News Search Search this site or the web powered by FreeFind Site search Web search Story archive		20-8-2003 Scotsman The Hutton Inquiry: E-mails reveal Campbell was at centre of dodgy dossier debate By Gethin Chamberlain and Fraser Nelson ALASTAIR Campbell yesterday attempted to distance himself from the government's dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, insisting that it was the chairman of the joint intelligence committee (JIC) who had the final say. But e-mails and other documents submitted to the Hutton Inquiry into the death of the government weapons expert, Dr David Kelly, reveal that Mr Campbell was at the centre of a heated debate within Whitehall about what the dossier should say. One e-mail from a Foreign Office press officer advises: "The more we advertise that unsupported assertions... come from intelligence the better." A memo to Mr Campbell from John Scarlett, the chairman of the JIC, notes that changes have been made to the text "as you proposed". It says: "We have strengthened language on current concerns and plans, including in the executive summary." But two e-mails revealed the extent of concerns within Whitehall about the strength of the dossier. One, from Philip Bassett, a special adviser to Downing Street, read: "Very long way to go, think we are in a lot of trouble as it stands now." And another, from the Downing Street spokesman, Godric Smith, noted: "I think there is material here we can work with but it is a bit of a muddle and needs a lot more clarity in the guts of it in terms of what is new/old." Many observers expected Mr Campbell to face a tough time when he appeared before the inquiry for the first time yesterday but he stuck firmly to the line that he had not attempted to influence the wording of the dossier published by the government last September. Questioned by James Dingemans QC, counsel to the inquiry, about whether he had any influence on the claim in the dossier that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction which could be made ready for use within 45 minutes, he replied: "None whatever. I had no input, output, influence upon it whatever at any stage in the process." The inquiry, headed by Lord Hutton, was set up to investigate how Dr Kelly apparently came to take his own life after being identified as the source of reports by the BBC journalist, Andrew Gilligan, which accused the government, and Mr Campbell in particular, of inserting the 45-minute claim into the dossier knowing it to be untrue. Yesterday, Mr Campbell admitted that he saw the public exposure of the government weapons expert as the only move which would help Downing Street win its battle with the BBC. The Prime Minister's communications director said he had wanted to name Dr Kelly instantly - but was held back by Tony Blair. He also cut Geoff Hoon adrift by saying that the Defence Secretary suggested striking a "plea bargain" with Dr Kelly after finding he was the BBC's source.
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