One of the very odd characteristics of David Kelly's diaries as put into the public domain at the Hutton Inquiry is that they cannot be used (or were not used) as I use(d) a diary.
There is no sense of David Kelly using those diaries for forward planning.
Information, for example, about a flight is limited to date, destination and flight number (on those occasions when the data is fairly full).
Surely he would also need to know what time the flight was due to depart.
What did he use for such basic forward planning?
There is nothing in the diaries to record something like "On 8th to 10th September I am due to attend a conference at [some institution]".
How did David Kelly forward plan?
There is no evidence, for example, of him using a succesion of Post-it-type notes inside his diary to allow for multiple changes in plan.
Given the need in his professional life to adapt to circumstances he must have had some record of his existing commitments over the following weeks and months.
He must have had some form of planner diary. Where is it?
Is there another set of diaries that have been carefully concealed from public view?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI'm a reporter at the Oxford Mail and I've been asked to compile a spread about the unanswered questions surrounding Dr Kelly's death. If you're able to help, would you be able to get in touch via lsloan@nqo.com or 01865 425431. Many thanks,
Liam Sloan
Senior reporter - Oxford Mail
Are were really to believe the contents of this exchange between Rachel Kelly and Mr Dingemans ?
ReplyDeleteQ. A bit about your father's diary keeping.
A. Yes.
Q. How did he make entries into his diary?
A. He tended to put in a few things in advance. He actually loved sporting fixtures, he was a keen fan of rugby and the athletics, so they were put in in advance, but otherwise with work commitments he tended to put them in after the event
And the explanation of the entries for the (correctly written) for the FAC/ISC meetings of 15/16 July is equally far-fetched.
He actually entered the two meetings separately. He entered the Foreign Affairs Committee on the Tuesday, which was correct, and he had the Intelligence and Security Committee entered on the Wednesday. As we know, it changed on that Tuesday, so it is quite clear to me there is not one entry crossed out at 12 o'clock on the Tuesday. It is written on the Wednesday. So Dad would have entered that probably on the Thursday morning or perhaps on the Wednesday night when he returned home.
Someone please disambiguate!
Felix,
ReplyDeleteIt would be fascinating to have a conversation with Rachel Kelly about this.
I suspect that "He actually entered the two meetings separately" will turn out to be no more than speculation on the part of Rachel Kelly. Post-hoc rationalisation, if you like.
Did she actually see him write those entries separately? I suspect not.
Yet, at the Hutton Inquiry such speculation is swallowed down as if it were fact.
It would be fascinating and revealing to listen to Rachel Kelly being questioned on her evidence to Hutton.
How much of it was speculation? Not a trivial amount, I suggest.
Another (one of many) puzzling aspect of her testimony relates to an alleged journalist snooping at Westfield, Southmoor:
ReplyDeleteQ. Did you in fact go back to your parents' house at all?
A. Yes, I did. I went back on the Friday [11 July 2003] after work. When I got there I knew there might be journalists there and I would have to run the gauntlet of those, but when I actually got there there was a journalist coming out of the yard, so I did not go in that gate, I went in the other gate. He accosted me as I opened the gate and I ignored him and went in and parked. He then stood in the gateway calling to me, asking me to help him. I am afraid I ignored him because I did not want to get involved with any journalists.
How did she know he was a journalist? Shorthand pad, green eye shade, shirt sleeve arm bands??? Did she report the intruder to the police at, allegedly, an empty house stuffed with computer equipment and containing some pretty hot secrets about biological weaponry and the Iraq war??
Felix,
ReplyDeleteIt might be as simple as him saying something like, "Can you help me? I'm from the Daily Intruder.".
Andrew, I also wouldn't mind seeing Dr Hunt's forward planner diaries for 2003 - to see if he had any free time on the 18th July or even a holiday booked for early September that year.
ReplyDelete