Downing Street memo
E932065
The Downing Street memo is a leaked 2002 British government document suggesting that intelligence about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was being shaped to justify the U.S.-led invasion, making it a central piece of evidence in debates over the war’s legitimacy.
Statements (55)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
leaked government document
ⓘ
political memorandum ⓘ primary historical source ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Downing Street minutes
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Rycroft memo NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| archivedIn | UK National Archives (copy and references) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| asserts |
U.S. had begun "spikes of activity" in bombing Iraq prior to war authorization
ⓘ
U.S. had no patience with the UN route NERFINISHED ⓘ U.S. military action against Iraq was seen as inevitable ⓘ |
| author | Matthew Rycroft NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| authorOccupation | British diplomat ⓘ |
| authorRole | Downing Street foreign policy aide ⓘ |
| controversy |
alleged manipulation of intelligence on Iraqi WMD
ⓘ
alleged pre-determination of the Iraq invasion ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| createdAt | 10 Downing Street NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| createdFor | Prime Minister Tony Blair NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| date | 2002-07-23 ⓘ |
| documentType | confidential memo ⓘ |
| firstPublicationCountry | United Kingdom NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPublishedBy | The Sunday Times NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| keyQuote | "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| leakDate | 2005-05-01 ⓘ |
| leakedTo | The Sunday Times NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mediaNickname | "smoking gun" memo ⓘ |
| meetingParticipantsIncluded |
Admiral Sir Michael Boyce
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Alastair Campbell NERFINISHED ⓘ Geoff Hoon NERFINISHED ⓘ Jack Straw NERFINISHED ⓘ Jonathan Powell NERFINISHED ⓘ Lord Goldsmith NERFINISHED ⓘ Richard Dearlove NERFINISHED ⓘ Sir John Scarlett NERFINISHED ⓘ Sir Richard Wilson NERFINISHED ⓘ Tony Blair NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| meetingRecorded | 23 July 2002 meeting at 10 Downing Street ⓘ |
| relatedEvent |
2003 invasion of Iraq
ⓘ
Iraq War NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedOrganization |
MI6
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
UK Cabinet NERFINISHED ⓘ UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office NERFINISHED ⓘ UK Ministry of Defence NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subject |
Iraq War planning
ⓘ
United Kingdom foreign policy ⓘ United States foreign policy NERFINISHED ⓘ intelligence and policy-making ⓘ weapons of mass destruction in Iraq ⓘ |
| topic |
UN Security Council resolutions on Iraq
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
legality of the Iraq War ⓘ regime change in Iraq ⓘ |
| usedIn |
U.S. congressional discussions on Iraq War
ⓘ
UK parliamentary debates on Iraq ⓘ public debate on Iraq War legitimacy ⓘ |
| year | 2002 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.