SERIOUS concerns about the Iraq weapons dossier were expressed by an intelligence official on the day the final draft was being signed off, it emerged yesterday.

An analyst working for the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) wrote to Tony Cragg, former deputy chief of defence intelligence, on September 20 claiming that many of the statements in the dossier were “too strong” given the available intelligence.

He was particularly concerned about claims in the foreword and the summary concerning Saddam Hussein’s continued production of chemical and biological weapons and that weapons of mass destruction could be fired within 45 minutes of an order.

The analyst’s identity was protected in documents published by the Hutton inquiry. He raised similar concerns with Brian Jones, a senior official in the DIS, who wrote to Mr Cragg setting them out on September 19. Mr Cragg, who retired this year, told James Dingemans, QC, yesterday that he did not see the second memo because he went on holiday on September 19.

The analyst’s letter referred to the final September 20 draft of the dossier, but there is no evidence that his memo was seen by anyone before the dossier went to the printers.

In his memo the analyst said: “The 20th September draft still includes a number of statements which are not supported by the evidence available to me.” He refers to the Prime Minister’s foreword, where he stated that intelligence had established “beyond doubt” that Saddam had continued to produce chemical and biological weapons.

“I acknowledge that in this statement the Prime Minister will be expressing his own ‘belief’ about what the assessed intelligence has established. What I wish to record is that based on the intelligence available to me it has NOT established beyond doubt that Saddam has continued to produce chemical and bioligical weapons.”

He was also concerned that the dossier’s executive summary stated that some weapons of mass destruction “are deployable within 45 minutes of an order to use them”. He said: “This is based on a single source. The judgment is too strong considering the intelligence on which it was based.”

An internal BBC note made by Gavyn Davies, the BBC Chairman, states that he received a phone call from an MP who claimed that he had discussed the September dossier with an MI6 official.

“The MI6 official said that the provisos which related to the 45-minute claim were removed from the original intelligence reports before the September dossier was published. He said that this had been done by Alastair Campbell,” says the memo.

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