Re: Powell's Exquisite Evidence: Internet Plagiarism

If intelligence services have to exist, one would dearly hope that 
they have some integrity. Unfortunately, this case might be more like 
carping and inter-agency, or inter-unit carping.

The plagiarised report was apparently NOT by MI6 but by Blair's 
spinmeister at No. 10, the 'public communications/PR' people. Do take 
a look at Glen Rangwalla's original piece; Rangwalla was the one who 
detected the plagiarism The names of the original authors were left 
in the Microsoft Word file in the early release.

kj khoo


At 11:34 PM +0100 9/2/03, Carl Nordlund wrote:
> Just sketching up a conspiracy thought here, for the fun of it. Moderator:
> if irrelevant, please refrain from posting to WSN!
>
> Remember the paper that leaked from the UK Ministry of Defence a couple of
> weeks ago where it clearly was stated that there are no links between Iraq
> and al-Qaeda?
> (http://europe.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/02/05/sprj.irq.blair.alqaeda.ap/inde
> x.html) Such leaks are, as I understand it, not that very common.
>
> Well, what if this latest intelligence scandal, with Powell using a MI6
> report based on outdated academic journal stuff, which is such an incredible
> stupid way of conducting intelligence, had as its intention just what has
> happened now? I can't believe MI6 or the UK intelligences in general can
> have overseen the possibility that at least someone did recognize the
> report's text!
>
> So: perhaps the Xeroxing done by MI6, as well as the previous leaking of the
> Ministry of Defence report to Channel 4, both were intentional?
>
> Why? There are perhaps a number of motives in this 'intentional' scenario:
> UK showing a firm committment to the USA and its war drums, while at the
> same time de facto undermining the arguments for going to war, thus perhaps
> not following Blair's own personal committment (who, if I remember
> correctly, was prepared to 'risk it all' on this issue, 'all' here referring
> to his position as PM) but still following UK, not to mention European,
> public opinion. Intelligence organizations are built up over quite a long
> time frame - perhaps there are internal political motives behind committing
> these two blunders?
>
> /Carl Nordlund