Bush–Blair 2003 Iraq memo: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Secret US/UK memo relating to Iraq invasion (2003)}}{{Refimprove|date=October 2010}}

The '''Bush-Blair memo''' was a secret memo of a meeting between [[United States|American]] [[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush]] and [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]] that took place on [[January 31]] [[2003]]. It purportedly showed that the Bush administration had already decided on the US [[invasion of Iraq]] at that point.

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}}

[[File:President_George_W._Bush_and_British_Prime_Minister_Tony_Blair_address_the_media.jpg|thumb|[[Tony Blair]] and [[George W. Bush]] addressing the media after privately discussing the Iraq War]]

The '''Bush–Blair 2003 Iraq memo''' or '''Manning memo''' is a secret [[Memorandum|memo]] of a two-hour meeting between [[American President]] [[George W. Bush]] and [[British Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]] that took place on 31 January 2003 at the [[White House]]. The memo purportedly shows at that point, the administrations of Bush and Blair had already decided that the [[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.

ItThe memo has become controversial for its content, which showsincludes discussing ways to provoke [[Saddam Hussein]] into a confrontation, with Bush floating the idea of painting a [[Lockheed U-2|U-2 spyplane]] in [[United Nations|UN]] (UN) colors and letting it fly low over [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraq]] to provoke theIraq then-leaderinto [[Saddam Hussein]] to shootshooting it down, thus providing a pretext for Americathe and Britain's [[2003 Invasion of Iraq|subsequent invasion]]. It also shows the two making a secret deal to carry out said invasion regardless of whether or not [[weapons of mass destruction]] were discovered by UN weapons inspectors, in direct contradiction with statements Blair made to Parliament afterwards that Saddam would be given a final chance to disarm.

It also shows Bush and Blair were making a secret deal to carry out the invasion regardless of whether [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction]] were discovered by UN weapons inspectors, in direct contradiction to statements made by Blair to [[British Parliament]] afterwards that Saddam would be given a final chance to disarm.

The memo was written by Blair's chief foreign adviser at the time, [[David Manning]]. In it, Bush is paraphrased as saying:

{{cquote|The start date for the military campaign was now pencilled in for 10 March. This was when the bombing would begin.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4849744.stm |title=Bush-Blair Iraq war memo revealed|publisher=[[BBC News Online]]|date=[[2006-03-27]]}}</ref>}}

{{cquote|TheAccording start date forto the militarymemo, campaignBush wasis nowparaphrased pencilledas in for 10 March. This was when the bombing would begin.saying:<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4849744.stm |title=Bush-Blair Iraq war memo revealed|publisherwork=[[BBC News Online]]|date=[[2006-03-March 27]], 2003}}</ref>}}

Five pages long and classified as ''extremely sensitive'', the existence of the memo was first alleged by [[Philippe Sands]] in his book ''[[Lawless World (book)|Lawless World]]''. It was then obtained by American [[newspaper]] ''[[The New York Times]]'', who confirmed its authenticity.

{{quote|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 [[wikt:internecine|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/international/europe/27memo.html |title=Bush Was Set on Path to War, Memo by British Adviser Says |first=Don |last=Van Natta Jr. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 27, 2006}}</ref>

UK [[Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrat]] leader Sir [[Menzies Campbell]] said, on 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.”'' It was also discussed on BBC World programme [[Dateline London]] by a panel of commentators in the early morning of [[February 6]] [[2006]], the commentators seemed to agree that the memo just confirmed what they already believed to be the case. <!-->Don't know how to source a TV show..<-->

UK [[Liberal Democrats (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."<ref>{{cite news|title=Blair 'backed Iraq war while seeking UN resolution'|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/blair-backed-iraq-war-while-seeking-un-resolution-1.770568|accessdate=February 10, 2018|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=February 2, 2006}}</ref>

==See also==

{{wikinews|Further details about Bush-Blair memo stopped}}

*[[Iraq document leak 18 September 2004]]

*[[Bush-Aznar memo]]

*[[Casus belli]]

*[[Downing Street memo]]

*[[2004 Iraq document leak 18 September 2004]]

*[[Movement to impeach George W. Bush]]

*[[September Dossier]]

*[[Iraq Dossier]]

*[[Butler Review]]

*[[Iraq Inquiry]]

*[[Yellowcake forgery]]

*[[Plame affair]]

*[[Propaganda]]

*[[Dr. David Kelly]]

*[[Operation Rockingham]]

*[[Hussein Kamel al-Majid]] and his Testimony for [[UNSCOM]] 8-22-1995.

*[[Iraqi aluminum tubes]]

*[[Project for the New American Century]]

*[[Wolfowitz Doctrine]]

*[[Bush Doctrine]]

*[[Scott Ritter]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

<references />

==External links==

*[http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2006/02/02/the_white_house_meeting_that_took_us_to_war.html The White House meeting that took us to war] By Oliver King, [[Guardian Unlimited]], February 2, 2006

*[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,,1700881,00.html Blair-Bush deal before Iraq war revealed in secret memo] by Richard Norton-Taylor, [[The Guardian]], February 3, 2006

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080517060940/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3%2C%2C3-2023128,00%2C00.html Bush 'tried to lure Saddam into war using UN aircraft'] by Rosemary Bennett and Michael Evans, [[The Times]], February 3, 2006

*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/worldtoday/news/story/2006/02/060203_sands.shtml Fresh claims about the build-up to Iraq war] by [[BBC World Service]], February 3, 2006

*[httphttps://fairusewww.100webcustomersnytimes.com/eg2006/nyt24503/27/international/europe/27memo.html Bush Was Set on Path to War, Memo by British Adviser Says] by Don Van Natta Jr., ''New York Times'', March 27, 2006

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[[Category:Causes and prelude of the 2003 Iraq conflict]]

[[Category:George W. Bush administration controversies]]

[[Category:Tony Blair]]

[[Category:Stances and opinions regarding the 2003 Iraq conflict]]

[[Category:Anglo-American relations]]

[[Category:2003 in the United Kingdom]]

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[[Category:Causes and prelude of the 2003 Iraq conflictWar]]

[[Category:George W. Bush administration controversies]]

[[Category:Memoranda]]

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[[Category:Presidency of George W. Bush]]

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[[Category:Anglo-AmericanUnited Kingdom–United States relations]]

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