Saturday, May 14, 2005

Documents leaked from the U.K. government revealed an apparent secret agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom to attack Iraq in 2002. The Times, a British national newspaper, reported that newly-discovered documents reveal British and U.S. intentions to invade Iraq and leaders of the two countries had “discussed creating pretextual justifications for doing so”. The documents go on to say that Tony Blair decided the U.S. would need to “create” conditions to justify the war. The leaked document has not received much coverage in the United States.

The document, known popularly as the “Downing Street memo“, is a document purporting to contain the minutes taken during a meeting among United Kingdom government and political figures on July 23, 2002 discussing the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Its authenticity has not been officially confirmed nor denied by the government, though Downing Street has stated that the document contains “nothing new.” There have been repeated media and congressional requests for clarification.

Downing Street in London contains the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom] (at 10 Downing Street) and is a metonym for the United Kingdom government. Ultimately the United Kingdom sent 46,000 troops to join the United States-led action, by far the largest non-US contingent in the invasion.

The memo comes on the heels of other leaked documents from the UK. [1]