The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

524. The same version of the Foreword was sent to members of the JIC with the

following message from Mr Scarlett:

“This is under active discussion now and reflects amendments I have made. The aim

is to have the text agreed by close of play today. Please come ready to discuss at

this afternoon’s JIC meeting.”263

525. The Government has been unable to find the original document but an email

to Sir David Omand and Mr Miller indicates that it was dispatched late morning on

18 September.264

526. Mr Campbell informed Mr Scarlett on 18 September that Mr Blair had “signed

off” the Foreword, and that it incorporated “all the points you made on the draft I sent

yesterday”.265

527. Sir David Omand responded to Mr Scarlett on 18 September:

“Coming on well. You will have more than enough comment. Highlighted on the

attached copy are a few suggested polishings.”266

528. The changes proposed by Sir David included amending:

• the text in the first sentence of the first paragraph, to read: “… in large part,

on secret intelligence, as assessed by the Joint Intelligence Committee …”;

• the third paragraph to read: “In recent months, I have been increasingly alarmed

by the evidence from inside Iraq that despite sanctions, despite the damage

done to his capability in the past, and despite the UNSCRs expressly outlawing

it, and despite his denials, Saddam Hussein is continuing to develop WMD …”;

• the fifth paragraph by replacing the words “the JIC reports to me have” in the

first sentence with the words “the assessed intelligence has”;

• the eighth paragraph by replacing the reference in the second sentence to

Saddam Hussein seeing “possession of WMD” as vital to his strategic interests

with the phrase “building up of his WMD capability”, and adding a reference

in the final sentence to hiding weapons as one of the ways to avoid giving

them up; and

• the final paragraph by replacing the reference to information given to Mr Blair

by the JIC over the last three years with a reference to the information “available”

to Mr Blair.

263 Note, [18 September 2002], ‘Message from John Scarlett’.

264 Email JIC Action Desk to Omand & Miller, 18 September 2002, ‘Urgent message to JIC members

& enclosure’.

265 Email Hatfield on behalf of Campbell to Scarlett, 18 September 2002, ‘Foreword’.

266 Email Omand to JIC Action desk, 18 September 2002, ‘Revised Foreword’ attaching ‘Scarlett amended

Draft TB Foreword – dossier.doc’.

212