In the flurry of media attention around the 10th anniversary of Dr. David Kelly's death John Rentoul of the Independent on Sunday and freelance journalist Miles Goslett entered into a vigorous debate about the death of Dr. Kelly.
See Foul play vs suicide: Ten years on, the row still rages over the death of Dr David Kelly
In addition Mr. Rentoul, blogged about the exchange:
Last Whimper of a Conspiracy Theory
And then he followed up with a further post on the 10th Anniversary of Dr. Kelly's death:
The Other Myths About David Kelly
In a comment on that latter post I invited Mr. Rentoul to an online debate on the matter. An invitation which he accepted: Thanks for the invitation
I've just posted about the issue of Dr. Kelly's body having been moved.
See The death of David Kelly: Evidence that the body was moved by a third party
Saturday 20 July 2013
Wednesday 17 July 2013
Kellygate: The strange position taken by Professor Alastair Hay
An article in today's Telegraph online quotes a friend of Dr. David Kelly as asking for "conspiracy theories" to stop.
See Dr David Kelly’s friend pleads for conspiracy theories to end
I find Professor Hay's position very strange.
He acknowledges that the evidence is unsatisfactory but, paradoxically, seeks that the evidence not be more carefully examined.
Isn't it time that the death of David Kelly was properly investigated?
See Dr David Kelly’s friend pleads for conspiracy theories to end
I find Professor Hay's position very strange.
He acknowledges that the evidence is unsatisfactory but, paradoxically, seeks that the evidence not be more carefully examined.
“I didn’t feel that [Hutton] did a really good job at all,” said Prof Hay. “He left so many openings for conspiracy theorists. It’s right that people question evidence if they think there hasn’t been a proper hearing, and it’s important that these things are done properly. Unfortunately, Hutton didn’t do that.”He acknowledges that Hutton didn't do things properly.
Isn't it time that the death of David Kelly was properly investigated?
Monday 1 July 2013
"Dark Actors - The Life and Death of Dr. David Kelly" by Robert Lewis - a review
On 18th July 2013 it will be ten years since the body of Dr. David Kelly was found at Harrowdown Hill.
On 4th July a book entitled "Dark Actors - The Life and Death of Dr. David Kelly" is to be published.
As far as I know it is the only conventional book scheduled to be published around the tenth anniversary of Dr. Kelly's death.
Robert Lewis's book is a worthwhile but imperfect addition to the information publicly available on the life and death of David Kelly. Not least of the imperfections, in my view, is that Lewis wrongly concludes that David Kelly committed suicide.
The book starts with a description of the events surrounding the disappearance and death of David Kelly.
The first sentence in the book is widely accepted but open to question by those who have studied the timelines of events in detail. There are further minor inaccuracies throughout the chapter.
That chapter is followed by others which attempt to document David Kelly's early life in South Wales, his training as a microbiologist, his early academic research and his appointment to Porton Down.
A later chapter is devoted to David Kelly's role in debriefing the Soviet defector Vladimir Pasechnik, a role that brought David Kelly much closer to MI6 than had been the case while he was at Porton Down.
Lewis then proceeds to examine in considerable detail the UNSCOM (United Nations Special Commission) inspections in Iraq, in which David Kelly played a significant role, visiting Iraq more than 30 times.
The book ends with a chapter recording Lewis's somewhat wistful wanderings around Southmoor and his visit to Harrowdown Hill. To my mind the book peters out since Lewis's analysis of the death of David Kelly is the weakest part of the book.
Lewis is a skilled story-teller. He uses those skills to weave a narrative which, fairly often, is short on facts and, at times, short on accuracy. Despite those limitations it tells us more about the life of David Kelly than any other source that I'm aware of.
Lewis skillfully moves from detailed description of his, sometimes frustrating, detective work about David Kelly to a wider picture of world events at the time and then returns to points of detail about David Kelly's life. It's a story well-told.
Lewis's portrait of David Kelly is a much more nuanced and credible one than the pseudo-saintly picture of a shy Dr. Kelly painted at the discredited Hutton Inquiry. David Kelly was a skilled communicator who was experienced in handling the media and, like many other experienced civil servants, publicly toed the Government line - at least he did during the UNSCOM inspection period.
Lewis indicates that Kelly, at least after debriefing Pasechnik, was close to MI6 and hints that, in meeting Andrew Gilligan, Kelly was acting as part of an MI6 damage limitation exercise. To what extent was David Kelly MI6's creature? We don't know but Lewis raises important new questions.
One of the potentially important claims is the allegation that David Kelly's security clearance had been withdrawn before his death. Lewis quotes Gisli Gudjonsson as saying that the security clearance had been withdrawn. Contrast that with the picture painted at the Hutton Inquiry of a David Kelly supposedly being considered for a knighthood.
Another interesting detail is the claim that Janice Kelly wrote widely to friends and relatives of David Kelly asking them not to mention him again. A very odd thing for a widow to do, if it happened. Unfortunately Lewis doesn't back this claim up with evidence, although it would be a fascinating action by Janice Kelly if substantiated.
Lewis also alleges that a phone call was made from a public phone box in Southmoor to a national newspaper (likely the Daily Telegraph) on the afternoon of 17th July 2003. Was that call made by David Kelly? Had David Kelly decided to "blow the gaff" on the false September 2002 WMD dossier produced under Alastiar Campbell's direction?Was the call made to avoid prying ears on Kelly's landline and mobile phone? We're not told.
Lewis, I think, misses a trick in his examination of David Kelly's views and actions around WMD. He documents Kelly's conversion to the Bahai faith but fails to consider whether it might have changed the compliant Kelly of the UNSCOM period to someone more concerned with truth in 2002 and 2003.
Lewis has added significantly to what we know about David Kelly's life. His analysis of Dr. Kelly's death is the weakest part of the book and his conclusion that David Kelly committed suicide is, in my view, demonstrably unreliable. However, Lewis's researches raise some important and intriguing new questions.
It's an interesting, thought-provoking read.
On 4th July a book entitled "Dark Actors - The Life and Death of Dr. David Kelly" is to be published.
As far as I know it is the only conventional book scheduled to be published around the tenth anniversary of Dr. Kelly's death.
Robert Lewis's book is a worthwhile but imperfect addition to the information publicly available on the life and death of David Kelly. Not least of the imperfections, in my view, is that Lewis wrongly concludes that David Kelly committed suicide.
The book starts with a description of the events surrounding the disappearance and death of David Kelly.
The first sentence in the book is widely accepted but open to question by those who have studied the timelines of events in detail. There are further minor inaccuracies throughout the chapter.
That chapter is followed by others which attempt to document David Kelly's early life in South Wales, his training as a microbiologist, his early academic research and his appointment to Porton Down.
A later chapter is devoted to David Kelly's role in debriefing the Soviet defector Vladimir Pasechnik, a role that brought David Kelly much closer to MI6 than had been the case while he was at Porton Down.
Lewis then proceeds to examine in considerable detail the UNSCOM (United Nations Special Commission) inspections in Iraq, in which David Kelly played a significant role, visiting Iraq more than 30 times.
The book ends with a chapter recording Lewis's somewhat wistful wanderings around Southmoor and his visit to Harrowdown Hill. To my mind the book peters out since Lewis's analysis of the death of David Kelly is the weakest part of the book.
Lewis is a skilled story-teller. He uses those skills to weave a narrative which, fairly often, is short on facts and, at times, short on accuracy. Despite those limitations it tells us more about the life of David Kelly than any other source that I'm aware of.
Lewis skillfully moves from detailed description of his, sometimes frustrating, detective work about David Kelly to a wider picture of world events at the time and then returns to points of detail about David Kelly's life. It's a story well-told.
Lewis's portrait of David Kelly is a much more nuanced and credible one than the pseudo-saintly picture of a shy Dr. Kelly painted at the discredited Hutton Inquiry. David Kelly was a skilled communicator who was experienced in handling the media and, like many other experienced civil servants, publicly toed the Government line - at least he did during the UNSCOM inspection period.
Lewis indicates that Kelly, at least after debriefing Pasechnik, was close to MI6 and hints that, in meeting Andrew Gilligan, Kelly was acting as part of an MI6 damage limitation exercise. To what extent was David Kelly MI6's creature? We don't know but Lewis raises important new questions.
One of the potentially important claims is the allegation that David Kelly's security clearance had been withdrawn before his death. Lewis quotes Gisli Gudjonsson as saying that the security clearance had been withdrawn. Contrast that with the picture painted at the Hutton Inquiry of a David Kelly supposedly being considered for a knighthood.
Another interesting detail is the claim that Janice Kelly wrote widely to friends and relatives of David Kelly asking them not to mention him again. A very odd thing for a widow to do, if it happened. Unfortunately Lewis doesn't back this claim up with evidence, although it would be a fascinating action by Janice Kelly if substantiated.
Lewis also alleges that a phone call was made from a public phone box in Southmoor to a national newspaper (likely the Daily Telegraph) on the afternoon of 17th July 2003. Was that call made by David Kelly? Had David Kelly decided to "blow the gaff" on the false September 2002 WMD dossier produced under Alastiar Campbell's direction?Was the call made to avoid prying ears on Kelly's landline and mobile phone? We're not told.
Lewis, I think, misses a trick in his examination of David Kelly's views and actions around WMD. He documents Kelly's conversion to the Bahai faith but fails to consider whether it might have changed the compliant Kelly of the UNSCOM period to someone more concerned with truth in 2002 and 2003.
Lewis has added significantly to what we know about David Kelly's life. His analysis of Dr. Kelly's death is the weakest part of the book and his conclusion that David Kelly committed suicide is, in my view, demonstrably unreliable. However, Lewis's researches raise some important and intriguing new questions.
It's an interesting, thought-provoking read.
Thursday 6 June 2013
Kellygate: Contacting me
Feel free to add comments to any post on the blog.
However, if you want to contact me directly you can do so using either of two email addresses.
For general correspondence about the death of Dr. Kelly use this email address (removing whitespace etc, as appropriate):
who kille ddrk elly [at] btinter net[dot]com
If you want to communicate more confidentially, for example to report matters about which you have personal knowledge, please use this email address (removing whitespace etc as appropriate):
andr ewwat t[at] hushm ail[d ot]com
However, if you want to contact me directly you can do so using either of two email addresses.
For general correspondence about the death of Dr. Kelly use this email address (removing whitespace etc, as appropriate):
who kille ddrk elly [at] btinter net[dot]com
If you want to communicate more confidentially, for example to report matters about which you have personal knowledge, please use this email address (removing whitespace etc as appropriate):
andr ewwat t[at] hushm ail[d ot]com
Tuesday 4 June 2013
How can a faked suicide reliably be distinguished from a true suicide?
At no time during the Hutton Inquiry was the question considered of how to distinguish a faked suicide from a true suicide.
The scene at Harrowdown Hill "looked like" suicide. But why was that the case? Did Dr. David Kelly kill himself? Or was he killed and the scene was set to seem to be suicide? In other words the seeming suicide was a faked suicide.
In the circumstances at Harrowdown Hill and, more broadly, in the context of David Kelly's long-term involvement with intelligence matters distinguishing a true suicide from a faked suicide is particularly difficult.
Not only was the question not considered at the Hutton Inquiry, the Attorney Genera, Dominic Grieve, failed to consider this fundamental question in his "investigation" leading up to his oral and written statements to the House of Commons on 9th June 2011.
Let me illustrate some of the difficulty in arriving at a definitive list of factors that will allow reliable differentiation of true suicide from faked suicide.
The following assumes that you start with a completely open mind.
In any case Lord Hutton didn't ask this fundamental question.
Nor has Thames Valley Police propertly addressed it.
Nor did Attorney General Dominic Grieve.
If David Kelly eventually gets an inquest, an honest and diligent Coroner will require to give this issue very careful thought indeed.
The scene at Harrowdown Hill "looked like" suicide. But why was that the case? Did Dr. David Kelly kill himself? Or was he killed and the scene was set to seem to be suicide? In other words the seeming suicide was a faked suicide.
In the circumstances at Harrowdown Hill and, more broadly, in the context of David Kelly's long-term involvement with intelligence matters distinguishing a true suicide from a faked suicide is particularly difficult.
Not only was the question not considered at the Hutton Inquiry, the Attorney Genera, Dominic Grieve, failed to consider this fundamental question in his "investigation" leading up to his oral and written statements to the House of Commons on 9th June 2011.
Let me illustrate some of the difficulty in arriving at a definitive list of factors that will allow reliable differentiation of true suicide from faked suicide.
The following assumes that you start with a completely open mind.
- Fingerprints / no fingerprints on the knife. There were no fingerprints on the knife found at Harrowdown Hill. Thus there is no evidence that Dr. Kelly had ever held the knife. However, the absence of fingerprints may simply be due to the presence of blood on the knife handle.
- The supposed lack of evidence of third party (or parties) being at Harrowdown Hill. If the evidence was properly tested (which it wasn't) the alleged absence of third party presence may indicate that no third parties were present. Equally, it may indicate that such third parties as were present were very careful and might have left no forensic evidence of their presence, for example, because they might have been wearing forensic suits.
In any case Lord Hutton didn't ask this fundamental question.
Nor has Thames Valley Police propertly addressed it.
Nor did Attorney General Dominic Grieve.
If David Kelly eventually gets an inquest, an honest and diligent Coroner will require to give this issue very careful thought indeed.
Thursday 30 May 2013
Kellygate - Other online sources of information on the death of Dr. David Kelly
It might be helpful to those coming new to the questions surrounding the suspicious death of Dr. David Kelly to be aware of other online information resources which are relevant.
I'll first list those that I consider to ask serious questions and to attempt to give honest answers.
I'll first list those that I consider to ask serious questions and to attempt to give honest answers.
- Chilcot's Cheating Us - this is a blog that I wrote starting early in 2010. It covers issues relating to the inadequacy of the Iraq Inquiry led by Sir John Chilcot, as well as an extensive range of posts on the death of Dr. David Kelly and related matters
- Come Clean on Kelly - this is a blog that I wrote that lists a significant number of Freedom of Information Requests that I made to Thames Valley Police and other organisations on matters relevant to the death of Dr. Kelly.
- Dr. Kelly's Death - Suicide or Murder? - This blog was the first of two blogs about Dr. Kelly's death by my late friend, Brian Spencer.
- Dr. Kelly's Death - Time for the Truth - This is the more recent of the two blogs about Dr. Kelly's death by my late friend Brian Spencer. In his first post on that blog, A new blog about Dr Kelly's death Brian clearly expressed his view about whether Dr. Kelly's death was suicide or murder: "I am now confident that I can rule out suicide.".
- Inquest required into death of Dr. David Kelly - This blog, written by Dr. Stephen Frost, puts into the public domain a large number of original documents and correspondence relating to the fight to achieve an inquest for Dr. Kelly.
- Dr. David Kelly - This is part of the personal website of Dr. David Halpin. David was the doctor who sought from the High Court permission for Judicial Review of the Attorney General's decision announced to the House of Commons on 9th June 2011. Disappointingly, the High Court refused permission.
- The Dr David Kelly Inquest Fund - This site has in the past raised funds for Judicial Review of Dominic Grieve's decison announced in his statement to the House of Commons of 9th June 2011 (see below for a link to the statement).
- Who Killed David Kelly? - This blog relates to my project to create a book provisionally entitled "Who Killed David Kelly?". The post, Who Killed David Kelly? - 17th July 2003 - The Perfect Day for the Perfect Political Murder? , asks some of the "big picture" questions that still have to be answered.
- The Hutton Inquiry - The former web site of the Hutton Inquiry is now hosted by the UK National Archives.
- Attorney General's Office - Dr. David Kelly - Lists most but not all of the material released by the Attorney General's Office in the aftermath of Dominic Grieve's statement to the House of Commons on 9th June 2011: Dr. David Kelly.
- Thames Valley Police - Investigations Log - This lists Freedom of Information replies given by Thames Valley Police in relation to Freedom of Information Requests about a variety of TVP investigations. Many of the responses relate to the TVP investigation of the death of Dr. David Kelly. At the time of writing, it does NOT give any information about the questions asked about the Kelly investigation but which Thames Valley Police have refused to answer.
Wednesday 29 May 2013
Kellygate 29th May 2003 - Countdown to suicide? Countdown to murder?
Ten years ago today, on 29th May 2003, Andrew Gilligan at a few minutes past six in the morning made statements on the BBC Radio 4 "Today" programme that were, a few weeks later, to attract national media attention in the UK.
In the perspective of many commentators Gilligan's comments and the subsequent publicity those comments attracted were closely associated with Dr. David Kelly's supposed suicide on 17th July 2003.
Was David Kelly genuinely Andrew Gilligan's source?
Did Andrew Gilligan invent a deception or conspiracy in and around the Blair Government that had no basis in fact? Could Alastair Campbell, for once, have been telling the truth?
Or is it possible that Andrew Gilligan got it wrong not by inventing a conspiracy that didn't exist but by understating the extent and seriousness of the conspiracy that his remarks on the Today programme hinted at?
Is it possible that what I'm calling Kellygate (but which might equally be called Iraqgate) is a criminal conspiracy by those in and around the Blair Government that dwarfs Watergate in its criminality, its seriousness, and the extent of cover-up involving the UK judiciary, UK Police officers and the UK Attorney General?
In due course, I'll examine the answers to those questions and others.
Kellygate is dauting in its complexity.
It will take me many posts to examine the evidence.
In the end you'll make up your own mind whether I'm some wacky "conspiracy theorist" or someone who has looked at the evidence, daunting though it is in its extent, and reached a rational, credible conclusion.
So, in the end, it's up to me to convince you in posts on this blog over the following weeks and months.
In the perspective of many commentators Gilligan's comments and the subsequent publicity those comments attracted were closely associated with Dr. David Kelly's supposed suicide on 17th July 2003.
Was David Kelly genuinely Andrew Gilligan's source?
Did Andrew Gilligan invent a deception or conspiracy in and around the Blair Government that had no basis in fact? Could Alastair Campbell, for once, have been telling the truth?
Or is it possible that Andrew Gilligan got it wrong not by inventing a conspiracy that didn't exist but by understating the extent and seriousness of the conspiracy that his remarks on the Today programme hinted at?
Is it possible that what I'm calling Kellygate (but which might equally be called Iraqgate) is a criminal conspiracy by those in and around the Blair Government that dwarfs Watergate in its criminality, its seriousness, and the extent of cover-up involving the UK judiciary, UK Police officers and the UK Attorney General?
In due course, I'll examine the answers to those questions and others.
Kellygate is dauting in its complexity.
It will take me many posts to examine the evidence.
In the end you'll make up your own mind whether I'm some wacky "conspiracy theorist" or someone who has looked at the evidence, daunting though it is in its extent, and reached a rational, credible conclusion.
So, in the end, it's up to me to convince you in posts on this blog over the following weeks and months.
Kellygate: Taking the scientific approach to examine theories about the death of Dr. David Kelly
Many people I've spoken to believe that David Kelly's death in 2003 was murder.
Many people I've spoken to believe that David Kelly's death was closely related to what may be called an illegal war in Iraq.
Many people I've spoken to believe that the Hutton Inquiry was no more than a sophisticated cover-up.
Three theories.
The scientific way to look at any theory whether it's a so-called "conspiracy theory" or not is carefully to examine the evidence that exists.
And where the evidence is missing to attempt to find additional evidence to allow the theory to be tested or refined.
That approach to a theory is called the "scientific method".
And that's the approach that I'll take.
I'll look at the three theories I listed earlier in this post and examine the evidence for and against them.
And, if I carry out that process successfully I should, over time, get closer and closer to the Truth about the death of Dr. David Kelly.
Many people I've spoken to believe that David Kelly's death was closely related to what may be called an illegal war in Iraq.
Many people I've spoken to believe that the Hutton Inquiry was no more than a sophisticated cover-up.
Three theories.
The scientific way to look at any theory whether it's a so-called "conspiracy theory" or not is carefully to examine the evidence that exists.
And where the evidence is missing to attempt to find additional evidence to allow the theory to be tested or refined.
That approach to a theory is called the "scientific method".
And that's the approach that I'll take.
I'll look at the three theories I listed earlier in this post and examine the evidence for and against them.
And, if I carry out that process successfully I should, over time, get closer and closer to the Truth about the death of Dr. David Kelly.
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