The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
for action
against Iraq. He will want neither to be too far in front, or
behind, US
policy. As
one FCO official pointed out to us, if Blair unleashes a full scale
campaign
in
Parliament and with the general public when Parliament returns from
the Easter
recess, and
the US policy turns out to be on a longer-term trajectory, when the
time
comes for
action, the PM may find that his preparations have come unglued. On
the
other hand,
if he waits too long, then the keystone of any coalition that we
wish to
build may
not be firmly in place. No doubt these are the calculations that
Blair hopes
to firm up
when he meets the President at Crawford …”
562.
Mr Peter
Watkins, Mr Hoon’s Principal Private Secretary, sent a report of a
visit
to Washington
by MOD officials to Sir David Manning on 4 April (see Section
6.1).213
563.
Sir David
Manning added in a manuscript comment: “… further request
from
Geoff Hoon
that you should persuade Bush to include us in the US military
planning
564.
Mr Campbell
wrote that on 3 April Mr Blair “was anxious that we get the
focus
for the
meeting at Crawford … off Iraq simply and on to the Middle
East”.215
565.
Mr Rycroft
sent Mr Blair an updated briefing pack for the meetings at
Crawford
to Mr
Blair on 4 April.216
For Iraq,
that comprised:
•
the folders
of background papers requested by Mr Blair;
•
a FCO
steering brief;
•
Sir
Christopher Meyer’s telegram of 1 April;
•
the latest
version of the draft paper for public release on Iraq’s
WMD;
•
a draft
paper on Iraq’s human rights abuses;
•
background
papers on the Iraqi opposition and the weapons
inspectors;
•
the letter
from Mr Charles Kennedy expressing concern about military
action;
and
•
further
background papers on ensuring the security of energy
supply.
213
Letter
Watkins to Manning, 4 April 2002, ‘Iraq’.
214
Manuscript
comment Manning to PM, 5 April 2002 on Letter Watkins to Manning, 4
April 2002, ‘Iraq’.
215
Campbell A
& Hagerty B. The
Alastair Campbell Diaries. Volume 4. The Burden of Power:
Countdown
to
Iraq. Hutchinson,
2012.
216
Minute
Rycroft to Prime Minister, 4 April 2002, ‘Texas’.
490