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RSQNAL

Security & Intelligence Co-ordinator & Permanent Secretary

CABINET
OFFICE Sir David Omand KCB

70 WhitehaII . London SW1A 2AS

TELEPHONE : 020-72760178 . FnX: 020-7276 0128 . E-MAli: david omand@cabinet-offce.rgsi gov.uk

5 July 2003

Sir Kevin Tebbit KCB CMG

Permanent Under-Secretary of State
Ministry of Defence'

ANDREW GILLIGAN AND THE SINGLE SOURCE

Thank you for your letter of Friday afternoon. I discussed the

contents with Jonathan Powell, David Manning and John Scarlett that
evening. We recognised that at least part of the explanation of the
Gilligan story could rest on the discussion he had had with the official
who has now come forward. At the appropriate point it would be
incumbent upon us to inform the FAC (and the ISC) so that they were
not placed in a false position . But we also noted your caveat about the
need to be more certain of the facts before reaching any firm
conclusion, given certain apparent discrepancies. The Prime Minister
subsequently saw your letter and spoke to Jonathan Powell, and as I
relayed to you, he agreed that as you had recommended no immediate

the BBC until we were more sure of our ground.

The Prime Minister asked for a deeper analysis ofwhat the

official has actually said, read against the account Gilligan himself has
given the FAC and other statements by the BBC. You agreed to put
this in hand, in the light of the record being prepared by Richard
Hatfield . When we spoke later yesterday evening, we recognised that it
might be necessary for the individual to be re-interviewed on Monday .

Your follow-up letter on Saturday has also been seen by the

Prime Minister, who was grateful for the further information in it. He
discussed the options with me on Sunday morning. I was able to pass
on to him the view of the Foreign Secretary, relayed to me by the FCO
Resident Clerk on Saturday evening, against any immediate action with
the FAC in advance of the publication of their report on Monday (their
Report is complete and some members of the Committee are now

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abroad) . The Prime Minister concluded that notwithstanding the

further circumstantial details in your second letter he agreed with your
recommendation that there were still too many unknowns for us to
approach the FAC now . But we may need to react quickly if the
meeting of BBC Governors tonight or comment on the FAC Report
changes the position. As I reported to you this afternoon the PM is
appearing before the Liaison Committee on Tuesday and you will need
to submit updated advice for that appearance in any case.

We agreed that you will circulate the detailed account of the first
interview as soon as possible, and consider whether to reinterview the
individual on Monday. I should add that the Prime Minister was
minded to ask that the ISC be fully briefed in confidence on the case -
the timing we can consider in the light ofyour further advice.

I am copying this letter to Andrew Turnbull, David Manning and

Jonathan Powell, Eliza Manningham-Buller and John Scarlett, and to
the Private Secretary to Michael Jay (whom you contacted yesterday) .

David Omand

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