The Death of Dr. David Kelly - Was Alastair Campbell the "Puppetmaster" spinning the suicide story?

Earlier this month I posted a timeline about events on 18th July 2003 relating to information management: The Death of David Kelly - A timeline of information management.

In this post I'd like to begin to explore whether Alastair Campbell, then Tony Blair's spin doctor, might have been the "Puppetmaster" who spread the "it was suicide" story before it could possibly legitimately have been known what the cause of death for Dr. David Kelly was.

Four very interesting observations underlie some fascinating questions.

1. A radio mast 110 feet high was erected during the night of 17th to 18th July 2003 in the garden of David Kelly's home. Why? Who was it to communicate with? Why does Thames Valley Police refuse to answer questions about such matters?


2. Three of Tony Blair's key advisors do not travel to Tokyo with him from Washington at 01.00 on 18th July 2003. A startling and unfortunate coincidence? Or a news managemant decision vital to the survival of Tony Blair as Prime Minister?


3. Janice Kelly was told that it was "suicide" on the morning of 18th July 2003, quite possibly before the ambulancemen had even confirmed that the body was dead and certainly before the pathologist saw the body for the first time.


4. Alastair Campbell was reported on 21st July 2003 to be in a "disturbed and dangerous psychological state".

Each of the four preceding points is "solid".

How are they to explained?

Maybe they are mere coincidences which are unrelated.

Maybe not.

The hypothesis that might draw them together is, admittedly, speculative.

Let's suppose, hypothetically, that it was known during the afternoon or evening of 17th July 2003 that David Kelly had been murdered.

It might explain why Thames Valley Police's Operation Mason commenced at 14.30 on 17th July.

Let's suppose, too, that David Kelly's body is actually found many hours before the "official" discovery at 09.20 (or thereabouts) on 18th July 2003.

In that hypothetical scenario it was, at a minimum, possible for Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell to be aware of David Kelly's death before Tony Blair was due to fly from Washington to Tokyo.

The potential for a public relations disaster was evident. Campbell, Powell and Morgan are sent to the UK to manage news etc. The danger to Blair in the UK is much greater than the need for such key advisers in the Far East.

The 110' high radio mast would allow communication with Tony Blair's plane flying from Washington to Tokyo. And, hypothetically, to Alastair Campbell's plane flying from Washington to the UK.

If the 110' high radio mast wasn't intended to allow long distance communication what was its purpose?

If the purpose was "innocent" why are Thames Valley Police refusing to disclose information about the radio mast in 2010 / 2011?

In this hypothetical scenario the "volunteer searchers" are little more than patsies sent out to create the impression that the body wasn't found by Thames Valley Police and that the body wasn't found until 18th July.

Once the body is "officially" found, a little before 09.20 on 18th July 2003, the already planned effort to disseminate the "it was suicide" story to the media can go into action.

Janice Kelly is told it was suicide and passes that on to Sarah Pape not long after 10.00 on 18th July 2003.

But the "official" story is that the body was found to be dead (on grounds of absent ECG signal) by the paramedics at 10.07 on 18th July.

The pathologist, Nicholas Hunt, didn't see the body until after 12.00 on 18th July and at that time he only confirmed the fact of death. He didn't start examining the body until around 14.00 on 18th July.


During the morning of 18th July 2003 nobody could legitimately know that the cause of death was suicide.

It seems to me that the inescapable conclusion is that the story that David Kelly's death was "suicide" was planned and disseminated by person or persons unknown, no later than 10.00 on 18th July 2003.


One must, therefore, ask who might have a motive to disseminate a "suicide" story before the facts had been established.

Someone who knew that David Kelly had been murdered would have a very strong motive to do so.

My hypothesis is that the media circus which followed was in all likelihood guided to a "suicide" conclusion by the master of media manipulation, Alastair Campbell.

In parallel with the news management operation which I hypothesise another chain of a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice required to be set in train.

A way had to be found to deflect attention from the facts. This would serve two political purposes:

1. It would induce the media to give Tony Blair space.


2. It would allow time for the "suicide" story to be widely accepted as true.

How could those objectives be achieved?

A judicial inquiry.

Enter Lord Falconer.

A judge had to be identified who would be willing to conceal a murder embarrassing to the State or carried out by agents of the State or of a "friendly" power.

Enter Lord Hutton, the ideal candidate.

As far back as 1972 the then Brian Hutton had, in his role as Ministry of Defence Counsel, attempted to conceal the murder of 13 civil rights marchers on Bloody Sunday by British soldiers.

And, even better, Brian Hutton was out of sympathy with coroners, in 1972 publicly rebuking the coroner who labelled the deaths on Bloody Sunday as murder. A view which was anathema to Hutton but which was later confirmed to be correct by the Saville Inquiry.

And the rest, as they say, "is history" or "is whitewash", according to your viewpoint.

Is my hypothesis nonsense? Or closer to the truth than is comfortable for some?

If you don't believe my hypothesis, then how do you explain the four "solid" observations that I made early in this post?