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Blairs fake memo balony - dirty tricks campaign?

paul c | 04.05.2005 21:31

where is this faked memo

a story is circulating internet blogs
about a fake memo



there seem to be only two news sites reporting this:


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The scotsman


Police to Probe Forged 'Memo to Blair' on Iraq War

By Andrew Woodcock, PA Political Correspondent

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith today called in the police to investigate the circulation of a forged document purporting to be a memo from him to the Prime Minister.
The memo, dated just over two weeks before the start of the Iraq War in 2003, appears to show the Attorney telling Tony Blair that military action may well turn out to be illegal.
It suggests that war in Iraq could pave the way for “planned future conflicts that have been discussed, like Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia”.
But Lord Goldsmith’s office this afternoon denounced the document, sent to media newsdesks, as “a complete forgery”.
A spokesman said: “A document has been sent to newsdesks today claiming to be a minute from the Attorney General to the Prime Minister, dated 1 March 2003.
“The document is a complete forgery and the matter has now been referred to the Metropolitan Police for investigation.”
The date on the forged document is just six days before Lord Goldsmith sent his confidential advice on the legality of war to Mr Blair on March 7 2003.
In that advice, published in full on Thursday after its summary was leaked to the media, the Attorney weighed up the legal arguments over the war and concluded that a “reasonable case” could be made that it would be lawful.
The forgery is clearly intended to suggest a plot between Lord Goldsmith and the Prime Minister to ensure that his advice – both private and public – would gloss over the probable illegality of military action.
The fake memo, complete with the Attorney General’s forged signature, states that the use of force could be justified only in cases of self-defence; to avert a major humanitarian disaster; or under the mandate of the United Nations.
It states that none of these cases applies to the situation in Iraq, adding that the “overwhelming opinion” is that sanctions had sufficiently enfeebled Saddam Hussein to prevent him being a threat to his neighbours.
It continues: “It is important that the implications are understood before proceeding with our American partners in their doctrine for regime-change, I will be justifying what in essence may well turn out to be an illegal war.
“However, this is why it is necessary to grey the lines as much as possible.
“As agreed, I will be drafting this justification and it should be ready in one week.
“If we succeed in this argument it will set a precedent for planned future conflicts that have been discussed, like Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“I trust this will satisfy your requirements as well as those of our partners.”


 http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4481455

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and the Pakistan Tribune

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Forged Iraq 'memo to Blair' exposed

Sunday May 01, 2005 (0221 PST)

Forged Iraq 'memo to Blair' exposed

LONDON, May 01 (Online): A forged document purporting to counsel British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the legality of the Iraq war was sent to media in London on Friday, while a pre-election debate raged over authentic legal advice given in the run-up to the March 2003 invasion.

The text, which purports to be signed by Attorney General Lord Peter Goldsmith and appears to warn that military action against Iraq would be illegal, is a "complete forgery", Goldsmith's office said. It said police had been called in to investigate the document, which was sent to news organisations earlier on Friday.

The fake memo appeared to have been sent with the intention of inflaming the debate over authentic advice Goldsmith had given Blair two weeks before the British-US invasion, and which was published on Thursday after its summary was leaked to the media.

Iraq, largely sidelined in the campaign for the May 5 general election, shot to the frontline after the leak, as the opposition and anti-war critics suggested the attorney general had been pressured into supporting Blair's argument for war.

Goldsmith's advice to Blair on March 7, 2003 said the "safest legal course" would be to secure a further UN resolution specifically authorizing the use of force but that a "reasonable case" could be made the resolution was not necessary.

Ten days later, the attorney general told the cabinet and parliament that military action was legal without any further UN resolutions.

The fake memo states that the case for Iraq did not meet the criteria, which would enable a foreign power to invade the sovereign country. "It is important that the implications are understood before proceeding with our American partners in their doctrine for regime-change," the text, purportedly by Goldsmith, read. "I will be justifying what in essence may well turn out to be an illegal war."

"However, this is why it is necessary to grey the lines as much as possible," it added. The text also hinted that Blair and his attorney general would use the Iraq conflict to "set a precedent for planned future conflicts that have been discussed, like Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia."

End.

 http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=103632

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However


Both the advice by MATTHEW RYCROFT to the Attorney General printed in The Times
 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1593607,00.html


and the Attorney Generals advice to Tony Blair are REAL

The PDF file can be downloaded from No.10's own website...
 http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp


so where is this 'FAKE memo'????


Answer: It does not exist...it is pure PSYOPS seeking to confuse those wishing to examine Blairs LIES.
 http://www.warcrimes.org.uk/captain/murder_inc/spin4war.html

paul c

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

LIARS, The Lot Of Them

05.05.2005 05:21

Just because these PATHOLOGICAL LIARS say the document isn't genuine doesn't mean that it isn't. This is the Dirty Trick - the Hard Right is known for such things. Yeah, they LIED about WMD and the "45-minute threat", but we're supposed to give them the benefit of the doubt now that we have the Smoking Gun in our possession? Their belief that they will fool people with this DISINFORMATION demonstrates their utter contempt for the British people.

If I had violated the very tenets of International Law, I wouldn't admit that I'd known ahead of time either - but when politicians claim incompetence, as they're doing here, you can rest assured the truth is much more damning.

This warrants an Impeachment, to be followed by an arrest, seaizure of assets, and War Crimes Tribunal.

Outraged Canadian


update

18.06.2005 09:38

there now appears to be 6-7 more memos, currently in circulation

these are to be referenced as part of a bush impeachment reading:

 http://www.declarepeace.org.uk/captain/murder_inc/memoindex.html


so one of them could be a fake...

deliberately planted to halt any attmpts to
get Bush & Blair in the dock...

paul


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