First published in:
Day, J. (2003, August 12). Kelly ‘said government sexed up Iraq dossier’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/aug/12/bbc.iraqdossier
Kelly ‘said government sexed up Iraq dossier’
BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan today said David Kelly was in no doubt the government had “sexed up” the Iraq intelligence dossier at the heart of the Hutton inquiry.
He told the inquiry it was Dr Kelly who had first raised the name of Alastair Campbell in relation to the “transformation” of the dossier and the scientist had first raised the controversial claim that Saddam Hussein could launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes. BBC Radio 4 Today programme’s defence correspondent added he spoke to two senior government sources and they did not deny Dr Kelly’s claims. Gilligan’s notes show Dr Kelly suggested the dossier was transformed from something bland and “not very exciting” to something far more “sexy” in the week before publication.
Giving evidence on the second day of the inquiry, Gilligan revealed he did not have “full and comprehensive” notes of his key meeting with Dr Kelly in May. He could not produce a full transcript of the meeting because he had taken notes on a personal organiser that he could no longer find. However, Gilligan did present a printout from the Palm Pilot, which showed his notes of his talks with Dr Kelly about the September dossier in an annotated form. He said these notes made it clear his Today programme report claiming the government had “sexed up” the dossier was an accurate reflection of what Dr Kelly had told him. Gilligan was asked to the read the notes of his meeting with Dr Kelly on May 22 this year.
The annotated notes said: “transformed week before publication to make it sexier, a classic was the 45 minutes, most things in dossier were double-sourced but that was single-sourced”. The notes then referred to the 45 minute claim. “One source said it took 45 minutes to set up mobile assembly. That was misinterpreted. “Most people [in the intelligence services] were unhappy with it because it didn’t reflect the considered view they were putting forward. Campbell real information but unreliable included against our wishes. Not included in the original draft. Dull. He asked if anything else could go in.” James Dingemans QC asked Gilligan whether there was any particular question that had prompted the first part of his notes.
Gilligan replied: “We started by talking about other things, then we got on to the dossier and I said ‘What’s happened to it? When we last met, you were saying it wasn’t very exciting’. “He said ‘until the last week, it wasn’t very exciting, it was transformed the week before publication’. “I said ‘to make it sexy?’, and he said ‘yes, to make it sexy’. I said ‘what do you mean? Can you give me any examples?’ He did not use the word ‘example’. He said ‘the classic was 45 minutes’.” Then Gilligan said he asked Dr Kelly “something like ‘how did this transformation happen?’ And then the answer was just that one word.”
Mr Dingemans asked Gilligan “He said just ‘Campbell’?” “Yes,” replied Gilligan. Lord Hutton then asked Gilligan: “Are you clear in your recollection that you asked how was it transformed and that the name ‘Campbell’ was first spoken by Dr Kelly?” Gilligan replied: “Yes, absolutely. It was him. He first raised the subject of 45 minutes and he raised the subject of Campbell.” Lord Hutton then asked Gilligan: “You put the question: ‘Was it to make it sexier?’ and Dr Kelly replied ‘Yes, to make it sexier.'” Gilligan replied: “Yes.” Gilligan was asked if he had taken notes throughout the meeting with Dr Kelly. The journalist replied: “No, it was like our other meeting in that it was intended as a general discussion of issues around Iraq. “I started out without taking notes, actually, but I asked to start taking notes when he got on to interesting topics.”
Lord Hutton said: “Are you clear in your recollection that you asked how was it transformed and that the name of Campbell was first spoken by Dr Kelly.” Mr Gilligan replied: “Yes, absolutely.” Lord Hutton asked: “It wasn’t a question by you saying: ‘Is Campbell involved in this?’.” Gilligan replied: “No, it was him. He raised the subject of 45 minutes and he raised the subject of Campbell.” The revelation that Gilligan did not have full notes of his meeting will be a setback to the BBC, whose reputation is on the line. The Hutton inquiry into the death of the weapons inspector also revealed a BBC memo, dated May 24, that said Gilligan “has a story which he hasn’t stood up”. Gilligan said he was not sure whether the memo was a reference Dr Kelly. The BBC reporter also challenged Dr Kelly’s accounts of their meetings, with conflicting evidence emerging on several points about the relationship between the reporter and the scientist.
Gilligan told the inquiry he did not meet Dr Kelly as often as the weapons expert had said. The journalist said two of the meetings Dr Kelly had claimed to have had with him did not take place and a third lasted longer than the weapons inspector had told his bosses. Dr Kelly had privately revealed at Ministry of Defence interviews that he met Gilligan at international institute of strategic studies in September 2002. He also claimed to have met the reporter in February 2003. However, Gilligan said the September meeting did not take place and neither did the other because he was “out of the country” for much of February, reporting on the run-up to the war in Iraq.
Gilligan said he did meet Dr Kelly on May 22 and this meeting led to the Today report at the heart of the row between the BBC and the government. Gilligan said the meeting lasted “45 minutes” longer than Dr Kelly had said. Lord Hutton’s investigation was set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the apparent suicide of the government weapons expert. The reporter told a packed courtroom Dr Kelly was listed in the BBC’s book of contacts and he checked the scientist’s credentials before he first met him in early 2001. Gilligan said Dr Kelly had been “open and helpful” and keen to share his knowledge at that first meeting. He also showed the court the contemporaneous notes he took at his meeting with Dr Kelly and discussed the nature of “off the record” and “unattributable” comments.
| i | This is the website of Dr Emilie J. Rutledge who, with almost two decades’ worth of experience in managing, designing and delivering university-level economics courses, is currently Head of the Economics Department at The Open University.
 erutledge.com  Dr Emilie J. Rutledge Emilie has published over 20 peer-reviewed papers and is the author of “Monetary Union in the Gulf.” Her current research focus is on employability, the feasibility of universal basic incomes and, the oil-rich Arabian Gulf’s economic diversification and labour market reform strategies. On an ad hoc basis, Emilie provides consultancy on developing interactive university courses, alongside analytical insight on the political-economy of the Arabian Gulf. |