The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
Iraq would
have to consider the risk of US retaliation … On balance, we judge
the
threat of
Iraqi WMD terrorism is slight, unless the
regime was under serious and
imminent
threat of collapse.”
255.
Mr Jonathan
Powell drew the report of 26 November from the British
Embassy
Washington
to Mr Blair’s attention, commenting: “This is what I was talking
about.
We ought
to have a brainstorming session.”128
256.
Mr Blair
responded: “Get our own strategy ready.”129
257.
Sir Richard
Dearlove, the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS),
wrote
to Sir
David Manning on 27 November, alerting him to a likely discussion
about
“Phase 2”
of the “War against Terrorism” between US
Principals130
the
following week.
He
suggested:
“The end of
this week would therefore be a very good moment for us to feed
our
thinking
into the Washington machine at a variety of levels
…”131
258.
Copies of the
letter were sent to the Private Offices of Mr Straw and Mr
Hoon
and to
Sir Richard Wilson, Admiral Michael Boyce (Chief of the Defence
Staff) and
Sir John
Kerr (FCO Permanent Under Secretary).
259.
On 27
November, Sir David Manning wrote to Mr McKane: “You will now
reconvene
the group
to look at Iraq again as a “Phase 2” issue.”132
260.
In the context
of a discussion about Afghanistan on 28 November, Sir
David
Manning
asked Dr Rice about progress in US thinking. His comment, that the
UK was
“giving a
great deal of thought to Phase 2 issues and would want to share our
ideas”,
261.
Mr Powell
produced a second note for Mr Blair advocating a strategy
for
regime
change based on a demand for the return of inspectors and the use
of
military
force to support an internal uprising, with public lines explaining
why Iraq
was a
threat.
128
Manuscript
comment Powell to PM on Telegram 1589 Washington to FCO London, 26
November 2001,
‘Iraq: US Policy
on Regime Change’.
129
Manuscript
comment Blair on Telegram 1589 Washington to FCO London, 26
November 2001,
‘Iraq: US
Policy on Regime Change’.
130
A Committee
of the US National Security Council – see Box in Section
1.2.
131
Letter C to
Manning, 27 November 2001, ‘Phase II of the War against
terrorism’.
132
Manuscript
comment Manning to McKane, 27 November 2001 on Minute Manning to
McKane,
23 November
2001, ‘Iraq’.
133
Letter
Manning to McDonald, 28 November 2001, ‘Conversation with Condi
Rice’.
356