CE-JUL-2003 16 .53 FROM 020 7765 3000 70 67 .20 P .

01i02

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
ROOM 205, DLtJ WAR OFFICE BUILDING
WHITEHALL LONDON SWtA 2EU

Telephone: 020 721 821i 1/213

Fax: 020 721 87140
SECRETARY OF STATE Email : defenceseaetary0deence .mod.uk

NIO 6/17115C

8 July 2003

I am writing to draw to your attention an MOD statement which we shall be

issuing later today about Andrew Gi[lioan's 'single source'. This is enclosed .

You will see that we have not named the official within the MOD who has corne
forward, We would, however. be prepared to disciose his name to you in
confidence, on the basis that you would then immediately confirm or deny that
this is indeed Mr Gilfigan's source, in the interests of resolving what has
become a management problem for both our organisations.

I am sure yau will understand that this is not the same as divulging a source
since the individual has come forward.

GEc2FF IZi=Y HOON

Gavyn Davies Esq OBE

Chairman
Board of Governors
BBC

1.~8c~bli~--s ' ec.yded PaPer

OE-JUL-2003 16 :54 FROM 020 7705 3000 TO 67120 P .02i02

MOD STATEMENT

An individual working in the MOD has come forward to volurtteer that he met Andrew
Gilligan of the BBC on May 22 . It was an unauthorised meeting. It took p~ace one week
before Mr Gilligan broadcast allegations against the Government about the WNID dossier
on the Today programme.

The person who has come forward has volunteered that he has known Mr Gilligan for
some months. He says that he met Mr Gilligan in a central London hotel at Mr Gilligan's
request. During the conversation Mr Gilligan raised the Iraqi WMD programme, irrcluding
the '45 minutes' issue. The official says that Mr Gilligan also raised fhe issue of Alastair
Campbell .

The individual is an expert on 'NMD who has advised ministers or WMD and whose
contribution to the Dossier of September 2002 was to contribute towards drafts of historical
accounts of ldN inspections. He is rot 'ore of the senior officials in charge of drawing up
the dossier" . He is not a member of the Intelligence- Services or the Defence Intelligence
Staff.

He says that when Mr Giliigan asked about the role of Alastair Campbell with regard to the
45 minute issue, he made no comment and explained that he was not involved in the
process of drawling up the intelligence parts of the Dossier .

He says he made no other comment about Mr Campbell . When Mr Giliigan asked him
why the 45 minute point was in the Dossier, he says he commented that it was 'probably
far impact" . He says he did no`. seethe 45 minute inteiligence report on which it was
based .

He has said that, as an expert in the field, he believes Saddam liussein possessed WMD
Gilligan
We do not know whetherthis official is the single source quoted by lvtr Gilllgan . Mr
told the FAC he had only one source for his story, and that the other three sources he
mentioned to the FAC did nottatk to him aboutthe September Dossier, or did so after the
broadcast.
Chairman of the
The MOD, with the individual's agreement, intend to give his name to the
interview him as
Intelligence and Security Committee, in confidence, should they wfsh to
part of their inquiry.