Summary of the summary
Simon Ellis
28 January 2004
The government's September dossier on weapons of mass destruction
The assertion made in the Today programme, that the government probably knew that its claim that Saddam Hussein could deploy WMDs in 45 minutes were wrong or questionable, was unfounded.
The 45 minute claim was not included in earlier drafts of the dossier because it was based on an intelligence report only obtained in August 2002, not because it was unreliable, as the Today programme alleged.
Alastair Campbell did suggest changing the wording of the dossier but never suggested including any content that the intelligence community was not entirely happy with.
Dr Brian Jones, head of the Defence Intelligence Staff, did not oppose the inclusion of the 45 minutes claim, only the wording of the dossier.
It was not improper to change the wording of the dossier as it was for public consumption not for consumption by the intelligence community.
The Today programme report exploited the ambiguity around the slang term 'sexed-up' by using it in a context which implied the government had used false or dubious information. The only accurate way in which the phrase could be interpreted was that to mean that the government altered the drafting of the dossier to strengthen the case for war in Iraq, but not the content.
The 22 May 2003 meeting between Andrew Gilligan and David Kelly
Dr Kelly may have agreed when Gilligan suggested that Alistair Campbell changed or 'sexed up' the dossier. But there was no evidence that Dr Kelly suggested the '45 minute claim' in the dossier was unreliable or untrue.
Dr Kelly should not have agreed to meet Andrew Gilligan under the Civil Servants’ code of practice.
The BBC
The BBC 'Editorial System' was defective because it failed to give careful consideration to the wording of Andrew Gilligan's script.
The BBC Management was at fault for not checking evidence from Andrew Gilligan's notes.
There was also a defect in communications within BBC management. The BBC’s News Editor Richard Sambrook should have been aware of the opinion of Today programme Editor, Kevin Marsh, concerning Gilligan's 'loose use of language' and 'distance from the Today programme.'
The BBC governors were also found to be over-reliant on BBC management to conduct internal investigation and analysis. The governors should have carried out independent investigations after the government’s initial criticism of the Today programme report.
The government's naming of Dr Kelly
The government did not employ an underhand or covert strategy to leak Dr Kelly’s name. Their behaviour was appropriate to avoid a situation where they might be accused of a cover-up.
The MoD was at fault for not informing Dr. Kelly that their press office would confirm his name to a journalist if asked. However, this was mitigated by efforts by MoD staff to help him and because Dr Kelly was 'not an easy man to help.'
Dr Kelly’s motive for committing suicide
As the Inquiry's psychiatrist, Professor Hawton, testified, Dr Kelly's suicide came as a direct result of being "totally undermined" in his work role and because he was a "private man" unable to share his problems with others.
