Dr Hans Blix, the former UN weapons inspector who led the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, will speak on “Truth, Lies and WMDs” at a conference in Cambridge later this month.

The conference, entitled Debating The Evidence: Freedom of Information? will also feature contributions from Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Britain’s former ambassador to the UN and former UK special representative in Iraq; and the outspoken left-wing politician Tony Benn, who openly opposed the Iraq war.

Members of the public are invited to book a place at the event, which will be hosted by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) in conjunction with the Churchill Archives Centre. It will use Iraq as a case study to discuss freedom of information and what counts as sufficient “evidence” in the world of the political policy-maker.

“The events leading up to the Iraq war and its legacy have raised important questions about freedom of information,” CRASSH Director Mary Jacobus said. “For example, how does the evidence for the existence of weapons of mass destruction – or lack of it – affect how we should be gathering or interpreting evidence?

“Does arms inspection offer a case-study for the uses and abuse of evidence? How much does expert evidence influence political decision making? And how much do we now know, or not know, about the circumstances surrounding the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath?”

Broader issues, including whether the public is entitled to full disclosure of information and whether the government has a right to withhold information from the public, will also come under scrutiny. The conference will also examine how historians struggle with restricted access when drawing on archival resources, potentially compromising their ability to tell the truth.

The conference will take place on November 24 at Wolfson Hall, Churchill College, Storey’s Way, Cambridge. There will be four panel-based discussions in all, each examining a different aspect of “freedom of information” in the context of the Iraq war:

• Government Responsibility vs. The Right to Know. Chair: Professor Tony Badger (Master of Clare College, Mellon Professor of American History, University of Cambridge). With: The Rt. Hon. Tony Benn and Lord Wilson of Dinton (Master of Emmanuel College and former Cabinet Secretary).

• Secrecy and the Historical Record. Chair: Mr Allen Packwood (Director, Churchill Archives Centre). With: Ms Gill Bennett (Former Head of Foreigh and Commonwealth Office Historians); Professor David Edgerton (Author of Warfare State and Hans Rausing Professor of History of Science and Technology at Imperial College, London); Dr Piers Brendon (Former Keeper, Churchill Archives Centre).

• Truth, Lies and WMD. Chair: Bridget Kendall (BBC Diplomatic Correspondent). With: Dr Hans Blix (Chairman, Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission) and Sir Jeremy Greenstock (Director, Ditchley Foundation and former UK Representative to the UN and to Iraq).

• The Iraq War and After. Chair: Mary Jacobus (Director of CRASSH and Grace 2 Professor of English, University of Cambridge). With: Mr Oliver Miles (former UK Ambassador to Libya and to Greece); Patrick Cockburn (Author of The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq and Foreign Correspondent, The Independent); Bridget Kendall (BBC Diplomatic Correspondent).

A full programme of events and booking information are available by following the appropriate link at the size of this page.

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