6.1 |
Development of the military options for an invasion of
Iraq
281.
Mr Hoon
recommended that rather than “simply” generally probing
Secretary
Rumsfeld on
Washington thinking:
“… there
would be more mileage in raising practicalities. I would make clear
that our
conditions
for involvement in military action remain as you have set them out
…”
“Further,
by raising in general terms, that our contingency planning has
shown
we need
plenty of warning in order to be able to contribute to military
action I
would
reinforce the need for the UK to be exposed fully to US thinking as
soon
as possible.”
283.
Mr Blair
wrote alongside the last point: “No, that will send a wobbly
message.”135
284.
Mr Blair
and Mr Hoon met Secretary Rumsfeld on 5 June.136
285.
Mr Blair’s
statement that the UK would be with the US in any military
action,
and that
would best be done by ensuring a broad coalition and avoiding
unintended
consequences,
and wider issues of the policy towards Iraq, are addressed
in
Section 3.3.
286.
Secretary
Rumsfeld indicated that the US would begin discussions with the
UK
“at the
military level” so that the UK was “informed of – and ‘to the
extent appropriate’
involved in
– US military planning”.
287.
Mr Hoon
spoke to Secretary Rumsfeld again on 17 June and asked him if
he
was in a
position to authorise contact between General Myers and Adm Boyce
on
288.
A paper
identifying a concept for a campaign plan, with three
illustrative
military
options, was prepared for a Chiefs of Staff discussion on 18
June.
289.
The paper
demonstrates that thinking was still at a very early
stage,
but
it provides a useful insight into the assumptions being made
at that time
by the most
senior official and military personnel who had access to
the
Pigott Group
thinking.
290.
As this
Report shows, many of those assumptions underpinned
subsequent
policy
advice.
135
Manuscript
comment Blair on Minute Hoon
to Prime Minister, 31 May 2002, ‘Iraq’.
136
Letter
Rycroft to Watkins, 5 June 2002, ‘Prime Minister’s Meeting with
Rumsfeld, 5 June: Iraq’.
137
Minute
Watkins to DG Op Pol, 17 June 2002, ‘Iraq: Telephone Call with
Rumsfeld’.
217