Memo Reveals Bush Told Blair in 2003 That Iraq War Was Set Regardless of UN Findings

A confidential British government memorandum shows that President George W. Bush told Prime Minister Tony Blair at a January 31, 2003 Oval Office meeting that he intended to invade Iraq whether or not UN weapons inspectors uncovered evidence of unconventional arms, the New York Times reported in March 2006.

The five-page document, written by Blair's senior foreign policy adviser David Manning and stamped 'extremely sensitive,' indicated that military planners had tentatively scheduled the start of bombing for 10 March 2003, just weeks after the two leaders met privately for two hours.

The timing was notable because Secretary of State Colin Powell was set to address the UN Security Council five days after that meeting to argue that Iraq concealed prohibited weapons.

According to the memo, Bush floated several ideas for provoking a confrontation if no weapons were found before the invasion, including disguising a US surveillance aircraft with UN markings to invite Iraqi fire, or killing President Saddam Hussein.

Both leaders reportedly expected a swift military victory and a manageable transition to a new Iraqi government, with Bush dismissing the likelihood of sectarian conflict among Iraq's religious and ethnic communities. The memo had been partially referenced in a 2006 book before the Times reviewed the full document.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2006, in its own words.