Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Downing Street memo

The "Downing Street memo" (occasionally DSM, or the "Downing Street Minutes"), sometimes described by critics of the Iraq War as the "smoking gun memo", contains an overview of a secret 23 July 2002 meeting among United Kingdom Labour government, defense and intelligence figures, discussing the build-up to the war—including direct reference to classified United States policy of the time. It clearly states that, "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Downing Street Downing Street gates Downing Street is the street in London which contains the buildings that have been, for over two hundred years, the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers, the First Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Prime Minister of... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ...

Introduction

The memo was first published in The Sunday Times on May 1, 2005, during the last days of the UK general election campaign.^[1] The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International which is in turn owned by News Corporation. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Marginal constituencies in the United Kingdom be merged into this article or section. ...

It went largely unremarked in the US press at first, but was heavily covered in leftist blogs such as those on Daily Kos, because of a remark attributed to Richard Dearlove (then head of British foreign intelligence service MI6) that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed [by the US] around the policy" of removing Saddam Hussein from power, which was taken to show that US intelligence on Iraq prior to the war was deliberately falsified, rather than simply mistaken.^[2] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Daily Kos (IPA: ) is an American political blog, publishing news and opinion from a progressive point of view. ... Sir Richard Dearlove is a career intelligence officer and, until May 6, 2004, head of Britains Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence Section 6), or the Secret Service, is the United Kingdom external security agency. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ...

As this issue began to be covered by American media (Los Angeles Times on page 3 May 12, 2005, Washington Post on page 18 May 13, 2005^[3]), two other main allegations stemming from the memo arose: that the UN weapons inspection process was manipulated to provide a legal pretext for the war, and that pre-war air strikes were deliberately ramped up in order to soften Iraqi infrastructure in preparation for war, prior to the October congressional vote permitting the invasion.^[4] This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Although some elements of the US media have portrayed the document as faked or fraudulent, no official sources have questioned its accuracy or disputed its authenticity, despite being questioned directly about it on numerous occasions.^{[citation needed]} Both UK and US officials have since either refused to affirm or deny its content, or else have tacitly validated its authenticity (as when Tony Blair replied to a press conference question by saying "That memo was written before we went to the UN.")

A group of 131 United States Congressmen, led by John Conyers, have repeatedly requested of US President George W. Bush to respond to the contents of the document. A resolution of inquiry was filed by Representative Barbara Lee, which would request that the President and the State Department turn over all relevant information with regard to US policy towards Iraq. The resolution currently has 70 co-sponsors.^[5] John Conyers, Jr. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Barbara Jean Lee (born July 16, 1946), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1998, representing Californias 9th congressional district (map) and is the first woman to represent that district. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ...

Outline

The minutes were meant to be kept confidential and are headed "This record is extremely sensitive. No further copies should be made. It should be shown only to those with a genuine need to know its contents." It deals with the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War, and comes at a point at which it becomes clear to those attending, that US President George W. Bush intended to remove Saddam Hussein from power by force. The Secretary of State for Defence is the senior United Kingdom government minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence. ... Geoff Hoon (right) at Pentagon briefing Geoffrey William Geoff Hoon (born December 6, 1953) is a British politician. ... The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (commonly referred to as Foreign Secretary) is a member of the British Government responsible for relations with foreign countries, heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (often called simply the Foreign Office). ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... Her Majestys Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known as the Attorney General, is the chief legal adviser of the Crown in England and Wales. ... Peter Henry Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, PC, QC (born 5 January 1950), is the current Attorney General of England and Wales. ... In the British Government, the Cabinet Secretary, or more formally Secretary of the Cabinet, is the senior civil servant in charge of the Cabinet Office, a department that provides administrative support to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and the government as a whole. ... Richard Thomas James Wilson, Baron Wilson of Dinton (born 11 October 1942) is a cross bench member of the House of Lords. ... The Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) was founded in 1936 as a sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence. ... Sir John McLeod Scarlett, KCMG, OBE (born August 18, 1948) is head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). ... The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is a British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance. ... Sir Francis Richards (1945 - ), KCMG CVO, was appointed Her Majestys Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar in 2003. ... The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) is the professional head of the British Armed Forces. ... Admiral Lord Boyce, courtesy of http://www. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6),[1] is the United Kingdoms external intelligence agency. ... Sir Richard Dearlove is a career intelligence officer and, until May 6, 2004, head of Britains Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sally Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Huyton (born 28 June 1959) is a British Labour Party politician. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ...

The minutes run through the military options and then consider the political strategy in which an appeal for support from the international community and from domestic opinion would be most likely to be positively received. It suggests that an ultimatum for Saddam to allow back United Nations weapons inspectors be issued, and that this would help to make the use of force legal. Tony Blair is quoted as saying that the British public would support regime change in the right political context. An ultimatum (Latin: ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... This article is about the act of overthrowing a government. ...

The most controversial paragraph is a report of a recent visit to Washington by head of the Secret Intelligence Service Sir Richard Dearlove (known in official terminology as 'C'): The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6),[1] is the United Kingdoms external intelligence agency. ...

C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

Supporters of President Bush have suggested various British English usages of the phrase "were being fixed" in the 5th sentence (for example as a colloquialism meaning "to agree upon,"^[6]) which are distinct from the usage (both American and British) derived from criminal argot, meaning "fraudulently altered or changed."^[7] The author of the memo, Matthew Rycroft, employed the former usage in an e-mail when talking about an appointment, This is now fixed for 0800.^[8] Some detractors from the memo have appeared to make the argument or give the impression that the "fraudulently altered" sense of "fix" is uniquely American and does not exist in British English, but this is false. For the Xzibit album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Argot (French for slang) is primarily slang used by various groups, including but not limited to thieves and other criminals, to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations. ...

Critics respond that "being fixed around" was used in the sense of "fraudulently arrange the result", which is a common British usage (sense 12(b) of "fix" in the printed Concise Oxford English Dictionary, given as sense 7, "deviously influence the outcome of" in the Compact OED online version.^[9]) Critics have also argued that their view is supported by the context of the phrase, especially by the negative qualification implied by the presence of the word "But" at the start of the relevant sentence: "But the intelligence and facts were being (innocently) agreed upon around the policy" is, it is said, an implausible reading because there is nothing negative, per se, about agreement, whereas "But the intelligence and facts were being fraudulently arranged ...", it is argued, appears to make perfect sense, because it fulfills the negative expectation set up by the word "but".

The British analysis of US policy is also stated elsewhere in the minutes:

The Defence Secretary said that the US had already begun "spikes of activity" to put pressure on the regime. No decisions had been taken, but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections.

The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. We should work up a plan for an ultimatum to Saddam to allow back in the UN weapons inspectors. This would also help with the legal justification for the use of force.

The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action. There were three possible legal bases: self-defence, humanitarian intervention, or UNSC authorisation. The first and second could not be the base in this case. Relying on UNSCR 1205 of three years ago would be difficult. The situation might of course change.

The main sections covering the ultimatum are: General Colin Luther Powell, United States Army (Ret. ...

The Prime Minister said that it would make a big difference politically and legally if Saddam refused to allow in the UN inspectors. There were different strategies for dealing with Libya and Iran. Regime change and WMD were linked in the sense that it was the regime that was producing the WMD. If the political context were right, people would support regime change. The two key issues were whether the military plan worked and whether we had the political strategy to give the military plan the space to work.

...John Scarlett assessed that Saddam would allow the inspectors back in only when he thought the threat of military action was real.

The Defence Secretary said that if the Prime Minister wanted UK military involvement, he would need to decide this early. He cautioned that many in the US did not think it worth going down the ultimatum route. It would be important for the Prime Minister to set out the political context to Bush.

The minutes also outlines potential risks of an invasion of Iraq:

For instance, what were the consequences, if Saddam used WMD on day one, or if Baghdad did not collapse and urban warfighting began? You said that Saddam could also use his WMD on Kuwait. Or on Israel, added the Defence Secretary."

Reaction

Proponents of an inquiry

In the United States, proponents of a formal congressional inquiry say that the minutes, along with testimonies from credible witnesses, shed sufficient doubt on the actions of the Bush Administration to warrant a formal inquiry.^[10] In particular, they say that the minutes indicate that the Administration was determined to go to war with Iraq prior to considerations of legality, and with full knowledge that, at best, "the case was slim." And furthermore that they selected and exaggerated intelligence so as to confirm their policy and developed a plan to manipulate public opinion. Also, proponents say that the contents (such as "Military action was now seen as inevitable.") and the date of the memo, July 23, 2002, contradicts the official White House position that Mr. Bush did not finally decide to carry out the invasion of March 2003 until after Secretary of State Colin L. Powell presented the administration's case to the United Nations Security Council, in a speech on February 5, 2003. They also say that the minutes are dated at a time when Bush stated that "we haven't made any decisions on Iraq, but all options are on the table." George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... It has been suggested that Myside bias be merged into this article or section. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... Colin Luther Powell (pronounced Coe-lin, born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 26, 2005 under President George W. Bush. ... “Security Council” redirects here. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Another paragraph has been taken to show that Geoff Hoon believed the timing of the war was intended to influence American elections: Geoff Hoon (right) at Pentagon briefing Geoffrey William Geoff Hoon (born December 6, 1953) is a British politician. ...

The Defence Secretary said that the US had already begun "spikes of activity" to put pressure on the regime. No decisions had been taken, but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections.

It has been said that some of those present at the meeting believed that Iraq might possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD) "capacity". However, the minutes explicitly state that the capability was less than that of Libya, Iran, and North Korea, and that Saddam was not threatening his neighbors.^[1] For the Xzibit album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ...

US Congress

On 5 May 2005, Congressman John Conyers sent a letter to President Bush signed by 89 of his colleagues demanding an explanation of the revelations in the memo. No specific White House response to the letter has been made publicly. In response to the Bush Administration's refusal to answer the congressional delegation's questions, Conyers et. al have given serious consideration to sending a fact-finding mission to the UK.^[11] is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ... John Conyers, Jr. ... The Bush administration includes President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Bushs Cabinet, and other select officials and advisors. ...

Conyers initially requested 100,000 signatures from citizens (a petition) to request that President Bush answer the questions in his letter.^[12] The letter has been getting between 20,000 and 25,000 signatures a day, which was boosted by MoveOn.org joining the campaign on 9 June. By 13 June 2005, the letter had received over 540,000 signatures from citizens, and more congressmen had signed on, bringing the total to 94.^[13] As of 16 June 2005, over 100 congressmen had signed the letter, including then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. A group of MoveOn volunteers helped the get-out-the-vote drive in Cincinnati in the run-up to the 2004 U.S. presidential election. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives serves as floor leader of the opposition party, and is the minority counterpart to the Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives. ... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ...

On June 16, 2005; Conyers presided over a hearing or forum on the Downing Street memo in a basement room in the Capitol where Joseph C. Wilson and Cindy Sheehan among others testified.^[14][15][16] The House Republican leadership, including then-Speaker Dennis Hastert, forced Conyers to hold the hearing in the basement. is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is for the diplomat. ... Cindy Sheehan gives the peace sign in front of the White House in 2006. ... John Dennis Denny Hastert (born January 2, 1942) is an American politician. ...

Internet

The importance of the "Sunday Times" publication for the US was first analyzed by smintheus at Daily Kos^[17] and MYDD^[18] on the night of 30 April 2005. By the next morning the document had become a major story at Daily Kos,^[19] where Congressman Conyers learned of its existence. is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A website, www.downingstreetmemo.com,^[20] was created on May 13 to inform the public about the memo and provide context. The website also has a blog dedicated to discussing issues surrounding the memo, called downingstreetmemo.blogspot.com.^[21] is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On 30 May 2005, in a "blogswarm" fueled by the memo,^[22] hundreds of blogs joined together to form the Big Brass Alliance in support of After Downing Street.^[23] is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On 1 June 2005 a targeted media campaign called 'Awaken the Mainstream Media' began jointly at Daily Kos^[24] and downingstreetmemo.com.^[25] Every day it listed new contact information for three news outlets, so that readers could contact them to urge them to provide better coverage of the issues around the Downing Street memo and other released documents. is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Pundits

On 18 May, conservative pundit and former Reagan Administration advisor Paul Craig Roberts wrote an article calling for Bush's impeachment for lying to Congress about the case for war.^[26] is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... “Reagan” redirects here. ... Paul Craig Roberts Paul Craig Roberts is an economist and a nationally syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate. ... The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist presiding. ...

On 31 May, liberal consumer advocate and former Presidential hopeful Ralph Nader wrote an article on ZNet calling for Bush and Cheney’s impeachment under Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution.^[27] Also on that day, he and Kevin Zeese authored an op-ed for the Boston Globe to support the call for impeachment against Bush, citing the memo as part of the evidence that the possibility of deliberate deception by the administration should be investigated.^[28] is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist, who has promoted a wide range of issues, including consumer rights, feminism, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. ... ZNet, of Z Communications, founded in 1995, is a large website updated many times daily to convey information and provide community, generally focusing on politics from a left-wing perspective. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Article Two of the United States Constitution Article Two of the United States Constitution creates the executive branch of the government, comprising the President and other executive officers. ... The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ... Kevin Zeese marching in the Dundalk, Maryland Independence Day parade. ... An Op-Ed is a piece of writing expressing an opinion. ... The Boston Globe is the most widely-circulated daily newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts and in the greater New England region. ... Some have called for the impeachment of U.S. President George W. Bush. ...

On 26 June, drug war critic Donald Way wrote commentary on holocaustnow citing the relevance of those portions of the memos detailing how the air war began in 2002 for the purpose of provoking Saddam Hussein into reacting in such a way that could be used to justify the military invasion.^[29] is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On 30 January, 2006, an article entitled The Impeachment of George W. Bush,^[30] written by Elizabeth Holtzman (Rep. NY-D 1973-1981, member of the House Judiciary Committee that held impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon) was published by the left-wing periodical The Nation. The article makes specific references to the Downing Street memo. Elizabeth Holtzman (born August 11, 1941) is an American Democratic politician. ...

Citizens

A coalition of citizen groups known as After Downing Street, co-founded by a group of longtime progressive and/or Democratic Party activists ^[31], called on Congress to file a Resolution of Inquiry, the first necessary legal step to determine whether President Bush had committed impeachable offenses.^[32] The formal Resolution of Inquiry request was written by Boston constitutional attorney John C. Bonifaz.^[33] The request states the constitutional grounds for impeachment: After Downing Street (ADS) is an organization that describes itself as a coalition working to expose the lies that launched the war and to hold accountable its architects, including through censure and impeachment. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... John C. Bonifaz is a American constiutional attorney and author. ...

[The US President] has not given [the Senate] full information, but has concealed important intelligence which he ought to have communicated, and by that means induced them to enter into measures injurious to their country, and which they would not have consented to had the true state of things been disclosed to them.

Democrats.com raised one thousand dollars, offered as a reward to anyone who attempted to get George Bush to answer the following question:

In July 2002, did you and your administration "fix" the intelligence and facts about non-existent Iraqi WMD's and ties to terrorism — which were disputed by US intelligence officials — to sell your decision to invade Iraq to Congress, the American People, and the world — as quoted in the Downing Street Minutes?

In addition to the grand prize for eliciting a clear "Yes" or "No" answer, a number of lesser prizes were offered for lesser responses, down to a $100 reward for video evidence of having posed the question clearly to President Bush within his hearing but receiving no answer.^[34]

A Zogby poll in November 2005 found that 53% of US voters agree that Congress should impeach President Bush if it is found that Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, while 42% disagreed. 76% of Democrats, 50% of independents, and around 29% of Republicans, agreed with the sentiment.^[35] John Zogby (born 1948) is a noted American political pollster. ... Some have called for the impeachment of U.S. President George W. Bush. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ...

News coverage

The Downing Street Minutes was a major story in the British press during the last few days of the 2005 general election campaign and was also covered in other countries. The story had limited coverage in the USA but has recently received greater attention in the American press. The organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has been among those that have criticized the US print media, saying they ". . .continue to downplay [the] story."^[36] It has been suggested that Marginal constituencies in the United Kingdom be merged into this article or section. ... Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), is a media criticism organization based in New York, New York, founded in 1986. ...

According to Media Matters for America,^[37] there were some early mentions in The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Sun, and the Washington Post, though coverage was slight (the Post's first article appeared in the "Style" section) and primarily aimed at the impact it would have on the British elections, rather than how it affected the Bush administration. The Knight-Ridder news service produced some reportage at the time, but independent articles were limited. The Los Angeles Times and Star Tribune put local reporters on the story, and produced early articles on May 12 and May 13, respectively. Screenshot from Media Matters for America (Jan 6, 2006) Media Matters for America (or MMfA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2004 by self-described liberal (formerly conservative) journalist and author David Brock; it is an organization that hosts a website featuring watchdog journalism. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ... The modern New York Sun is a daily newspaper published in New York City. ... ... The Knight Ridder building in downtown San Jose, California. ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ... The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-St. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

At the Star Tribune, initial interest had been piqued after a reader e-mailed information he had seen on the Internet to the paper's ombudsman, who forwarded it to others in the news department. Being quite a distance from London, editors first waited for articles to come across on wire services. Undoubtedly, many other newspapers across the country reacted similarly. After a few days of no news, however, a local reporter was assigned. The article was initially scheduled to run on May 11, but was pushed back so that it could have greater prominence on a slower news day later in the week.^[38] An ombudsman (English plural: ombudsmans or ombudsmen) is an official, usually (but not always) appointed by the government or by parliament, who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individual citizens. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Since that time, much of the coverage about the memo has discussed the lack of coverage. One of the first reports include that topic was a May 17 article in the Christian Science Monitor. The report was one of the most extensive for a nationwide publication up until that time.^[39] is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) is an international newspaper published daily, Monday through Friday. ...

On May 20, 2005, Daniel Okrent, the Public Editor at the time for The New York Times, publicly assessed the coverage of the minutes in the paper in a forum on the NYT's website. He also stated that, due to continuing reader interest, the paper intends to give fuller coverage to the memo.^[40] Although Okrent stepped down at the end of May (the routine end of his term), on NewsHour on 8 June he suggested some possible explanations for why the US media had been so slow to cover what he considered a very important story. He said it may have been assigned to 'foreign news' correspondents and wasn't seen as a Bush story, or it may be the US media is still working on researching it (although he then admitted he had no reason to believe that).^[41] is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Daniel Okrent (born 1948) is an American writer, editor and baseball fan. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Also on 8 June, USA Today printed an article by their senior assignment editor for foreign news, Jim Cox, saying with respect to the memo, "We could not obtain the memo or a copy of it from a reliable source… There was no explicit confirmation of its authenticity from (Blair's office). And it was disclosed four days before the British elections, raising concerns about the timing." is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... The Honourable James Glennister Jim Cox (born 1 October 1945) is a Tasmanian Labor politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly in the electorate of Bass. ...

The Star Tribune revisited the Downing Street Minutes as part of the evidence in a Memorial Day editorial.^[42] It stated explicitly, Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed this year on 2007-05-28). ...

"President Bush and those around him lied, and the rest of us let them. Harsh? Yes. True? Also yes. Perhaps it happened because Americans, understandably, don't expect untruths from those in power. But that works better as an explanation than as an excuse....

"It turns out that former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke and former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill were right. Both have been pilloried for writing that by summer 2002 Bush had already decided to invade."

The New York Times reported on the memos on March 27, 2006.^[43] Richard A. Clarke (born 1951) provided national security advice to four U.S. presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, consulting on issues of intelligence and terrorism, from 1973 to 2003. ... Paul H. ONeill Paul Henry ONeill (born December 4, 1935) served as the 72nd United States Secretary of the Treasury for part of President George W. Bushs first Administration. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

MSNBC reported on the memos on March 28, 2006.^[44] MSNBC has an article and a video clip from NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.^[45] MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... NBC Nightly News logo, with Tom Brokaw at the news desk NBC Nightly News is the flagship evening news program for NBC News and broadcasts from Studio 3B in New York City. ...

The Columbian newspaper El Tiempo on 9 May 2007 implicated the Prime Minister's role in the Iraq war——and the Downing Street memo specifically——as "the principal reason for the UK's disillusionment with Tony Blair."^[46] For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...

The Chilean newspaper La Segunda on 11 May 2007 called the Downing Street memo "one of the best-kept secrets in Tony Blair's ten years as prime minister.^[47] La Segunda (The Second) is a Chilean afternoon daily own by El Mercurio SAP. Official site Category: ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ...

Veracity of the memo

Michael Smith, the journalist who first reported on the Downing Street Memo, has said that he protected the identity of his source by photocopying the original and returning the original document to the source. The document was retyped from the photocopy, and the photocopy destroyed. This has led some to question the document's authenticity, but no official source has questioned it, and it has been unofficially confirmed to various news organizations, including the Washington Post, NBC, The Sunday Times, and the LA Times. Several other documents obtained by Smith, and treated similarly (see below), were confirmed as genuine by the UK Foreign Office.^[48] It will be impossible to authenticate the contents of the copy by physical means - because of this, the retyped copy would not be admissible in any court.

One of the first articles on the memo to appear in the US media quoted "a former senior US official", who, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the memo's account "an absolutely accurate description of what transpired" during the senior British intelligence officer's visit to Washington.^[49] UK Prime Minister Tony Blair denied that anything in the memo demonstrated misconduct and said that it added little to what was already known about how British policy on Iraq developed, also commenting that "that memorandum was written before we went to the United Nations".^[50] The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency...

• White House spokesman Scott McClellan, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw did not confirm or deny the accuracy of the memo when questioned about it
• George W. Bush has not responded to questions from Congress regarding the memo's accuracy.
• When asked about the contents of the memo by Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price in the House of Commons on 29 June 2005, Blair again refrained from disputing the document's authenticity, saying only "[…]that memo and other documents of the time were covered by the Butler review. In addition, that was before we went to the United Nations and secured the second resolution, 1441, which had unanimous support."^[51]
• According to CNN, currently classified documents which were dated at the same month as the Downing Street memo, March of 2002, were uncovered in Iraq, and contained evidence that Russian intelligence notified Iraq about the "determination of the United States and Britain to launch military action."^[52]

Scott McClellan in the press room of the White House Puffy McMoonface (born February 14, 1968) was the White House Press Secretary (2003-2006) for President George W. Bush. ... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... Plaid Cymru (IPA:; English: ; often referred to simply as Plaid) is a political party in Wales. ... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 is a resolution by the UN Security Council, passed unanimously on November 8, 2002, offering Iraq a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations that had been set out in several previous resolutions (resolution 660, resolution 661, resolution 678, resolution 686, resolution 687...

US President George Bush

On 7 June 2005, at a joint George W. Bush-Tony Blair press briefing in the White House, Reuters correspondent Steve Holland asked, "On Iraq, the so-called Downing Street memo from July 2002 says intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy of removing Saddam through military action. Is this an accurate reflection of what happened? Could both of you respond?" President Bush did not address the issue of the intelligence and facts being "fixed" around a decision to go to war, but he did deny that he had, at the time of the memo, already decided to use military force against Saddam Hussein, saying "There's nothing farther from the truth." Bush also questioned the motives of whoever leaked the memo during the British election, saying "Well, I—you know, I read kind of the characterizations of the memo, particularly when they dropped it out in the middle of his race. … I'm not sure who 'they dropped it out' is, but—I'm not suggesting that you all dropped it out there."^[53] June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ... Reuters Group plc (LSE: RTR and NASDAQ: RTRSY); pron. ...

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair

When the document was published, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair denied that anything in the memo demonstrated misconduct and said that it added little to what was already known about how British policy on Iraq developed. A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency...

Blair's response to Steve Holland at the joint news conference with Bush was "No, the facts were not being fixed in any shape or form at all". He also reiterated that he and Bush had continued to try to find a way to avert war, "As it happened, we weren't able to do that because — as I think was very clear — there was no way that Saddam Hussein was ever going to change the way that he worked, or the way that he acted," again without explaining the apparent contradiction with the contents of the memo. He said the same thing in a June 7, 2005 interview with Gwen Ifill on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.^[54] June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gwen Ifill Gwen Ifill (born September 29, 1955) is a journalist for PBS. She graduated from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. ... The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on PBS in the United States. ...

White House spokesman Scott McClellan

On 16 May, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said that the memo's statement that intelligence was "being fixed" to support a decision to invade Iraq was "flat out wrong". However, McClellan admitted that he has not read the memo, but has only received reports of what it contains.^[55] May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Scott McClellan in the press room of the White House Puffy McMoonface (born February 14, 1968) was the White House Press Secretary (2003-2006) for President George W. Bush. ...

On 17 May, McClellan told reporters that the White House saw "no need" to respond to the letter from Congress.^[56] is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On 23 May, when BTC News reporter Eric Brewer asked him about his May 16th statement,^[57] McClellan said: is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

"Let me correct you... let me correct you on the characterization of the quote you attributed to me. I’m referring to some of the allegations that were made referring to a report.

In terms of the intelligence, the – if anyone wants to know how the intelligence was used by the administration, all they have to do is go back and look at all the public comments over the course of the lead-up to the war in Iraq, and that's all very public information. Everybody who was there could see how we used that intelligence."^[58]

US Secretary of State Rice and UK Foreign Secretary Straw

On May 1, 2005, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw were questioned on the memo, although neither was able to give a detailed answer. Straw stated that he had not expected the question to come up.^[59] is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ... The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (commonly referred to as Foreign Secretary) is a member of the British Government responsible for relations with foreign countries, heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (often called simply the Foreign Office). ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ...

Additional documents

Main article: Iraq document leak 18 September 2004

Previous to the appearance of the Downing Street Memo, six other British (Blair) Cabinet papers originating around March 2002 were obtained by Michael Smith and used in two Daily Telegraph stories^[60][61] published on 18 September 2004. The documents describe issues relating to the meetings held between Bush and Blair at Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch in April 2002. They are: On 18 September 2004 the British Daily Telegraph ran two articles entitled Secret papers show Blair was warned of Iraq chaos and Failure is not an option, but it doesnt mean they will avoid it by reporter Michael Smith, revealing the contents of six leaked British government documents – labelled... Michael Smith is a British journalist for The Times and the New Statesman who specialises in defence issues. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. Iraq: Options Paper, prepared by the Overseas & Defence Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, dated 8 March 2002, describing options available for pursuing regime change in Iraq
2. Iraq: Legal Background, prepared by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Legal Department, dated 8 March 2002
3. a report from David Manning to Tony Blair on his meeting with Condoleezza Rice, dated 14 March 2002
4. a report from Christopher Meyer to David Manning on his meeting with Paul Wolfowitz, dated 18 March 2002
5. a memo from Peter Ricketts, Political Director, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, to the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, dated 22 March 2002, with background and opinion for Straw's advice to Tony Blair ahead of his meeting with George Bush in April
6. a memo from Jack Straw to Tony Blair, 25 March 2002 containing advice ahead of Blair's meeting with George Bush in April.

On receipt of the documents, in September 2004, acting on the advice of lawyers, Smith says he photocopied them and returned the originals to his source, then, after the Telegraph's legal desk secretary typed transcripts on an "old fashioned typewriter", the Telegraph destroyed their copies of the originals, in order to frustrate any future police investigation of the leaks. (As reported in Rawstory.^[62]) is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir David Geoffrey Manning, KCMG (born 5 December 1949) is the British Ambassador to the United States. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Christophers memoirs Sir Christopher Meyer, KCMG (born 22 February 1944) is a former British Ambassador to the United States (1997–2003), and the current chair of the Press Complaints Commission (since 2003). ... Sir David Geoffrey Manning, KCMG (born 5 December 1949) is the British Ambassador to the United States. ... Paul Dundes Wolfowitz (born December 22, 1943) is a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, working on issues of international economic development, Africa and public-private partnerships. ... is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Peter Ricketts, KCMG is the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a senior civil servant in the United Kingdom. ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... is the 84th day of the year (85th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Raw Story is a leading news and politics site founded in 2004. ...

The documents were widely quoted in the British press immediately following the Telegraph's story, for example in The Guardian^[63] and The Sunday Herald.^[64] The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... The Sunday Herald is a Scottish Sunday newspaper. ...

On October 5, 2004, a zipped file (leaks-brief.zip), containing facsimiles of these documents in PDF form, appeared on Cryptome,^[65] provided by Professor Michael Lewis of Cambridge University, who had also housed the file at Iraq expert Glen Rangwala's Middle East Reference website.^[66] The file derives ultimately from the typed transcript of the documents made by Smith and the Telegraph. is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cryptome is a controversial website, hosted in the United States by its owner John Young, that functions as a repository for information that is prohibited or suppressed by various governments. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Glen Rangwala is a scholar at Newnham College, Cambridge University. ...

Interest in these documents was revived around 8 June 2005, following their appearance in a discussion thread at Democratic Underground^[67] and subsequently they began to be quoted in US media, after Rawstory and NBC verified their authenticity with Smith and British government sources. is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article may contain original research or unverified claims. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

The Los Angeles Times published an article on June 15, 2005, describing several of the "new" documents; the article says that "Michael Smith, the defense writer for The Times who revealed the Downing Street minutes in a story 1 May, provided a full text of the six new documents to the Los Angeles Times."^[68] is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Smith is a British journalist for The Times and the New Statesman who specialises in defence issues. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1788. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ...

The six documents are available in PDF form from the Think Progress web site.^[69]

A further document, a July 21, 2002, cabinet office paper titled "Conditions for Military Action", which is a briefing paper for the meeting of which the Downing Street Memo is the minutes, was published (with the last page missing) by The Sunday Times on June 12, 2005.^[70] is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Another document was the Rycroft email, showing the author of the Downing Street Memo actually believed that Saddam should be removed because of a threat by Iraq getting WMDs into the hands of terrorists.^[71][72]

The 18 September 2004 Daily Telegraph article contains the only known reproductions of the original memos (scanned from a photocopy). That article is called "Failure is not an option, but it doesn't mean they will avoid it".^[60] is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On Thursday, 16 June 2005 Reuters mislabelled a photograph of what it claimed was "a copy of the Downing Street Memo".^[73] is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It turned out to actually be a picture of a document found in an 28 April 2005 Guardian Unlimited story. (At this link, view this PDF: 07.03.03: Attorney general's full advice on Iraq war (pdf)) This PDF detailed Lord Goldsmith’s confidential advice on the legality of the Iraq war and does not match the text of any of the alleged Downing Street Memos. It's an entirely different document that describes legal authorization for the invasion of Iraq under standing UN resolutions.^[74] is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Criticism of the Memo

It has also been pointed by many observers that in the same exact memo, the mention of the possible use of WMD is discussed. Fred Kaplan argues that this contradicts the purported "smoking gun" of the issue of WMDs being fabricated.^[75]

"For instance, what were the consequences, if Saddam used WMD on day one, or if Baghdad did not collapse and urban warfighting began? You said that Saddam could also use his WMD on Kuwait. Or on Israel, added the Defence Secretary."^[76]

"Fixed"

Robin Niblett, a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, says it would be easy for Americans to misunderstand the reference to intelligence being "fixed around" Iraq policy. " 'Fixed around' in British English means 'bolted on' rather than altered to fit the policy," he says. This view was seconded by Christopher Hitchens and Fred Kaplan.^[75] Christopher Eric Hitchens (born April 13, 1949) is a British-American author, journalist and literary critic. ... Fred Kaplan is a journalist and contributor to Slate magazine. ...

Others have dismissed this criticism, saying the British usage of the term is the same as in the US, and that the meaning of "fixed around" in the memo is clear from context.^[77] Fred Kaplan noted that, "Either way—'fixed' or 'fixed around'—Bush and his aides had decided to let policy shape intelligence, not the other way around; they were explicitly politicizing intelligence."

It has been further rebutted that this memo taken in full context with companion memos illustrated that the British government took seriously the notion of WMDs and their possible use.^{[citation needed]}

An Iraq "options paper," dated March 8, 2002, states: "Despite sanctions, Iraq continues to develop WMD" (though it adds that intelligence on the matter is "poor").^[78] is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

In a personal message to Blair, dated March 22, 2002, Peter Ricketts wrote that, although Iraq's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs "have not, as far as we know, been stepped up," they "are extremely worrying." What has changed, he emphasises, "is not so much the pace of Saddam Hussein's WMD programmes but our tolerance of them post-11 September."^[79] is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Sir Peter Ricketts, KCMG is the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a senior civil servant in the United Kingdom. ...

References

The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International which is in turn owned by News Corporation. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) is an international newspaper published daily, Monday through Friday. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year (76th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year (76th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• David Kelly Suicide of UK Iraq weapons expert who briefed journalists
• Declaration of war by the United States
• Dodgy Dossier Follow up to September Dossier
• Executive Order 13233 Restricting access to presidential records
• Executive Order 13303 Restricting legal claims
• Gold Star Families for Peace
• Governments' pre-war positions on invasion of Iraq
• Legal opinion on war by UK attorney General
• Movement to impeach George W. Bush
• Office of Special Plans
• Operation Rockingham Iraq intelligence gathering
• Operation Southern Focus Pre-invasion military operations
• Plame affair
• Plame scandal timeline
• September Dossier UK government report on Iraq threat pre-war
• The UN Security Council and the Iraq war
• UK Cabinet Office Documents
• Yellowcake forgery
• Bush-Blair memo

For other persons named David Kelly, see David Kelly (disambiguation). ... A declaration of war is a formal declaration issued by a national government indicating that a state of war exists between that nation, and one or more others. ... The briefing paper entitled Iraq: Its Infrastructure of Concealment, Deception and Intimidation has come to be known as the Dodgy Dossier. ... Executive Order 13233, restricting access to the records of former presidents and drafted by White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales, was issued by President George W. Bush on November 1, 2001 shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. ... Executive Order 13303 was issued on May 22, 2003 by United States President George W. Bush to protect the Development Fund for Iraq for the rebuilding of Iraq from any legal attachments or liens. ... Gold Star Families for Peace (GSFP) is a United States based organization founded in January 2005 by individuals who lost family members in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... This article describes the positions of world governments prior to the actual initiation of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and not their current positions as they may have changed since then. ... Peter Henry Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, PC, is the current Attorney General of England and Wales. ... Some have called for the impeachment of U.S. President George W. Bush. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Operation Rockingham was the codeword for UK involvement in inspections in Iraq following the war over Kuwait in 1990-91. ... USS Abraham Lincoln rides out a storm in the Arabian Sea while supporting Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom. ... The Plame affair (also known as the CIA leak scandal or the CIA leak case) is a political controversy in the United States, involving high-level officials of the George W. Bush administration and members of the media, and resulting in a federal grand jury investigation, a criminal trial, and... The Plame affair or the CIA leak scandal refers to the disclosure that Valerie Plame Wilson is a United States Central Intelligence Agency operative in a newspaper column by Robert Novak on July 14, 2003 and subsequent alleged cover up. ... Iraqs Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British Government, also known as the September Dossier, was a document published by the United Kingdom Labour government on 24 September 2002 on the same day of a recall of Parliament to discuss the contents of the document. ... This article is about the Anglo-American 2003 Invasion of Iraq. ... On June 18, 2005, the Associated Press put typed copies of six recently obtained internal British government documents concerning the lead-up to the war in Iraq on its website which are labeled secret or confidential. The copies were provided by British reporter Michael Smith, who claims he destroyed the... The term Yellowcake Forgery refers to falsified classified documents initially uncovered by Italian intelligence which possibly depicted an attempt by Iraqs Saddam Hussein regime to purchase yellowcake uranium from the country of Niger, in defiance of United Nations sanctions. ... In a leaked memo George Bush told Tony Blair in a two hour meeting, on 31 January 2003, that he was planning to paint a U-2 spyplane in UN colours and let it fly low over Iraq to provoke Saddam to shoot it down. ...

Wikisource links

• Wikisource:Downing Street memo
• Wikisource:Letter from Congress regarding Downing Street memo

External links

Further reading

• Daily Telegraph- - original appearance of "other DSM documents" in September 2004.
• Document History of War in Iraq
• Guardian.co.uk, "Iraq: full texts of speeches and key documents"
• House.gov (pdf) - Letter to George W. Bush, regarding Downing Street Memo, signed by approximately 90 US Congress members, John Conyers, et al (May 5, 2005)
• DSM.COM interview with Michael Smith exclusive on DailyKOS - Interview with Michael Smith that contradicts many points made by John Conyers in his DailyKos post titled "The Facts".
• Michael Smith - The UK journalist who obtained and published the 'Downing Street memos'

Petitions

• John Conyers.com - 'Letter to President Bush Concerning "Downing Street Memo"' (online petition; goal: 250,000 signatures), John Conyers

John Conyers, Jr. ...

Mainstream media coverage

• CSMonitor.com - 'Why has "Downing Street memo" story been a "dud" in US? A mid-2002 British memo saying US was planning to "fix" intelligence to fit plans to invade Iraq has not been big news', Matthew Clark, Christian Science Monitor (May 17, 2005)
• NewsDay.com - 'Memo: Bush manipulated Iraq intel', Newsday (May 9, 2005)
• RealCities.com - 'Special Reports' (collection of articles on Iraq intelligence) Knight Ridder

The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) is an international newspaper published daily, Monday through Friday. ... Newsday is a daily tabloid-size newspaper that primarily serves Long Island and the New York City borough of Queens, although it is sold throughout the New York City metropolitan area. ... Partial list of newspapers The following is a partial list of newspapers owned by Knight Ridder: Contra Costa Times Detroit Free Press Kansas City Star The Miami Herald Philadelphia Inquirer Saint Paul Pioneer Press San Jose Mercury News The State External link Knight Ridder corporate website Categories: Companies traded on...

Downing Street memo websites

• AfterDowningStreet.org - After Downing Street (a coalition campaigning for the US Congress to formally investigate whether President Bush committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war)
• Cryptome.org - 'Leaked Cabinet Office papers, September 2004: Evidence of false statements made by Tony Blair to Parliament and the media' (summary and links to 6 UK cabinet papers), Michael Lewis, (June, 2005)
• DowningStreetMemo.com - 'The Downing Street Memo: Seeking The truth since May 13, 2005' (informational website with texts and other resources to put the documents in context, plus news and commentary; it also supports congressional request for investigation)
• TheFourReasons.org - 'The Four Reasons: why "We the People" must uphold the Constitution of The United States of America and hold those who violate it accountable' (impeachment resources, etc.)