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Profile: Prime Minister Tony Blair Under Fire for Intelligence Report That Appears to be Plagiarized
All Things Considered: February 8, 2003
 Questions Cloud Blair's Iraqi Arms Report
JACKI LYDEN, host:
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Jacki Lyden. Steve Inskeep's away.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is under fire today after revelations that an intelligence report about Iraq's weapons program that his office made public this week was, in large part, plagiarized. NPR's Guy Raz has been following the story, and he joins me now from London.
Guy, apparently, 10 out of the 19 pages of this dossier were plagiarized. Tell us more about what was on offer.
GUY RAZ reporting:
Well, inside of this dossier was intelligence reports that seemed to indicate Iraqi intelligence agencies were helping foreign terrorist groups and were also helping to hide Iraq's alleged chemical and biological weapons program. A lot of the information in these reports is not new and hasn't been new. What's interesting is that the British government, under Tony Blair, was the first government to release any kind of evidence last September. When many world leaders were asking for intelligence reports, Blair released it. Every few weeks, he's been updating it on the Downing Street Web site. This is the latest update of the report. And the problem with this one is much of the information in it was simply unattributed to public sources that would be available to you and me and other people looking on the Internet.
LYDEN: Does this suggest that the British government has it wrong, that there is not sufficient evidence, at least not this case?
RAZ: No, no. The evidence is still backed up by well-established sources. As far as its accuracy, the plagiarism issue doesn't change whether or not it's true. That decision still rests with the person who reads it. But the government made it out to seem like the findings were painstakingly gathered by the foreign intelligence agency here, MI6, and obviously, that's not the whole story.
LYDEN: What does this do to Blair's case before the British public about galvanizing support for the war, since it's already been overwhelming opposed?
RAZ: Well, Jacki, Tony Blair is obviously embarrassed about the situation, but in reality, his hold on power in this country is so firm and it's so stable that it doesn't really damage his ability to maintain the support he already has for war, at least, you know, among his top party colleagues and members of the British military establishment. I mean, he is convinced about Iraqi disarmament, probably more than any other leader in the world. And he's taking that position against, as you say, massive public opposition to war in this country and an emerging split within his own Labor Party. Next week, we are expected to see half a million demonstrators come to central London to rally against the war. So Blair is really facing a public that is largely against this, and yet, he remains firmly convinced that he's doing the right thing.
LYDEN: NPR's Guy Raz in London. Thanks very much, Guy.
RAZ: Thanks, Jacki.
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