to stop being so bloody loyal to Downing Street

and start doing their job?

Okay.

Okay, what if I had evidence that the NSA

requested GCHQ to help monitor private communications

of the UN Security Council delegates?

- To what end? - Bluntly?

To blackmail them into voting for war.

I'm not with GCHQ.

You're MI6, you're on the same team.

How did you hear about this?

A UN resolution for war

would cover everyone's arse, wouldn't it?

No more asking your team to sex up evidence of WMDs

or the back-dodgy claims that Britain was about to be attacked

by Iraq within 45 minutes.

And no chance of anyone being charged with a war crime

if it all goes tits up.

What are you asking me, Peter?

I'm asking if you can confirm

whether the NSA instructed GCHQ

to assist in spying on Security Council delegates?

You know I can't answer that.

To do so would put me in breach of the Official Secrets Act.

To deny it would not.

Well, I can neither confirm nor deny.

Okay.

Let's play.

- Change ends, idiot. - Yes.

Your serve.

So the head of the CIA tells Bush it's a slam dunk

that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction.

- A slam dunk. - Yes.

- And that's not true? - No.

Meaning Saddam definitely does not have weapons

of mass destruction or he may not.

Meaning the intelligence is sketchy at best

and manufactured at worst.

And Tenet knows that?

I've no doubt he knows that.

I was with the agency 24 years.

I can tell you, folks over there are really angry about this.

Why?

Why?

Because the majority of the analysts do not believe

it's a slam dunk, but no one wants to hear that.

Not even the press.

- Sorry, Mel. - I'm sorry.

I'm just mad as hell.

Listen, I wanted to talk to you today

because I think I might finally be onto something that...

...that really support what you've been saying for months.

I need to talk to a man called Frank Koza.

He's NSA.

Head of Regional Targets.

You know him?

I'm sorry, Ed.

I can't give out that kind of information.

- What are you doing here? - I'm sorry.

- I didn't wanna call. - How long have you been here?

We're not supposed to be meeting.

I know, I've just...

I've been following the news and I haven't seen

or heard anything for three weeks.

Okay, well, I've given it to my contact

and apparently, she's having a very hard time

getting the papers to believe that it's not a fake.

Oh, uh...

Well, maybe that's okay.

You know, I...

Look, I mean, all of the polls said

everyone's against the war, anyway

and I, and I've just been thinking...

Look, I think that I acted too rashly

on impulse. I didn't think...

Jesus, Katharine, is it a fake?

Of course it's not a fake. It's real.

Well, then just go home!

Okay, don't talk about this to anyone, ever!

Just...

- Sorry. - It's out of our hands now.

Sorry.

The truth is, the whole document could be a fake.

But we're satisfied the language used is real.

- It's fascinating. - Yeah.

Is this document actually in your possession?

Well, if it were, I'd be in breach of the Official Secrets Act

wouldn't I?

So based on what might be in this document...

- That you don't have. - That I don't yet have.

But that you want to print in your paper.

If you don't issue a D-notice against publication.

Well, which I will most certainly do

if I think the publication might in any way

endanger the lives of British people

or British forces.

- Understood. - Good.

Go on.

Would you say it were likely real

or a forgery?

What do you think?

I think it could be a fake

put out by the anti-war movement...

...or by a foreign agency to embarrass the US.

- Which agency? - The Russians.

I mean, the French oppose the war, too,

but I don't think they'd do this.

I think you might be overthinking it as usual, Martin.

- Meaning? - You tell me.

Well, meaning it could be exactly what it says it is.

You know, Martin, I believe that all information

collected in the name of the public should be made public.

The only question is, when.

But in this case, I don't have the luxury of time, Admiral.

Powell just made a very strong case for war.

Yes, I see.

I have also always believed

that censorship when called for

should be based on security issues alone...

...not on whether a news report

might embarrass a government.

Thank you, Admiral.

Ed, it's Edie from the London office.

I got a weird message for you

from someone who wouldn't give his name.

He said you should call extension 6727.

Makes no sense to me, but maybe to you.

6727. Good luck.

- 6727. - Bye-bye.

6727. 6727. 6727.

6727.

NSA. How may I direct your call?

Hello. Extension 6727, please.

6727?

6727, yes.

One moment.

Frank Koza's office.

Hello, may I speak to Mr. Frank Koza, please?

Who shall I say is calling?

I can't say. Just put me through.

Yes, sir.

Hello?

Mr. Koza? Mr. Frank Koza?

Yes. Who's calling?

Mr. Koza, my name is Ed Vulliamy.

I work for The Observer newspaper in London.

I wanted to ask you about a memo you sent to GCHQ.

Mr. Koza?

- Do you think this is real? - Yes, they put me through.

- To Frank Koza? - Yes.

And you spoke to him directly, right, Ed?

Well, we didn't exactly have a conversation.

Did you speak to him or not? Yes or no, Ed? Jesus.

Yes, but he cut me off

when I said I worked for The Observer.

But you're sure that he exists, right, Ed?

Hell yes, I'm sure!

I said, "Mr. Koza?" He said, "Yes, who's calling?"

All right. Thank you, Ed.

Try not to fuck this one up, Roger.

- Fuck off. - You're welcome, anytime.

- Hitler Diaries. - What?

I'm just saying it smells of a forgery like the Hitler Diaries

and, of course, publishing those cost people their jobs.

Which is precisely why we're doing

rigorous checking on this, Kamal.

- Who brought you this? - Friend.

- Someone from GCHQ? - No.

Then who?

- Yvonne Ridley. - Yvonne fucking Ridley!

The woman who fell off a donkey in Afghanistan

at some Taliban checkpoint!

Her arse over a tit with a camera up her burka

and then she converted to Islam

after she was released by her kidnapper.

None of which means she's not right!

She's anti-war!

She probably typed the fucking thing herself.

Martin, you realize the legal risks we'll be taking?

Yes.

The last time we published anything like this

you and Roger almost went to prison.

Jan, the last time our source claimed

MI6 had funded an attempted assassination on Gaddafi.

This document doesn't accuse anyone

of doing anything remotely like that.

No, it merely suggests that the US government,

with the help of Great Britain, might try to twist arms

and threaten UN delegates into voting for a war in Iraq.

It's a hell of a story.

Look, we know Koza exists.

Beaver says the language used is authentic.

And Wilkinson says that while publication

may embarrass both governments,

he doesn't believe that it poses a security risk

to the British people or the armed forces.

Ironically, publication may actually

prevent a war and save lives.

- Well. - MI6?

Would not confirm but did not deny.

Jan, where are we legally?

Wilkinson may not issue a D-Notice

but that doesn't stop Special Branch from coming after us.

- Thank you. - Legally, we have a top secret document

in our possession.

Look, Rog, don't forget

we're getting detailed information

directly from Blair's office.

- Fuck off. - Well, he's right.

Printing this kind of story would kill that relationship.

Since when did this paper prioritize political access

over its own investigative reporting?

- Yes. - We have taken a position on this, guys!

We support the war.

Yes. We do.

Fuck.

But Peter's right.

This is a fucking good story.

Thank you, Roger.

Here we go.

Wait, I'll come with you.

I'm just going to go get some milk.

Go back to bed. I'll bring you a coffee.

Okay.

- Hi. - Morning.

Hey.

What's the matter, janum?

What's going on?

- Bravo, Martin. - Ah, there he is.

Well done.

- Here he is! - Nice one, Martin.

Brighty, congratulations.

Bloody brilliant.

- Thank you. - What have you got for me next?

Every major European paper is citing us

and we've had calls in from CNN, NBC, and Fox.

They all want to interview you for their morning shows

when they wake up in the US.

Any response from Downing Street?

We got a call in, but they're scrambling.

Martin, line 2.

Martin Bright.

Thank you. Thank you.

No.

Uh, no, the person who leaked it hasn't been identified.

Why'd you do it?

I just thought that they'd investigate.

I never expected them to print the whole memo.

Why didn't you tell me?

Sorry, I didn't, I didn't, I...

I thought that you would try and talk me out of it

and I didn't want you to.

- My God, janum. - I'm so sorry.

They don't mention your name?

- I haven't told anyone. - Good. That's good.

That's very kind. All right, thank you.

Why don't you get in touch with your friend Tony, Kamal?

- Ask him if he has an opinion. - That's not funny, Rog.

- Martin? - Yes?

NBC just canceled your interview.

What?

NBC no longer wished to interview Martin.

Did they say why?

They just said sorry, but they didn't think

they could fit you in anymore.

Really?

Brighty, reporter from Santiago.

Thank you. Martin Bright.

Ah, uh. No.

At this stage, we have no idea what information

was gathered from Chile or any of the other countries.

- Peter. - Yeah?

Fox says that they have to cancel.

What? Why?

Uh, yeah, Mexico is furious too.

Okay. Thank you.

- Martin? - Yes?

I've got a producer from CNN.

Martin Bright.

I see.

No. No, no. No, no. That's all right.

Ah...

May I ask why?

Yes, I stand by it. Of course I stand by it.

The Drudge Report?

Yeah.

All right, okay.

What the fuck is going on?

It's fake.

We've printed a fake fucking memo

from Yvonne fucking Ridley!

Oh, you fucking idiot. There. You see it?

Because the Americans did.

Favourable. F-A-V-O-U-R.

Some English cunt has tried to fake an American NSA memo

and you fucking schmucks fell for it.

Wait. Martin, where's the original?

Where's the original document?

Jesus.

- American spelling. - What?

The original has American spelling.

And this is what I filed, see?

Favorable. O-R.

Just like the original. Not O-U-R.

And recognize with a Z, not an S.

Who changed what I wrote?

Who...

Who changed what I fucking wrote?

Come on, speak up! Who did this?

Nicole, what did you do?

I, um...

I ran it through spell check.

- Spell check? - Jesus.

That's what I always do. I'm so sorry.

Do not cry, Nicole.

Do not fucking cry.

Okay, well, we know that it's not fake.

We go online, we explain what happened, we call all of the networks.

Stop it, Martin.

Fuck, Rog, it was an honest mistake.

Don't be so naive.

You're an American editor. What story do you put out now?

That The Observer is doubling down on a fake memo?

Or that the staff of this newspaper

are really so colossally stupid!

It's all right. Would you like a cup of tea?

Someone in this building

has betrayed their government and their country.

Now I'm sure it wasn't anyone in this division,

but starting today,

Internal Security will be conducting interviews

with each and every one of you.

If you know anything or suspect anyone,

it is your sworn duty to speak up.

If you do not and you are found to have

withheld information of any kind,

you will be charged with a breach

of the Official Secrets Act.

You should see the file that tosser's got on me.

- What did he ask you? - Katharine!

Come in, Katharine.

- Katharine Gun? - Yes?

I'm John from Internal Security. Please.

Mandarin translator.

GCHQ for two years.

- Yes. - And before that?

I taught English to Japanese students.

- Hiroshima, right? - Yes.

Interesting.

Did you visit the memorial?

The peace memorial?

To the people killed by the atomic bomb?

Yes, actually, I did.

It's, uh...

It's something you really have to see.

It's very moving.

Compels one to think about the consequences of war,

doesn't it?

- Yes, I suppose it does. - Are you anti-war, Katharine?

No.

Uh, I think sometimes war is necessary.

I see you lived in Taiwan as a child?

- Yes. - How long did you live there?

We moved over when I was three.

I came back to do my A-levels.

So for most of your childhood then?

Yes.

You had a religious upbringing?

No, not particularly.

But were you sent away

to a Christian missionary school in Taiwan?

Yes.

Gave you a clear sense of right and wrong, did it,

being in a mission school?

I think my parents gave me that.

Did you leak the Koza e-mail?

- No. - No?

No.

- But you read it? - Yes.

I mean, it was sent to me, so I read it.

What were your immediate thoughts after you read it?

Nothing much. It didn't really bother me.

- It didn't? - No.

Who do you think might have leaked it?

- I have no idea. - No?

- No. - No?

No.

Thank you, Mrs. Gun.

That's all for now.

Eat a little.

Please.

They're bringing everyone in. One by one.

You haven't said anything?

Okay. Just eat a little.

Everything will be all right.

Eat.

Hi, Fiona, it's Katharine.

Um...

I'm so sorry

but I don't think I'm gonna be able to come in today.

Yeah, I think I've caught a tummy bug.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

What'd she say?

She said I should get some rest.

Good.

- She was nice. - That's good.

Try and sleep.

Sorry, I have to go.

...ask you about a report in The Observer newspaper

in London, a memo

reported to be from a man who actually works at the NSA

in which he describes a "surge in surveillance

"of UN Security Council members."

What's your response?

Terry, as a matter of long-standing policy

the administration never comments on anything

involving any people involved in intelligence.

- No, of course, you don't. - What the fuck?

If you're a Cameroonian diplomat

or a French diplomat at the United Nations

then you're gonna have to operate on the assumption

that the United States is bugging you.

No, it's a blanket matter of policy

that we do not answer questions of that nature...

- Hi. - Hi.

...I'm not indicating to you whether it's true or not true.

Have you eaten?

...of policy that predates this administration.

I brought soup. A bean salad.

I'm gonna say it was me.

The Americans are refusing to admit that the memo was real.

- I have to tell the truth. - No.

If I don't, then they'll get away with saying it was a fake.

Janum, you did what you could. Now leave it alone, please!

What am I supposed to do?

Am I supposed to keep lying forever?

If you say nothing, they can never prove anything.

They are questioning everyone at work.

They're interrogating my friends.

They're asking people to name names.

- That will be over soon. - And then what?

There will be a question mark

in hundreds of people's files because of me.

They will put you in jail!

I have to prove it was real.

Everyone at work knows that

what the NSA asked us to do was illegal.

- Nobody cares! - Well, I care!

If I don't say it was me, then we'll go to war

based on blackmail and lies.

And I can't live with that. I won't.

Janum, please listen to me.

I work at a cafe.

I took the job because I needed a job.

But it's just a job.

You did the same thing, remember?

When you saw the advert, you said you didn't even know

what the job really was.

It's just a job.

And you can get another job.

You just need to keep your head down for a few more weeks

until things calm down.

Then you resign, you can get another job.

Hey.

On a diet?

- What? - No cinnamon bun?

Who's in there now?

Nuri. Second time.

Had him take a lie detector test yesterday.

Mi-Yung!

I did it.

It was me.

Oh, Katharine.

Leave us, please.

Handbag.

Rings.

Necklace.

Watch. Belt.

I don't have a belt.

Take her through cell 7.

I've found the passports and a couple of foreign books.

Who are you?

Where's my wife?

I want to see her. Where is she?

They can't keep me long. They haven't charged me yet.

No contact, please.

- Where are they holding you? - Downstairs.

I'm okay. I promise I'm okay.

I brought this.

It will get cold tonight.

Thank you.

Lights out.

- Katharine Gun? - Yes.

We're from Scotland Yard. Do you have a lawyer?

No.

There's a duty solicitor on call.

She'll sit in with you.

Your supervisor speaks highly of your integrity.

She says this breach was a foolish one-off.

Was it?

Do you mean if I leaked anything else? No.

- Do you intend to? - No.

I've always been very proud to work at GCHQ.

Until now.

Yes. Until now.

What were you employed to do?

Well, I can't be specific.

Be general then.

I translated signals intelligence

and I reported anything

I thought might be of interest to my clients.

- Your clients? - The Foreign Office.

The Ministry of Defense.

So, you work for the British Government.

- No. Not really. - No?

Governments change.

I work for the British people.

I gather intelligence

so that the government can protect the British people.

I do not gather intelligence so that the government can lie

to the British people.

With respect, Mrs. Gun,

you're a spy.

Yes.

You gather information

from people's phones and computers

and you feed that to your clients.

- Yes. - You eavesdrop on private conversations.

And now you're upset at being asked to do that

to members of the Security Council?

Detective...

I don't object to being asked to collect information

that could help prevent a terror attack.

What I object to is being asked to gather intelligence

to help fix a vote at the UN

and deceive the world into going to war.

- Who put you up to this? - No one.

But you gave the memo to someone.

Who did you give it to? A journalist?

Someone in the anti-war movement?

Your husband?

You don't have to answer that.

No, I will answer that.

My husband had absolutely nothing to do with this.

He was briefly detained here, too, wasn't he?

- Pending deportation? - Yes, he was.

- And then you married him. - Yes.

His paperwork has been resubmitted.

- He signs in here once a week. - He's a Muslim.

I'm sorry?

He's a Kurdish Turk

seeking permanent residence in Britain.

And given what Saddam Hussein has done to the Kurdish people,

murdering over 180,000 of them with chemical weapons,

I can assure you

my husband has absolutely no sympathy whatsoever

with the Iraqi regime.

Then why did you leak a memo

intended to help remove Saddam Hussein?

'Cause by attacking Iraq,

you don't simply attack Saddam Hussein,

you attack the country of over 30 million people!

And I cannot bear to think of the pain and the suffering

that that will cause.

Frankly, I don't see how anyone can bear it.

Detective, is she going to be formally charged?

That's a decision for the Attorney General.

Lord Goldsmith will need time to decide how to deal with you.

The custody sergeant will release you

on police bail today.

You'll be told to return to the station

in approximately three months,

by which time a decision on whether to charge you

will have been made.

Are you all right, janum?

- Are you all right? - Yeah, come on.

Katharine?

I'm sorry. I deal mostly with petty criminals,

drunks and drug addicts.

If you're charged, you're gonna need someone

with a lot more experience than me.

- I see. - Have you heard of Liberty?

They handle human rights cases,

political cases, often for free.

Well... I just wanted to be sure you knew that.

- Good luck. - Thank you.

Thank you.

George W. Bush's patience

with the United Nation has run out

because they haven't managed to get those nine votes

at the Security Council which would give them,

what they call, a moral majority.

That represents a real failure of American diplomacy.

This is the man who's advising Tony Blair

on the legality of war.

The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith

has, I understand, told the Prime Minister

military action would be legal without a second resolution.

But it's all down to interpretation.

What is she saying? They have not got the votes

but they're going to war, anyway?

...arguing old UN resolutions don't count

and war is illegal without a new one

or a new threat.

So the troops are in place.

Some UN inspectors are quitting Iraq.

Just how close are we to war?

Fergus has been assessing the evidence. Fergus?

All the signs are now

that war is very, very close now...

Hi.

- Do you wanna come in? - Oh, no, no, no.

I'm all packed for London.

I just, um...

I just wanted to say, I think that what you did was amazing.

- You do? - Yeah. A lot of us do.

Really?

Are they going to charge you?

I don't know.

God, Kat, I'm so sorry.

Hey, you didn't do anything wrong.

I didn't do anything right. I...

I better be going. Bye.

My fellow citizens,

at this hour, American and coalition forces

are in the early stages of military operations

to disarm Iraq, to free its people

and to defend the world from grave danger.

Our nation enters this conflict reluctantly,

yet our purpose is sure.

The people of the United States and our friends and allies

will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime

that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.

We will meet that threat now.

We should have got that memo out sooner.

- We did what we could. - We fucking failed.

So that we do not have to meet it later

with armies of firefighters and police and doctors

on the streets of our cities.

Now that conflict has come,

the only way to limit its duration

is to apply decisive force.

I'm so fucking naive.

This will not be a campaign of half measures

and we will accept no outcome but victory.

I have to go.

You want to come to the cafe?

Work with me?

I'll call you later.

If we use the phones,

they'll be listening.

Let them listen.

We have nothing to hide.

You should contact those lawyers...

...today.

Please.

- Hello? - Hi. Uh, it's Katharine.

Uh, Katharine Gun. I phoned this morning.

Oh, yes, Katharine. Please, um, come on up.

- Katharine? - Hello.

James. Lovely to meet you.

- Thanks for seeing me. - Not at all.

I'm sorry about the decor.

We like to say we focus more on our clients.

This is Shami Chakrabarti, our director.

- Hello, Katharine. - And this is Ben Emmerson.

Hi.

Hello.

This was the only memo you took?

- Yes. - No one suggested you take it?

- No. - And you've never met Martin Bright?

No.

Martin called me last week.

He said he didn't know who you were,

but he wanted us to be aware that you might need our help.

Well, that was very kind of him.

He said he got the memo from someone he knew

but he wouldn't say who.

Do you want to tell us who you gave it to?

Look,

if you don't mind, I would prefer not to say.

I promised I wouldn't.

Okay.

When you met Yasar, he had already applied for asylum.

- Yes. - Which was denied.

Yes, uh, they said that there wasn't a significant enough risk

of persecution if he went back.

And that's when you married him?

- Yes. - And did he pay you?

Absolutely not.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset you.

It's just that your husband is Muslim

and the prosecution will be looking for motive.

My motive was to stop a war

and save lives. I failed.

All I've managed to do is put my husband's future at risk.

And your own.

In fact, by leaking information

to try and stop a war, I'd argue

that you chose loyalty to your country

over loyalty to your government, your marriage and yourself.

You had nothing to gain and everything to lose.

I think that speaks rather highly of you.

He's trying to give you a compliment.

I see.

Part of our job is to try and anticipate

what the prosecution's going to throw at you.

Some of the people we meet are looking for attention,

a way to elevate their humdrum lives.

- Well, I'm not. - No, I don't think you are.

Sorry.

There's nothing to be sorry for.

We're here to help.

And we don't have duress.

She's adamant no outside agency put any pressure on her.

Public interest?

The public has a right to know when their government is lying.

We cite the Falklands case

when Thatcher lied about why she ordered

the sinking of that Argentinian ship.

- Belgrano. - Yeah.

- Who was the whistleblower? - Clive Ponting.

The jury acquitted him, didn't they?

Yes, and immediately afterwards,

Thatcher had the Official Secrets Act amended

to avoid being caught in a lie in the future.

So since '89, the public interest is

effectively whatever the government says that it is.

We've got nothing.

I have to think about it.

Sorry, I have to go.

I promised Anne a weekend away.

If they charge her, we might have to plead guilty

and ask for a reduced sentence.

But she's young and principled.

A judge might even think that what she did was morally right.

Or crucify her as a traitor.

Bye.

- You sure he was following you? - He was staring at me.

Sometimes men stare...

Yeah, it wasn't that kind of a stare.

What kind of a stare was it?

Yas, please, I'm scared. Okay?

I'm scared.

You know, for years, I've tried to be legal here.

- I know. - Then why'd you do it?

These arseholes got their war, anyway.

Saddam's over. And you know what?

- I'm glad he's over! - War is not over.

Ousting Saddam is just the beginning.

- What do you know about war? - I work at GCHQ.

All you do is listen to people talking!

You've never seen war! You've never smelled it!

Never even come close to it!

Yas, I understand why you are angry.

It is my fault and I'm sorry.

I am so sorry.

But I watched Blair with his smug smile

and his sterile speeches that tell us nothing

of what it must feel like to be a child in Iraq right now.

I know I'm not sorry that I tried to stop him.

I'm not.

I'm only sorry that I failed.

Thank you for inviting us in.

What is it you came to say?

Well, there's been a development.

- Am I going to be charged? - That I don't know.

Then why are you here?

I gather you went to see a lawyer today.

- Did you follow me? - No.

Because somebody did.

Well, you must know that after what you did,

GCHQ is concerned.

I have a right to legal advice.

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that.

When you signed on to work for GCHQ,

you agreed to be bound by the Official Secrets Act

for the rest of your life.

I know what I signed, detective.

Mm, then you know that it says here

in Section 1-1

that "a person is guilty of an offense

"if he or she

"discloses any information

"relating to security or intelligence."

This means that you cannot discuss anything

with anyone outside of GCHQ

relating to the document you leaked.

Are you saying I can't talk to a lawyer?

Oh, you have the right to talk to a lawyer.

It's just that you cannot discuss

anything to do with your work at GCHQ,

or the contents of the memo you leaked,

or how it came into your possession

or who wrote it.

All of this information is top secret.

So disclosing it to anyone outside of GCHQ,

even a lawyer,

would be a further violation of the Official Secrets Act,

which could result in further prosecution

and a much longer prison sentence.

We just wanted you to be aware of that.

So if I may not talk to a lawyer, who may I talk to?

You should talk to your superiors at GCHQ.

- Are you fucking joking? - Yas, please. Please.

We should hear what the detectives have to say.

They're just doing their job.

Simply put, if you wish to tell anything to a lawyer

or the press or anyone else...

...you first need to clear it with GCHQ.

Detective...

I leaked only one memo.

I had good reason to do so

and I intend to make those reasons public

if I am charged.

I will not talk to my lawyers again

unless I am charged.

Tell that to GCHQ.

Are you grilling or smoking that fish?

I am smoking. I've soaked the wood chips in water.

I've got charcoal.

I'm... I'm trying something new.

- Hi. - Ken?

- Hi. - Hi, Ken.

- Guess you're down here for the weekend. - Yes. Just for the night.

Yeah, me too. It's been a while.

Mm-hmm. Would you, uh... Do you want a drink?

Uh, no, thanks. Sally's cooking dinner.

- Hello, Anne. - Hi.

- I'm so sorry to intrude. - Oh, not at all.

How's the new job?

Well, it's, um, eye-opening.

In fact, I wondered if I might ask Ben's opinion

about a new case that my office has been asked to prosecute.

It won't take a minute. Would you mind?

How do you know that I met her?

Security services are all over this.

Mm-hmm.

And it's not just a domestic embarrassment.

The Americans are very unhappy.

Oh, well, that is upsetting.

Oh, come on, Ben, it's not funny.

What she did was a deliberate act of betrayal.

Look, Ken, we're not colleagues anymore.

We're on different sides here.

I think she wants to be seen as some sort of cause celebre.

But she swore allegiance to the intelligence services

and when you do that you don't get to pick and choose

what orders you'll follow.

Following orders is not a defense to a war crime.

Yes, but who is she to undermine the strategic objectives

of a democratically-elected Prime Minister.

Oh, come on, she's not selling state secrets to Moscow.

She exposed an illegal attempt

to secure a UN resolution for war

which would have given Blair perfect cover

for the bloody mess that we're in now.

No, she should have kept her mouth shut

or complained to her superiors.

Now I've got a real problem with people

who think that from some lowly position

they can possibly see the big picture.

So then you would never question authority

even if you knew it was breaking the law.

Ben, you can't blame me for being angry with her.

We're at war.

So, I'm going to assign the best prosecutor in my office

to bring this girl down, which shouldn't be difficult.

She's already confessed.

I appreciate your determination

to make an example of her, but you shouldn't be here.

Oh, come on, we're friends.

I'll make my position perfectly clear.

If you charge her, then I will defend her

to the best of my ability.

So let's go home and pretend

that this conversation never happened.

You're not working today?

No. I have to sign in at the station.

- Then we can go for a hike. - I want to see the sea.

Leave it.

Hi, we're not in. Please leave a message.

Katharine, it's James Welch from Liberty.

Uh, we should talk.

Could give me a call when you get the message?

Hello?

Oh, ah, Katharine.

I'm afraid I have some bad news.

Uh, James, you know that

GCHQ said I couldn't talk to you.

Oh, then, well, the good news is

we finally had the gag order lifted.

We've agreed to not ask any questions

about what other work you did at GCHQ.

But what happens going forward isn't up to them.

Your case is now in the hands

of the Crown Prosecution Service.

They're going to charge you.

We should meet next week.

- Katharine? - Yes. Uh...

Okay. Yeah.

I know that this is a lot to take in,

but we will help you.

Thank you.

- Okay. - Thank you very much, James.

Speak soon.

"GCHQ whistleblower charged."

"Traitor or spy?"

"Spy speaks out."

"The spy who wouldn't keep a secret."

"Who is Katharine Gun?"

"Leak against this war."

She's everywhere.

What's your angle?

Look.

"Katharine Gun faces jail for exposing

"American corruption in the run-up to war.

"Now her celebrity supporters insist

"it is Bush and Blair who should be in the dock."

- Celebrity supporters? - Mm.

Little tabloidy, don't you think?

Hey, we're building awareness. How about Daniel Ellsberg?

He leaked the Pentagon Papers.

I know who Ellsberg is, Martin.

Of course you do. Forgive me.

Well, Ellsberg described it as...

"The most important and courageous leak I've ever seen.

"No one else has ever done what she did.

"Tell secret truths at personal risks

"before an imminent war, in time, possibly, to avert it."

Okay, that's classy.

I'll be quick.

Are you waiting for the tall man?

- The dark-haired one? - Yeah.

He was shouting that his wife was outside.

- They took him. - What?

They took him.

Where is he?

Sorry. Who are you?

I'm Yasar Gun's wife. Where's my husband?

I'm sorry, ma'am. He's scheduled for deportation.

What?

No. No, no. Uh, no, no.

Look, look, there's been some sort of mistake.

I need to see my husband right now.

I'm afraid that's not possible.

You can't go in there!

Please. Please, please, please, please.

Let me see him, please.

Please, he doesn't have anything with him.

He doesn't even have any money.

I'm sorry. They've already taken him.

No, no. They won't say where.

I don't know. Oh, God, James, I don't know what to do.

Katharine, I'm so sorry. I'm at the Hague.

- Who's your MP? - I don't know.

- Is it Nigel Jones? - Nigel Jones, yes. Yeah.

Do you have your marriage certificate?

- Uh, yeah, yeah, somewhere. - Right.

Find it and I'll track Nigel down.

Of course they're legally married, Beverly.

I'm holding their marriage certificate.

I'm sorry, but his application

to remain in this country has been denied.

Mistakenly.

He's complied with every directive

your department's issued.

Nigel, your constituent is accused

of betraying her country.

Do you really think we should be helping her husband?

I think deporting her husband when she's facing a trial

looks like state bullying.

All right, I'll review his paperwork.

Thank you.

And please make sure he's not flown out tonight.

I'm sorry. Best I can do for now.

I promise I will pick this up first thing tomorrow.

Hello?

We tracked him to Harmondsworth Detention Center.

It's a deportation center at Heathrow Airport

right off the M-25.

Go to the main gate and wait there.

Uh, are they gonna release him?

We have ministerial approval but no paperwork yet.

There is a possibility

he's already been put on a plane.

- What? - Yeah, I'm checking.

Just get there as soon as you can.

Out you go. Let's go. Move it.

This is a mistake, sir.

- This is a mistake. - Come on.

Please.

I need to call my wife. I must call my wife!

Next in line.

Hello?

Hello?

Yeah?

James, James, um,

I don't know if I'm even at the right place.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, but it's 4:00 a.m.

There's nobody to talk to.

Wait, wait. Someone's coming. Wait.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

- It's all right. - You okay?

- I'm okay. - Are you okay?

- You're okay? - Yeah, yeah.

If they try and pull anything like that again,

then I want to go public.

- Not a good idea. - Why not?

Because people are fickle. Many will hate you.

Your personal lives will be picked apart,

your marriage will be interrogated.

In fact, we think it will be best

if Yasar was kept well out of this.

You should probably not attend the trial.

- I understand. - What? No.

Janum, we both know the jury will prefer

an English girl without an immigrant husband.

You know what? That is ridiculous.

We are married and we have nothing to be ashamed of.

The shame is on them, not you.

You don't need to risk your freedom to prove it.

We should discuss how you'll plead.

Not guilty.

But you understand you confessed.

I confessed that I leaked a memo in order to try and save lives.

And we will use that argument to ask for a reduced sentence.

If you do plead guilty, there will be no jury.

You could be out of jail in less than six months.

Given how badly the war is going,

we think a judge is likely to be sympathetic.

But I'd have a criminal record.

That is true.

Which I would carry with me for the rest of my life

into every job interview,

every application for credit.

- Yes. - And I'm sorry.

We would be conceding

that no one in Intelligence can ever tell the British people

when their government is lying.

Not when the lies are protected

by the Official Secrets Act, no.

I'm sorry. This is all a charade.

I mean, if you're saying that I have to plead guilty

because the act allows absolutely no defense whatsoever,

then the very idea of a fair trial is a joke.

I'm sorry, Katharine,

but the best we can do is ask a judge for leniency.

Post Belgrano, there really is no defense

to a breach of the Official Secrets Act...

Except perhaps one.

Katharine said it herself.

She leaked the memo to try to save lives.

But she still broke the law.

Yes, but there are circumstances where you can break the law.

It's only in situations of absolute necessity...

- Necessity. Exactly. - Ben, you're reaching.

Am I? What are the requirements for a defense of necessity?

Imminent threat to your life or the lives of others.

Yeah, and no other reasonable way to prevent loss of life.

Yes, right, well, the invasion posed

an imminent threat to thousands of lives.

Katharine has no right to try and prevent a war

authorized by the Attorney General.

- Unless the war is illegal. - What?

Wait, wait, so now we're going to put the war on trial?

Yes.

I believe that Katharine Gun tried to stop an illegal war.

What she did was necessary

to try to save thousands of British-American and Iraqi lives.

And Goldsmith specifically stated

that the invasion was legal.

He said so only three days before the invasion.

What was his position before that?

What was his advice at the time Katharine leaked the memo?

- Well, we have no idea. - Well, I'd like to find out.

Because Blair spent a lot of energy

trying to secure a new UN resolution.

I suppose.

When Lord Goldsmith finally said

the war was legal, his deputy legal advisor resigned.

Yes, Elizabeth Wilmshurst. Yeah, that's right.

- She resigned. Yes, yes. - But she didn't say why.

She couldn't.

If she did, she'd be charged under the Official Secrets Act.

So I need to get a meeting with Elizabeth Wilmshurst.

- She's not gonna go public. - She doesn't have to.

All we need is a hint

that Goldsmith changed his mind about the legality of the war.

I'm sorry, Ben. There are two ways they could justify war.

- We've only addressed one. - So what am I missing?

- Self-defense. - Oh, come on.

Does anyone honestly believe that this country

was about to be attacked by Iraq?

I do agree, but that's why they trotted out Powell.

- To make the case for WMDs. - Oh.

If it's true that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction

that pose an imminent threat to this country,

the war is legal without a UN resolution.

How many people actually believe

Iraq still has weapons of mass destruction?

Well, they're still looking.

If we go down this route, we better pray none are found.

I'm gonna get Elizabeth Wilmshurst's number.

You've put me in a rather awkward position.

I'm sorry, but thank you for seeing me.

I think what she did took great courage.

And she was naive, of course, but brave.

And you were brave enough to resign.

But not to speak out in public.

If I had, I might have caused more of a brouhaha.

Sparked a proper debate.

Can I ask you, uh, how did you resign?

I wrote a letter.

And in that letter, did you give a reason

for your resignation?

I restated my position on the legality of going to war.

Which was?

That it would not be lawful to use force

without a new Security Council resolution.

Um, did Goldsmith initially support your view?

He did.

He told Blair that if military action were taken,

he expected the government to be accused

of acting unlawfully.

And was that a written opinion?

It was a detailed advisory document.

Right, so then would that have been his position

at the time that Katharine Gun printed the Koza memo

on February 3?

Yes.

And then he went to Washington.

Oh, really?

- Well, who did he meet there? - I wasn't given details.

But after that trip, his opinion changed.

In nine short paragraphs, he said that

the UN's authorization for the 1991 Gulf War

could be reactivated

to legitimize a new war with Iraq.

He told the Prime Minister what he wanted to hear?

At best, he was persuaded to support

a really fringe point of view.

- Oh, really fringe. - Yeah.

- Martin Bright. - Martin.

- Ben. - Ben.

I took your whistleblower's case.

Yes, I heard. Can I meet her?

No, not yet, Martin. I don't want a media frenzy.

Okay. When she's ready.

Before some hack tracks her down.

Come on, Ben, I broke her story. I'm on her side.

Well, you can help by finding out

why the Attorney General went to Washington

just before the war started.

Wait, Goldsmith went to DC?

I'd like to know who he met there.

Right. I'm on it.

- And how is Peter? - Peter is in Iraq.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I've been reading his articles.

Listen, if he hears anything, even a hint

that Saddam really did have weapons of mass destruction,

then please call me.

Of course. Can I ask why?

Well, let's just say that if WMD are found,

then defending Katharine will be a little more complicated.

- I'll get back to you. - All right, thank you.

Okay. Thank you. Bye.

There's thousands of inspectors here

from the US Army, the British Army

the CIA, FBI.

And still nothing?

No, no, not a fucking thing. Nothing.

Anyway, some Polish troops found a cache of Sarin gas warheads

dating back to the Iran-Iraq War, but they were all empty.

And right now, I'm standing in a glass factory

and all they've found is piles of silica sand and soda ash.

So, yeah.

Things must be getting ugly in Washington.

Well, you should talk to Ed.

Maybe we could end up doing a joint piece or something.

- Peter, what was that? - No, no, no.

It's just our guys detonating some conventional ordnance.

- They don't wanna have... - Jesus.

...kids finding unexploded shit in the rubble.

All right, talk soon. Take care.

Yeah, all right, mate. Bye.

- February 11. - What?

Goldsmith's in DC meeting with the attorneys

for Bush, Powell, Rumsfeld and Rice.

- Okay, hold on... - But that's not the big story.

The really big story is the OSP.

The Office of Special Plans.

Turns out when Bush wasn't getting the intelligence he wanted,

Rumsfeld bypassed the CIA

and set up his own intelligence unit.

They fed raw unvetted intelligence

to Bush and Powell who lied us into a war!

Yeah. Okay, Ed. I appreciate that.

But let's, first, try and help

a young woman stay out of prison.

Uh, you said Goldsmith met Bush's lawyers

on February 11. Who were those lawyers?

"John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales,

William Taft, Jim Haynes, John Bellinger."

The attorneys for Bush, Powell, Rumsfeld and Rice.

Wow. They really turned up the heat.

You know, I almost feel sorry for Goldsmith.

Don't. He fucking caved when his country needed him most.

- That's a great headline, mate. - It bloody is.

- All right. - Print it.

- Yeah. Bye. - We'll share the byline.

Bye.

Nutter.

Goldsmith was under tremendous pressure

before he went to Washington.

Our military were refusing to invade

without a clear legal opinion from him

that what they were doing was legal

in case of a war crimes trial.

Thank you, Martin, very helpful.

Well, no, hang on, hang on, hang on.

Do you think you have a defense?

- We're working on it. - Okay.

- Let me know when you do. - Well, you'll hear it in court.

- Come on, Ben. - Bye.

- He's persistent. - He is.

But it's your story

and you don't need a media trial.

We should request full disclosure of all legal advice

given by Goldsmith in the year leading up to the invasion.

He'll almost certainly refuse to comply.

Then we'll subpoena Wilmshurst.

Hell, we'll subpoena Goldsmith himself. And Blair too.

Ben, if we can't prove that Goldsmith changed his advice,

we can't argue that Katharine tried to stop an illegal war.

What then?

- Then I'll be found guilty. - Almost certainly, yes.

So, do you want to risk it all

and ask for disclosure of the government's documents,

or would you rather plead guilty

and hope for a reduced sentence?

I think...

...we were lied into an illegal war.

Let's ask for the documents.

All right.

You ready?

No statements now, remember.

Let's just get through those doors.

- Katharine, you okay? - Yeah.

Ben's already in the courtroom

but he wanted you to meet Martin Bright.

Uh, he's covering the trial.

Katharine, it's an honor.

I'll be in the press gallery. I hope that's all right?

Yeah, uh, yeah. You...

You took a real risk.

No, you took the risk.

I think what you did was extraordinary.

I think what you exposed was extraordinary.

All our institutions failed us.

The government, the intelligence services,

the press, they failed us categorically.

Even my own paper supported the war before that memo.

Well, thank you for being here.

No, thank you.

It's important what you did. It matters.

- We should go in, Martin. - Yes.

Sorry, James. Yes. Uh, be strong.

Katharine, you're going that way.

Uh, can I just have a moment?

- Of course. - Thanks.

You should leave that behind, ma'am.

Uh, yeah, sorry, can I just have a second? Just...

Janum?

Hi. Um, I'm about to go in.

I love you.

I love you too.

Uh, I'm gonna try and call as soon as I can.

I wish I was there with you.

I know.

I'm so sorry.

You have nothing to be sorry for.

I'm so proud of you. So proud of you.

Bye.

Bye.

Miss?

Sorry.

I can take your bag.

- We'll see you in there, okay? - Yeah.

Your scarf and jacket, please.

Okay, and then if you'll raise your arms.

Okay.

She's here.

Right. Okay.

Judge is ready.

Up you go.

Are you Katharine Teresa Gun?

Yes.

I'm sorry. Can you speak up, please?

Yes, I am.

"Katharine Teresa Gun,

"you are charged with an offense

"contrary to Section 1, Subsection 1

"of the Official Secrets Act of 1989.

"In that between January 30 and March 2 of 2003

"you did knowingly and intentionally

"disclose top secret intelligence information

"contrary to the said act."

How do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?

Ms. Gun?

Not guilty.

Yes, Mr. Ellison.

Yes, thank you, My Lord.

My Lord, in light of recent developments,

the prosecution will offer no evidence

against the defendant on this indictment.

I beg your pardon?

My Lord, the prosecution will not pursue the indictment.

Today?

- No, My Lord. - I'm sorry.

Are you asking for an adjournment, Mr. Ellison?

No, My Lord.

You are saying that you do not wish

to proceed at all?

Yes, My Lord.

But the accused confessed.

Yes, My Lord.

And yet you do not wish to proceed?

- No, My Lord. - I'm sorry.

I find that extraordinary.

Do you care to explain?

My Lord, the accused submitted an unusual defense.

Yes. The defense of necessity.

- Yes. - And?

And we do not believe we have sufficient evidence to rebut it.

Why not? She confessed.

Because, My Lord,

the documents that we have called for would show

that this country was taken to war illegally...

...and may expose

the government to charges of war crimes.

- That is absurd! - Is it?

Then kindly hand over the documents

that we have asked to see.

My Lord, the prosecution is not obliged.

Indeed, it is not permitted to continue with a case if it does not believe

there is a realistic prospect of a conviction.

To do so would be a waste of taxpayers' funds.

My Lord, I am thankful

that the charges against Ms. Gun are being withdrawn

and that the Crown is suddenly so determined

not to waste taxpayers' money.

But surely, after months of uncertainty

and severe distress, Ms. Gun is entitled to know

why the government is dropping this case?

Indeed, the public is entitled to know.

- Hear, hear. - Hear.

Mr. Ellison?

Again, My Lord, we do not feel

we have a realistic prospect of a conviction.

There is nothing more I can say.

To be clear,

you are withdrawing all charges

against Katharine Teresa Gun?

Yes, My Lord.

Ms. Gun...

...you are free to go.

In a startling about-turn, the Crown Prosecution Service

has dropped its case against an intelligence...

At 29, Katharine Gun was facing jail for breaking the...

The last thing the government wanted

within months of a general election

was a big court case

focusing on the legality of that war...

The lawyers wanted the Attorney General's

secret advice to Downing Street

about whether invading Iraq was or was not legal

disclosed that the...

And he was involved in deciding whether today's case...

First tonight, Katharine Gun walks free.

In a dramatic about-turn, the Crown...

So did the Attorney General

put pressure on to stop the trial?

Did GCHQ?

Did the prime minister? No answers.

Tonight we're simply asked to believe

that there was no case to answer.

Would you do it again?

- Would you do it again? - I have no regrets.

Yes, and I would do it again, yes.

Caught anything?

Not yet.

You know, it wasn't my choice to prosecute.

I was bound by the decision of the Attorney General.

Why did you keep her in a state of distress

for a year before you brought charges?

The services wanted to make an example of her.

If we dropped the case any earlier,

what kind of message would that have sent?

Do me a favor, Ken.

Go and fish somewhere else.

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