MI6 anger over war intelligence (The Guardian)

Agency tells Butler inquiry it never again wants to be used by politicians to justify military action

Patrick Wintour, chief political correspondent
Wednesday April 7, 2004

<snip>

MI6 has told members of the Butler inquiry into the role of the intelligence services in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq that it never again wants to be used by politicians to provide a public case for going to war.

Tony Blair made the intelligence assessments provided by MI6 a central tenet of his case for war against Saddam Hussein. Now the secret intelligence services have let it be known to the inquiry that the view of most MI6 people is that they do not again want to become embroiled in justifying what was an essentially political argument for military action.

The inquiry, which sits in private, has learned of concerns that politicians misunderstand the vocabulary, language and ambiguities when interpreting intelligence assessments. Politicians have little or no training in interpreting intelligence.

At the very least, the Foreign Office, rather than Downing Street, should keep control of the political use of intelligence, it has been suggested.

<snip>

Link: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1187370,00.html

Wonder if we can get the same deal over here?

Oh Mr. Tenet... Paging Mr. Tenet !!!

:shrug:

It is bad when MI6 wants to cut the P.M. out the loop. It would be wrong to do so (political oversight is still needed in a democracy), but it shows how angry they must be with Blair and Bush.

"At the very least, the Foreign Office, rather than Downing Street, should keep control of the political use of intelligence, it has been suggested."