Official Secrets: Meet the whistleblower who tried to stop the Iraq war
The political thriller ‘Official Secrets’ tells the incredible real-life story of Katharine Gun.
On Tuesday, September 3 at 19:30 GMT:
In the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq war, Katharine Gun, a young translator working for British intelligence, uncovered a plot by the United States government to spy on the United Nations. The goal was to uncover information about holdout delegates on the UN Security Council in an attempt to gain their support for the war. Gun made the decision to leak the information to the press because she believed the world had a right to know. The act would ultimately cost her her job and open her up to prosecution by the British government for violating the country’s Official Secrets Act.
Gun’s largely overlooked story is the subject of a new film, “Official Secrets” in which she is played by actress Keira Knightley. On this episode of The Stream we talk to Katharine Gun, journalist Martin Bright, who first reported the leak, as well as Gavin Hood, the film’s director.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Martin Bright @martinbright
Journalist
martinbright.com
Katharine Gun
Former British intelligence specialist
Gavin Hood @gavin_hood1
Filmmaker, director of ‘Official Secrets’
Read more:
Katharine Gun speaks out for ‘Official Secrets’ – Chicago Tribune
‘Official Secrets’ reveals how little we still know about the push for war in Iraq – The Nation
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