Bush–Blair 2003 Iraq memo

The Bush–Blair 2003 Iraq memo or Manning memo is a secret

invasion of Iraq would take place two months later. The memo was written by Blair's chief foreign policy adviser, David Manning

, who participated in the meeting.

The memo has become controversial for its content, which includes discussing ways to provoke

U-2 spyplane in United Nations (UN) colors and letting it fly low over Iraq

to provoke Iraq into shooting it down, thus providing a pretext for the subsequent invasion.

It also shows Bush and Blair were making a secret deal to carry out the invasion regardless of whether

British Parliament

afterwards that Saddam would be given a final chance to disarm.

According to the memo, Bush is paraphrased as saying:[1]

The start date for the military campaign was now pencilled in for 10 March. This was when the bombing would begin.

Bush also said to Blair that he "thought it unlikely that there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups" in Iraq after the war. Five pages long, and classified as extremely sensitive, the existence of the memo was first alleged by Philippe Sands in his book Lawless World (2005). It was then obtained by American newspaper The New York Times, which confirmed its authenticity.^[2]

UK Liberal Democrat party leader Menzies Campbell said, with regard to the memo: "If these allegations are accurate, the Prime Minister and President Bush were determined to go to war with or without a second UN resolution, and Britain was signed up to do so by the end of January 2003."^[3]

References

^ "Bush-Blair Iraq war memo revealed". BBC News. March 27, 2003.
^ Van Natta Jr., Don (March 27, 2006). "Bush Was Set on Path to War, Memo by British Adviser Says". The New York Times.
^ "Blair 'backed Iraq war while seeking UN resolution'". The Irish Times. February 2, 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2018.

External links

The White House meeting that took us to war By Oliver King,
Guardian Unlimited
, February 2, 2006
Blair-Bush deal before Iraq war revealed in secret memo by Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian, February 3, 2006
Bush 'tried to lure Saddam into war using UN aircraft' by Rosemary Bennett and Michael Evans, The Times, February 3, 2006
Fresh claims about the build-up to Iraq war by BBC World Service, February 3, 2006
Bush Was Set on Path to War, Memo by British Adviser Says by Don Van Natta Jr., New York Times, March 27, 2006

[1] "Bush-Blair Iraq war memo revealed". BBC News. March 27, 2003.

[2] Van Natta Jr., Don (March 27, 2006). "Bush Was Set on Path to War, Memo by British Adviser Says". The New York Times.

[3] "Blair 'backed Iraq war while seeking UN resolution'". The Irish Times. February 2, 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2018.

[2]

[3]

See also

References

External links