description Official Secrets Overview
Official Secrets depicts the events surrounding Katharine Gun’s exposure of an intelligence operation involving American and British agencies. The film centers on her actions regarding attempts to influence United Nations diplomats concerning a vote related to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Keira Knightley portrays Gun in this dramatization of the case.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
info Official Secrets Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 2019 |
help Official Secrets FAQ
What secret did Katharine Gun leak in Official Secrets?
Gun leaked an NSA email asking Britain's GCHQ to help gather compromising information on United Nations diplomats. The operation targeted countries whose votes could influence authorization for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Is Official Secrets based on a true story?
Yes. Keira Knightley portrays real GCHQ translator Katharine Gun, who admitted leaking the memo after it appeared in The Observer. She was prosecuted under Britain's Official Secrets Act before the case was dropped.
Why was there controversy over the memo's spelling?
The Observer converted American spellings in the NSA email into British English when preparing its printed story. Critics used those changes to question the document, even though the newspaper possessed the original version.
Who defended Katharine Gun in the film?
Ralph Fiennes plays human-rights lawyer Ben Emmerson, part of the Liberty legal team that represents her. The defense examines whether the threatened war was lawful and why the government avoided testing that issue in court.
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