4.2 |
Iraq WMD assessments, July to September 2002
628.
AM French
confirmed to the Hutton Inquiry that, having seen Dr Jones’
minute
of 19
September, he had been content with the dossier.342
629.
In response to
a question about whether Mr Scarlett had “tightened” the
language
in the
dossier in the draft of 18 September, to take account of the points
raised by
Mr Campbell
in his minute of 17 September rather than the points raised by the
DIS
the same
day, Mr Cragg replied: “Yes.”343
630.
Asked about
the way in which he had dealt with the comments provided by the
DIS
and
Mr Campbell on 17 September, Mr Scarlett told the Hutton
Inquiry that the issues
raised by
the DIS had been discussed in Mr Miller’s meeting before
Mr Campbell’s
631.
Mr Scarlett
told Lord Hutton that the intelligence on weapons being available
for use
within 45
minutes “came from an established and reliable source quoting a
senior Iraqi
military
officer in a position to know this information”.345
It had been
“judged straight away
that the
intelligence was consistent with established JIC judgements on the
command
control and
logistical arrangements and capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces
… [F]or the
first time
in our reporting it gave a particular time, gave some
precision.”
632.
Mr Scarlett
stated that:
•
It had been
agreed that the Assessments Staff would look again at
the
Assessment
and the intelligence report to “bring the text … into line with
what
the
Assessment and the intelligence said”.
•
In relation
to the DIS suggestion that the wording in the Executive
Summary
should be
qualified by adding “intelligence suggests that”, the Assessments
Staff
had taken
the view that “it was not possible to qualify” its judgement in
that way:
“It was not
a summary of the main points in the text, it was a
judgement.”
633.
Mr Scarlett
stated that the main text in the dossier was redrafted to
reflect
the
“original intelligence which contained no caveat of uncertainty”
and the
342
The
National Archives, 28 January 2004, Report of
the Inquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding
the Death
of Dr David Kelly [“The Hutton
Report”], paragraph 195.
343
The
National Archives, 28 January 2004, Report of
the Inquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding
the Death
of Dr David Kelly [“The Hutton
Report”], paragraph 192.
344
The
National Archives, 28 January 2004, Report of
the Inquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding
the Death
of Dr David Kelly [“The Hutton
Report”], paragraph 214.
345
The
National Archives, 28 January 2004, Report of
the Inquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding
the Death
of Dr David Kelly [“The Hutton
Report”], paragraph 184.
346
The
National Archives, 28 January 2004, Report of
the Inquiry into the Circumstances Surrounding
the Death
of Dr David Kelly [“The Hutton
Report”], paragraph 214.
235