The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

538. In a letter to Mr Tam Dalyell on 16 July 2003, Mr Blair wrote:

“I have always made it clear that the Foreword was signed by me and was separate

to the Executive Summary and the body of the text of the … dossier …

…

“The Foreword was put to the Chairman of the JIC who confirmed at the time that

there was nothing which conflicted with the contents of the dossier.”275

539. Asked whether he had drafted the Foreword, Mr Campbell told the ISC that

normally he, “Jonathan Powell and others would have ideas and we’d probably have a

discussion with the Prime Minister”.276 In relation to the Foreword in the dossier, Mr Blair

had been “very ‘hands on’ in terms of what was produced and what was sent … to

John Scarlett”.

540. Mr Scarlett told the ISC that he had checked and amended the draft Foreword “for

factual accuracy and consistency with the text”, but he regarded it “as a policy statement

by the Prime Minister”.277

541. Mr Campbell told the Hutton Inquiry that he had “prepared a draft [of the Foreword]

based upon a discussion with the Prime Minister, and with others, about what should go

into that draft”.278

542. Asked about how the Foreword had been produced, Mr Blair told the Hutton

Inquiry:

“… as I say in my statement … I would have told Alastair Campbell what are the

items I think that are important, specific points that should be in it, on the basis of

the drafts produced … I should say at this point that probably my statement [to

Parliament on 24 September] was the thing I was concentrating most upon.”279

543. In his subsequent evidence to the Hutton Inquiry, Mr Campbell confirmed

that the Foreword had been drafted on the basis of a discussion with Mr Blair and

Mr Campbell’s colleagues.280

544. Mr Campbell told the Inquiry that Mr Blair had:

“… said in terms intelligence can’t give you the whole picture, intelligence

is not necessarily always going to be right, but the intelligence he saw …

and as it was explained to him and as he had repeated discussions and

275 Letter Blair to Dalyell, 16 July 2003, [untitled].

276 The Hutton Inquiry, ‘Extracts of evidence given by Alastair Campbell to ISC 17/07/03’, page 11.

277 Intelligence and Security Committee, Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction – Intelligence and

Assessments, Cm5972, September 2003, paragraph 76.

278 The Hutton Inquiry, public hearing, 19 August 2003, page 44.

279 The Hutton Inquiry, public hearing, 28 August 2003, pages 8-9.

280 The Hutton Inquiry, public hearing, 22 September 2003, page 173.

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