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Did MI5 kill Dr David Kelly? Just another crazy conspiracy theory? But, amid claims he wrote tell-all book that vanished after his death, it's one that refuses to go away By Sue Reid Last updated at 11:40 AM on 16th July 2009 The day Dr David Kelly took a short walk to his death in the Oxfordshire countryside, an unopened letter lay on the desk of his book-lined study. Sent from the heart of the British Government, the pages were marked 'personal' and threatened the world-renowned microbiologist with the sack if he ever publicly opened his mouth again. The letter...

Guns have figured frequently in “Boston Legal,” with Denny Crane (William Shatner) using them defensively from time to time. Recently, in episode 3 of season 5 (”Dances with Wolves“), Denny fired a gun to defend himself from a robber who also had a gun. The robber was not really threatening, and as Denny’s friend and fellow partner Alan Shore (James Spader) asked him: ”Did you absolutely have to shoot [the robber]? Three times? In both feet?” Obviously the answer to all three questions was, “No.” I don’t mind the humor in these shows. In fact, I laugh along with everyone...

Kelly death not suicide, says MP Sunday 25 February 9pm on BBC Two Programme preview An MP investigating the death of Dr David Kelly says he is convinced the weapons scientist did not kill himself. Norman Baker tells BBC Two's The Conspiracy Files he has reached the conclusion Dr Kelly's life was "deliberately taken by others". Mr Baker has also obtained letters suggesting the coroner had doubts about the 2003 Hutton inquiry's ability to establish the cause of death. Hutton reached a verdict of suicide but a public inquest was never completed. Dr Kelly, whose body was found in July...

Greg Dyke, former director general of the BBC, has claimed that the British Government "tried to kill" Andrew Gilligan. Reporter Gilligan broke the story that British intelligence had "sexed up" a dossier on Iraq that sought to justify Britain's support for US-led invasion of the country. "The Government tried to kill him," claimed Dyke about Gilligan, who was forced out of his job at the BBC in January in the wake of the Hutton report that inquired into the death of scientist David Kelly. Kelly was the main source for Gilligan. Dyke was speaking at the Cheltenham Festival of Literature...

Of all the issues ripe for further investigation in the scandal over the leak of Democratic strategy memos from the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, the least relevant is whether GOP staffers "stole" the documents. That's the charge Democrats have so far successfully made to deflect attention from the memos' actual content. On this point alone, the Justice Department's decision this week to open a criminal investigation into the matter could turn out to be useful. David Kelley, the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, and a Democrat, has been tapped to lead the probe. We doubt Mr. Kelley is going to...

FOR THE LAST WEEK, much of Britain has borne witness to an outpouring of grief the like of which has not been seen since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. When Baron Hutton of Bresagh, knight of the realm, Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, a hitherto rather inconspicuous retired member of the British supreme court, delivered his much anticipated report at the end of January on the death of Dr. David Kelly, a British government weapons expert, a collective howl of anguish went up from the well-upholstered parts of the media establishment. Lord Hutton concluded that Tony Blair, the...

Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff suggested to Dennis Miller on Monday night that it’s “a little odd” that the finding that a BBC reporter “got something wrong,” in claiming British Prime Minister Tony Blair knew statements about WMD in Iraq were inaccurate, led to a situation in which “the head of the BBC has to resign as a consequence,” yet neither Blair or George Bush has resigned despite the consensus that they “were wrong” on WMD in Iraq. Karen Tumulty, Isikoff’s news magazine colleague at the competing Time magazine was equally eager to divert attention from the BBC’s biased reporting. Lord Hutton...

BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan has resigned in the wake of the criticism directed at him in the Hutton report. Mr Gilligan conceded some of his story was wrong, and apologised for it. He said his departure was at his own initiative, but described the BBC collectively as the victim of a "grave injustice". Earlier departing BBC director general Greg Dyke said he was shocked by the findings of the Hutton Inquiry and did not accept all of the report. He said Lord Hutton had "given the benefit of doubt to every government witness and not to any at the...

<p>January 29, 2004 -- LONDON - The chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation resigned yesterday and the broadcaster apologized for some of its reporting on the buildup to the war in Iraq after it was lambasted in an inquiry by a senior judge. The inquiry by Lord Hutton criticized journalist Andrew Gilligan, the BBC's management and its supervisory board of governors, for a radio report saying the government "sexed up" intelligence in a dossier on Iraqi weapons. Hutton said the BBC report was unfounded.</p>

BBC in crisis, Blair in clear By George Jones, Political Editor (Filed: 29/01/2004) The BBC was plunged into the biggest crisis in its history last night when Gavyn Davies quit as the chairman of governors after the corporation was heavily criticised and the Government cleared unequivocally by the Hutton report. Lord Hutton said the BBC's central allegations that the Government inserted intelligence into its dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction probably knowing it to be wrong and had ordered the dossier to be "sexed up" were "unfounded". The political world was astonished by the way in which Tony Blair...

Lord Justice Hutton has delivered his report on the death of Dr. David Kelly, the British scientist who had devoted many years to investigating Saddam Hussein's weapons-of-mass-destruction programs. Prime Minister Tony Blair has been thoroughly exonerated. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which regards itself as the world's greatest broadcaster, has been exposed as second rate, sloppy and dishonest. The terms of Lord Hutton's inquiry were "the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr Kelly," not the case for the war against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Yet it was the justification for the war that sparked the row that ended with...

BBC chairman Gavyn Davies is to resign in the wake of Lord Hutton's criticisms of the corporation's reports. BBC political editor Andrew Marr said Mr Davies would tell the corporation's governors of his decision when they met at 1700 GMT. It comes after Lord Hutton said the claim in BBC reports that the government "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons was "unfounded". And he criticised "defective" BBC editorial processes over defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan's broadcasts of the claims on the Today programme. Lord Hutton also said he was satisfied Dr Kelly had killed himself after being named as the...

January 28, 2004 BBC Management "Almost in Meltdown" Lord Hutton's report into the death of Dr. David Kelly, released this afternoon, has almost completely vindicated Tony Blair and the government, at the same time severely criticising the BBC's reporting and governance. This is a huge story. Most observers were expecting blame to be apportioned evenly, and the one-sided castigation of the Corporation has come as a big surprise. The Guardian reports that: "BBC chairman Gavyn Davies is said to be considering his position after Lord Hutton criticised the BBC in his long awaited report into the death of weapons expert...

BBC chairman 'considering his position' Dominic Timms Wednesday January 28, 2004 BBC chairman Gavyn Davies is said to be considering his position after Lord Hutton criticised the BBC in his long awaited report into the death of weapons expert David Kelly. The corporation has flatly denied rumours sweeping Westminster that he has resigned, but one senior insider said the mood at the BBC was "very grim". ITV News today cut into its normal programming to preface its planned live broadcast of Lord Hutton's statement to say Mr Davies was "considering his position" after the board of governors was heavily criticised...

Live Video of Lord Hutton delivering his report on http://news.bbc.co.uk/ now

Blame falls on BBC as Hutton report leaks Richard Norton-Taylor, Michael White and Patrick Wintour Wednesday January 28, 2004 The Guardian The government is expected to be cleared by Lord Hutton today of the central charge that it sexed up its Iraqi weapons dossier, the Guardian has learned. He is believed to have exonerated Alastair Campbell, the prime minister's former communications chief, from unduly influencing the joint intelligence committee, chaired by John Scarlett. Lord Hutton is also understood to have cleared Tony Blair of wrongdoing in the stategy which led to the unmasking of the government scientist, who later killed...

WORLD EXCLUSIVE Hutton: The verdict Report ... Hutton RELATED STORIES • Sun Says • A catalogue of errors IT WAS the call every journalist in Westminster was waiting for — and Britain’s top political editor TREVOR KAVANAGH got it. For days the big question at the Commons has been the verdict of Lord Hutton’s report on the death of Dr David Kelly. And before MPs and the Cabinet got to hear the conclusions of Lord Hutton, Trevor noted them all down from a trusted source — then set about writing the Scoop of the Year. TONY Blair is today...

<p>British Prime Minister Tony Blair has escaped serious criticism in a report into the death of government weapons specialist David Kelly, according to a leak of the report due for release today.</p> <p>The prime minister's close friend and powerful media chief, Alastair Campbell, who masterminded the propaganda effort leading up to the Iraq war, also was absolved from any claims of improper behavior, according to the report. Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon received only a light rebuke, it added.</p>

It was the call every journalist in Westminster was waiting for — and Britain’s top political editor Trevor Kavanagh got it. For days the big question at the Commons has been the verdict of Lord Hutton’s report on the death of Dr David Kelly. And before MPs and the Cabinet got to hear the conclusions of Lord Hutton, Trevor noted them all down from a trusted source — then set about writing the Scoop of the Year. Tony Blair is today sensationally cleared of any “dishonourable or underhand” conduct leading to the suicide of tragic scientist David Kelly. Lord Hutton’s...

The prime minister still does not know if he will win Tuesday's vote Tony Blair is entering the toughest 48 hours of his premiership as MPs prepare to vote on university top-up fees and publication of the Hutton report nears. The prime minister spoke to Labour MPs on Monday and, it was claimed, won over some waverers for the fees vote. However, further concessions have been ruled out and Downing Street said the numbers were still "too close to call". Hours beforehand ministers get their copies of the Hutton report into the death of scientist Dr David Kelly. Other...

BBC buys up 'Hutton inquiry' Google links Owen Gibson Monday January 26, 2004 Just 48 hours before Lord Hutton delivers his verdict on the controversy surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, the BBC has begun an advertising experiment that involves buying up all internet search terms relating to the inquiry. Despite being one of the main players in the drama, anyone searching for "Hutton inquiry" or "Hutton report" on the UK's most popular search engine Google is automatically directed to a paid-for link to BBC Online's own news coverage of the inquiry. No other news broadcaster or any newspaper...

Hutton to rap 5 over Kelly Written warning ... (from left) Richard Sambrook, Geoff Hoon, Andrew Gilligan, Greg Dyke and Alastair Campbell RELATED STORIES • The Sun Says • Can he win election No3? By DAVID WOODING Whitehall Editor FIVE senior figures will be slated in the Hutton report — as the PM is cleared of blame over the death of Dr David Kelly. Tony Blair is the only key player in the affair not sent a warning letter by Lord Hutton. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and former Downing Street communications chief Alastair Campbell were among those told they will...

The late weapons expert Dr David Kelly said it would take Iraq "days or weeks" to deploy weapons of mass destruction. His view, at odds with the claim Iraq could launch weapons in 45 minutes, is in a previously unbroadcast interview shown in a BBC Panorama special. Panorama disputes a BBC report that No 10 ordered intelligence chiefs to add things to the Iraq weapons dossier. It also hears from an ex-intelligence boss who fears his successors were part of Tony Blair's "magic circle". Dr Kelly apparently committed suicide after being named as the suspected source for a BBC story...

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - David Kelly, the weapons expert whose suicide rocked the British government, believed Iraq did pose an immediate threat, the BBC said on Wednesday, just days before a critical report into his death. Kelly told the BBC before the war that Iraq's weapons could have taken "days or weeks" to deploy. But he did not back Prime Minister Tony Blair's notorious claim that they could be fired in 45 minutes. The failure to find Iraq's weapons of mass destruction -- the primary Anglo-American motive for war -- has eroded public trust in Blair, putting him in...

The voice of David Kelly came from beyond the grave today after the BBC decided to broadcast a previously unseen interview with the weapons expert who apparently committed suicide last July. In the interview he is asked whether he thought Iraq's weapons of mass destruction posed an "imminent threat". He replied "yes". "Yes, they are. Even if they weren't actually filled and deployed today, the capability exists to to get them filled and deployed within days and weeks." The interview is being broadcast tonight in a special edition of Panorama by investigative reporter John Ware, and will reignite the controversy...

Gilligan threat to expose BBC bosses if forced out By Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor 04 January 2004 BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan has warned his managers that he will reveal their role in the "outing" of David Kelly if he is forced to resign as a result of the Hutton report. The journalist fears he is to be scapegoated by the corporation if, as expected, Lord Hutton is highly critical of the BBC when his report into the circumstances surrounding the death of the weapons scientist is published next week. Mr Gilligan faces particular censure for leaking to MPs the...

<p>LONDON &#8212; British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon yesterday denied the government conspired to publicly identify a weapons adviser caught in a political storm over the government's case for war in Iraq.</p> <p>Appearing before an inquiry, Mr. Hoon rejected a suggestion that a series of statements and briefings by officials amounted to a deliberate strategy to identify arms expert David Kelly as the possible source for a British Broadcasting Corp. report that the government exaggerated the threat from Iraqi weapons.</p>

Andrew Gilligan's reporting did incalculable harm to Tony Blair and to journalism, writes Gerard Henderson. Tony Blair: more spinned against than spinner - with respect to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, at least? On the evidence taken so far, this is a possible finding from Lord Hutton's investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death (apparently by suicide) of the British scientist Dr David Kelly. The Hutton inquiry is regarded as providing a unique insight into the operations of democratic governments - political leaders and their advisers, bureaucrats, the military, even security services. Much of the material which has come...

BBC bid to defuse Hutton attack Matt Wells, media correspondent Monday September 22, 2003 The Guardian Andrew Gilligan is likely to lose his Today programme position as part of a wide-ranging BBC shakeup intended to defuse criticism of the corporation in the forthcoming Hutton report. The BBC also plans radical changes in the way it deals with complaints about its programmes. Greg Dyke, the director general, is said to want a "culture change" in the BBC, leading to a greater readiness to admit mistakes. The move comes as pressure also mounts on Downing Street at the start of the final...

A computer expert has pointed to "seeming anomalies" on the handheld computer BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan used to record his conversation with Dr David Kelly. The weapons expert's apparent suicide came after he was named as the suspected source for Mr Gilligan's story about the government "sexing up" intelligence in its Iraq weapons dossier. Forensic computer expert Edward Wilding told the inquiry he was worried about why Downing Street media chief Alastair Campbell's name did not appear in one of the memos on Mr Gilligan's Sharp personal organiser. He had also found some experimentation with the computer. "Somebody was looking...

<p>LONDON &#8212; A British Broadcasting Corp. reporter who raised concern that the government inflated its case for war against Iraq apologized yesterday for indirectly naming his source to a member of Parliament.</p> <p>BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan eventually confirmed that his source was David Kelly, a government weapons adviser who apparently killed himself after being identified by the Ministry of Defense as the unidentified official cited in Mr. Gilligan's piece.</p>

BBC on the back foot(Filed: 18/09/2003)From a journalistic point of view, it is difficult not to pity the BBC news managers. They are caught in an editorial nightmare. Having backed their correspondent Andrew Gilligan at the highest level, they now find his credibility and theirs unravelling in the full gaze of a public inquiry. Yesterday, Gilligan was seen to retreat on some of the most fundamental points of his contentious story. He was bound to accept a series of criticisms from Jonathan Sumption QC, acting for the Government, of the wording of his reports, his procedures in keeping notes and...

Gilligan apologises for errors but MoD man is defiantBy Sandra Laville and Neil Tweedie (Filed: 18/09/2003) Andrew Gilligan, the BBC reporter, admitted a series of errors yesterday in his report claiming that the Government "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.   Andrew Gilligan leaves home for the Hutton Inquiry yesterday Under cross-examination by three QCs at the Hutton Inquiry, Gilligan apologised for his e-mail to members of the Commons foreign affairs committee, which was seen by some as an attempt to influence MPs in his favour. "I was quite wrong to send it . . ....

Mon September 15, 2003 05:00 PM ET By Dominic Evans LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's secretive intelligence chief conceded Monday that criticism of a dossier setting out Prime Minister Tony Blair's case for war with Iraq was valid because its most sensational warning was "misinterpreted." Breaking with precedent, MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove testified via audio-link to the judicial inquiry into the suicide of a weapons expert, which has raised questions about Blair's reasons for war and sent his trust ratings plunging. Dearlove said he stood by the intelligence in the September 2002 dossier but added that a contentious assertion that...

MI6 chief: 45 minute claim 'misinterpreted' Monday September 15, 2003 Sir Richard Dearlove, the head of MI6 and one of the two most senior intelligence officers in the country, today told the Hutton inquiry the controversial 45 minute claim was given undue prominence. In one of the most surprising admissions of the inquiry so far, Sir Richard said the 45 minute intelligence had been misinterpreted. He attacked what he described as David Kelly's "serious breach of discipline" in discussing the Iraq dossier with reporters. Referring to the foreign affairs committee's report into the Iraq weapons dossier James Dingemans QC, counsel...

Internal emails disclosed to the Hutton Inquiry reveal that BBC governors feared the corporation was partly to blame for the death of Dr David Kelly, whose apparent suicide triggered the judicial investigation. Three days after Dr Kelly's body was found, Professor Fabian Monds, the BBC governor in Northern Ireland, sent an email to Gavyn Davies, the chairman, expressing his concern. "We are all troubled by the thought that our actions may have contributed, however indirectly, to this tragedy. Dr Kelly is one victim of this situation; there are others," said the email. Another governor has also expressed disquiet about the...

BBC to review news reporting Hutton documents throw doubt on Kelly witness Vikram Dodd and Richard Norton-Taylor Tuesday September 9, 2003 The Guardian The BBC is to launch a wide-ranging review of its news reporting following the row over its handling of claims by David Kelly about the government's September 2002 dossier on Iraq, it emerged yesterday. The BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, wrote of the planned examination of the comments on the dossier in an email to the corporation's governors. The email was written three days after Dr Kelly's body was found and was submitted by the BBC to the...

"Hoon failed to reveal all" said the headline on the Telegraph website yesterday, and for some reason I thought it was a review of Calendar Girls, the new and somewhat twee British movie about the WI ladies who stripped for charity. Hoon, it turns out, doesn't play Celia Imrie's best friend and, so far as one can tell, isn't in the movie at all, but is instead a man called Geoff. He's not a member of the WI but, like Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, he and his friend Tony and other gentlemen of a certain age all agreed to...

Kelly surprised by Gilligan's methods A friend of David Kelly has revealed the weapons inspector was 'taken aback' by the way BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan tried to elicit information about the Iraq intelligence dossier. Ciar Byrne reports. September 04, 2003 Guardian Unlimited A friend of David Kelly has revealed the weapons inspector was "taken aback" by the way BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan tried to elicit information about the Iraq intelligence dossier. She said it was the BBC reporter who first raised the name of No 10 spin chief Alastair Campbell as the man responsible for inserting the notorious claim that...

LONDON - A British Broadcasting Corp. reporter — and not a top government weapons adviser — was the one who suggested during an interview that a top aide of Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) was behind an exaggeration of the threat posed by Iraq (news - web sites), an arms expert said Thursday. That testimony by Olivia Bosch contradicted statements by the BBC's Andrew Gilligan, who said adviser David Kelly suggested the name of key Blair aide Alastair Campbell without prompting. Bosch, testifying at an inquiry into Kelly's apparent suicide, said Kelly told her during a phone...

BBC admits status of Kelly was played up Matt Wells, media correspondent Wednesday September 3, 2003 The Guardian The BBC has admitted overplaying David Kelly's status in the rush to stay ahead of the government during the battle of wills over the Iraq dossier affair. The BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, conceded that a description of the weapons expert as a "senior intelligence source" in a crucial statement issued by the BBC governors after an emergency meeting at the height of the row was inserted at the last minute by a press officer. The news is a mirror of the "sexing...

<p>Not long ago, a low-budget movie about ghosts and goblins, called "The Blair Witch Project," was a box office success. Now, another Blair is plagued by ghosts. This Blair happens to be Britain's Prime Minister.</p> <p>American media have not picked up on the seriousness of Tony Blair's political woes. Horrible storms, power outages, the California political spectacle over the governor's recall election and bad news from Iraq have dominated the news in American this summer. In Great Britain, the ghost is in the form of a deceased Ministry of Defense scientist, David Kelly, who apparently committed suicide in July after having been "outed" or identified as the source for an explosive BBC story in May on the Iraq war and allegations of Number Ten and the Prime Minister's Officehaving grossly misrepresented the threat.</p>

A remarkable article by Dr David Kelly, published for the first time today, reveals the government scientist's true views ahead of the war on Iraq and his expert assessment of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. In a development which could have a major influence on the Hutton inquiry, Kelly said that, although the threat was 'modest', he believed military action was the only way to 'conclusively disarm' the country. He also argued that there was evidence Saddam still had chemical and biological weapons and regime change, the policy of the United States, was the only way to stop the...

<p>LONDON &#8212; Prime Minister Tony Blair's administration suffered another blow yesterday when the widow of its main bioweapons expert blamed defense ministry officials along with lawmakers and the news media for the distress that drove her husband to suicide.</p> <p>Yet Mr. Blair may take some comfort from a newly surfaced document in which former chief U.N. weapons inspector David Kelly wrote that a regime change in Iraq was the only way to end the dangers posed by Saddam Hussein.</p>

<p>U.K.'s Kelly Backed Iraq War, Didn't Think Was Source (Update1) Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- David Kelly favored the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime and didn't realize he was the source of a report criticizing U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair's argument for war against Iraq, family members told an inquiry.</p>

September 1, 2003 Dispute Over Arms Dossier Wounds the BBCBy WARREN HOGE ONDON, Aug. 31 — The BBC, the world's largest and best known public service broadcaster, sends out millions of words daily, but its long-nurtured reputation for accuracy, fairness and objectivity is being challenged for just 20 of them. On May 29, the defense correspondent of its morning radio news show, Andrew Gilligan, said that the government had inserted into its dossier of intelligence on Iraqi arms the claim that Saddam Hussein had biological and chemical weapons that were deployable within 45 minutes. ReutersGavyn Davies, the BBC chairman, has...

Government scientist Dr David Kelly believed military action was the only way of "finally and conclusively" disarming Iraq, it is claimed. The weapons inspector gave his views in an article for a report on Iraq compiled a few weeks before the war against Saddam Hussein. Dr Kelly agreed to write the article anonymously but it was never published, the report's editor, Julie Flint, told the Observer. The scientist's body was found on July 18 near his Oxfordshire home in an apparent suicide. It came just after he was revealed as the source for stories that the Government had "sexed up"...

LONDON, Aug 30 (Reuters) - David Kelly, the scientist at the heart of a Britain's Hutton inquiry, wrote an article before he died, saying military action seemed the only way to "conclusively disarm" Iraq, the Observer newspaper reported on Sunday. His hawkish stance is likely to comfort the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair as Kelly's widow prepares to give evidence to the inquiry on Monday, it added. Kelly, widely acknowledged as Britain's leading expert on banned Iraqi banned weapons, killed himself last month after becoming embroiled in a major political row over whether Blair exaggerated the case for...

An article by arms expert David Kelly downplayed the threat from Iraq but backed regime change, it is reported.

A remarkable article by Dr David Kelly, published for the first time today, reveals the government scientist's true views ahead of the war on Iraq and his expert assessment of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. In a development which could have a major influence on the Hutton inquiry, Kelly said that, although the threat was 'modest', he believed military action was the only way to 'conclusively disarm' the country. He also argued that there was evidence Saddam still had chemical and biological weapons and regime change, the policy of the United States, was the only way to stop the...