The Bush–Blair Iraq-war planning memorandum

A classified looking memo from the period before the Iraq War described discussions at the highest levels of the British and American governments about how a confrontation with Saddam Hussein's regime might be provoked. The document was described as "extremely sensitive" and reportedly recorded conversations between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Among the options attributed to Bush was the idea of sending U2 reconnaissance aircraft over Iraq with fighter escorts while painting the planes in United Nations colors. The thinking was that if Iraqi forces fired on them, Saddam would have committed a clear breach that could be used to justify further action.

Another proposal reportedly involved bringing forward an Iraqi defector who could publicly present information about Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction. The document therefore became significant not simply because of what it said about Iraq, but because it described possible ways of creating a confrontation or strengthening the public case for one.