Saturday 11 December 2010

The death of David Kelly - A minor misinterpretation by Norman Baker

Earlier this week I finally obtained a copy of Norman Baker's book, The Strange Death of David Kelly.

There is one point I wish to comment on at this point in time.

On page 201 Norman Baker refers to an email to David Kelly from Judith Miller on 16th July 2003 and interprets it as referring to the Intelligence and Security Committee hearing on 16th July 2003.

However, a closer look at the email, COM/4/0023, shows it to have been sent at 00.30 on 16th July 2003.

Whether the sent time is UK or US time (the former is more likely) Judith Miller's email was sent before the meeting of the Intelligence and Security Committee on 16th July 2003.

It must, therefore, refer to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee meeting on 15th July 2003.

If a journalist in New York can work out that "things went well" for David Kelly at the Foreign Affairs Select Committee (which they did), how is it that the UK media so consistently missed that outcome?

3 comments:

  1. Andrew - the non-redacted email exchange is found at COM/1/0015 One wonders why one and not the other copy has names redacted, and indeed why J/Judy was allowed to be shown? What was Hutton's purpose here?

    It is VERY well worth reading this US Blogpost about JM.
    Didn't Gilligan himself have to be dragged screaming back before the 17 July Select Committee subsequently?
    The "member of your fan club" is interpreted in the US as perhaps Scooter Libby, perhaps even Ahmed Chalabi. See also here
    While we are on the subject of email on DK's computer, see COM/4/0032/3 sent on 16 May (I expect to be in Iraq in the middle of June and 11.03, 21 May 2003 I have not travelled far recently (!) Only to Kuwait and back...
    Is 0031 Mangold?

    Interesting comment by Peace Patriot who reckons that Miller herself outed DK, leading to we all know what.
    On the day that David Kelly disappeared, the Guardian published an article on the US OSP. The writer Julian Borger did not mention (or perhaps know) that the UK equivalent was Operation Rockingham. As David Kelly himself said on 16 July 2003, " "Within the defence intelligence services I liaise with the Rockingham cell." There is an interesting YouTube interview with John Morrison here, the founder of the DIS Rockingham Cell. Rockingham discussed here by Ritter

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  2. If you read Mr Dingemans' summing up,(pages 178/9 here he drops the email in between two statements about going up to London on July 16th.

    Dingemans also says that Dr Kelly was unable to access his computer before 17th july. Well, that would have been voluntary - he didn't have to stay with his daughter, did he??? Or did he? The house had been empty for a week before his disappearnace. Or had it?

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  3. Was dingemans claiming that Dr Kelly could not have used another computer in order to get his e-mails? Talk about technophobia!

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