How a GCHQ Analyst Exposed a Secret Operation to Manipulate the United Nations

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 2003, Katharine Gun leaked a classified memo revealing a joint US-UK plan to blackmail diplomats into supporting the invasion of Iraq. The resulting film, Official Secrets, chronicles her legal battle against the British government and the high-stakes effort to suppress the truth about the war's origins.

The 2019 film Official Secrets dramatizes the true story of Katharine Gun, a GCHQ analyst who risked everything to prevent what she believed was an illegal war. In early 2003, Gun intercepted a memo from Frank Koza, an NSA official, outlining a scheme to spy on diplomats from six non-permanent UN Security Council member states. The goal was to gather incriminating information to pressure these nations into voting for a resolution authorizing the invasion of Iraq. Disturbed by the prospect of the UK entering a conflict under false pretenses, Gun leaked the document to the press.

The publication of the memo in March 2003 by The Observer sparked immediate controversy. While the Drudge Report attempted to dismiss the document as a forgery due to a minor spelling discrepancy, the newspaper verified its authenticity. Following the leak, Gun was arrested and charged under the Official Secrets Act. The British government, led by the Blair administration, sought to make an example of her. Her defense, supported by lawyers from Liberty, rested on the argument that she acted to prevent an unlawful act of aggression, a stance bolstered by evidence that the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, had been pressured to change his legal assessment of the war.

The film, directed by Gavin Hood and starring Keira Knightley, faced a long and difficult production history. Initially conceived as early as 2008, the project underwent multiple casting changes and delays before filming finally commenced in 2018 across locations including Yorkshire, Manchester, and Liverpool. Upon its 2019 release, the film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising Knightley's performance. Sam Husseini, a journalist who followed the case from its inception, noted that the film serves as a remarkably accurate depiction of the events, highlighting that the broader implications of the story remain a subject of significant historical interest.

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