He had done nothing wrong - and the decisions taken to name Dr David Kelly had little to do with him.
He told the Hutton Inquiry that, on the day that top Government figures including the Prime Minister met to decide the naming strategy, he was "not party to those discussions" despite the fact the MOD was supposed to be in charge.
He denied "any suggestion there was some sort of conspiracy, some sort of strategy, some sort of plan covertly to make his name known. That was not the case," said Mr Hoon.
The inquiry also heard more details about Dr Kelly's state of mind in the days leading up to his death. Dr Kelly told a colleague that the pressure from being questioned by two Parliamentary Select Committees was worse than his PhD interview.
And on the morning he died, Dr Kelly had said "it had all come to a head" and that his wife was taking it really badly and was very upset.
The Inquiry wanted to know what role Mr Hoon had played in Dr Kelly's name becoming public and Mr Hoon's evidence painted a picture of a Cabinet Minister who was guided by Downing Street and by his own senior civil servants.
Despite recent headlines, the Defence Secretary did not sound like a man who was resigned to the role of scapegoat. Geoff Hoon repeatedly distanced himself from most of the key decisions under investigation.
Mr Hoon was asked about what the inquiry has called the fall-back position; the decision to write to the BBC with Dr Kelly's name and try to force the BBC to admit he was the source for their allegations.
James Dingemans who questions witnesses on behalf of Lord Hutton asked Mr Hoon:
James Dingemans QC:
'Whose decision was it to implement that fall back position?"
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
'I think that came out of the meeting on the Tuesday in the Cabinet Office involving David Omand and others. I simply -- I was given a message to the effect that it was now appropriate for me to write to the Chairman of the governors. Given that this is something that I had wanted to do for some time, you know, I was certainly willing to do that.'
James Dingemans QC:
"So the implementation of the fall back plan, you had at least envisaged on the Sunday, is coming to you from No.10, as it were?'
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
"Yes."
Throughout his evidence, Mr Hoon suggested that Sir Kevin Tebbit, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, had come up with many of the strategies now under scrutiny. Mr Hoon said it was Sir Kevin who was keen to use Dr Kelly to demonstrate that the allegations by the BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan were false.
It was Sir Kevin Tebbit who suggested that the committees of MPs questioning Dr Kelly should be restricted in their questioning. It wasn't quite how Sir Kevin had portrayed things and the state of the two men's working relations can only be guessed at.
Mr Hoon was asked about the factsheet given to MoD press officers - the question and answer material - which has been described as a list of helpful clues to lead journalists to Dr Kelly. Mr Hoon said he had not played any role in the writing of the question and answer material and had never seen it.
He was quoted his own words from a TV interview just after Dr Kelly's death.
James Dingemans QC:
"Do you still hold by your answer that the Ministry of Defence followed established procedures and protected his anonymity?"
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
'Yes, I do......"
James Dingemans QC:
"Were you aware that there has been some evidence that Mr Taylor, who I think is your special adviser, is that
right?"
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
"Yes."
James Dingemans QC:
"Had confirmed Dr Kelly's name to journalists?"
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
'Hmm."
James Dingemans QC:
"Were you aware of that?"
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
"I was not specifically aware at the time. I assume that that was consistent with the question and answer process that had been agreed within the department."
James Dingemans QC:
"The question and answers material that your special adviser knows about but you did not?"
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
"I did not see the question and answer, but I was obviously aware of the advice that I had received that if the right name was given to an MoD press officer they should confirm it. I am not suggesting -- I am not suggesting, for a moment, that I was not aware of that."
Mr Hoon was asked about Alastair Campbell's evidence last week in which the Prime Minister's communications chief said Mr Hoon had suggested Dr Kelly might agree to a plea bargain.
James Dingemans QC:
"The words "plea bargain". Do you recollect mentioning that to Mr Campbell?"
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
"I do not remember using that particular phrase to him. It was never the case that... anyone...in the Ministry of Defence offered any kind of an arrangement or deal to Dr Kelly. It was simply perhaps Alastair's summary of the material that I had set out to him."
Lord Hutton:
"But Secretary of State, a plea bargain, as I understand it usually means that the person charged with some sort of offence agrees to a plea of guilty on the understanding that he will not receive a very severe sentence."
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
"That is also my understanding."
Lord Hutton:
"Yes. But do you think you might have used this term or do you think it is a term which Mr Campbell attributed to the sense of what you were saying to him?"
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary:
"Well, I do not recall using the phrase."
Lord Hutton:
"Umm...yes."
In a personal statement at the end of his evidence, Mr Hoon said that when he visited them, the Kelly family had reminded him that he himself had had a chat with Dr Kelly in the MoD canteen earlier in the year. Mr Hoon said he recalled Dr Kelly as a strong supporter of government policy on Iraq Mr Hoon also told the hearing that he wanted to thank Mrs Kelly for her understanding.
Wing commander Clark said that Dr Kelly described his questioning by MPs as one of the most stressful moments in his life. Afterwards he said he'd been particularly thrown by a question about Susan Watts - the BBC Newsnight reporter. Dr Kelly hadn't admitted to his line managers that he had talked to Ms Watts about the Iraq dossier.
Dr Kelly was clearly discomforted as Liberal Democrat MP, David Chidgey, read out anonymous quotes from Ms Watts reports - quotes which are now known to have been Dr Kelly's words.
The inquiry learnt this week that it was the BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan who furnished the MP with this question to put Dr Kelly on the spot.
Wing Commander Clark then told the inquiry about Dr Kelly's last telephone conversations with the Ministry of Defence. Wing Commander Clark was chasing Dr Kelly for more detail about his contacts with journalists - in his last phone conversation Dr Kelly agreed to give some more details about his contacts with the BBC Newsnight reporter Susan Watts. Only minutes later, Dr Kelly left home for the last time.
Wing Commander Clark also recalled a phone conversation earlier that morning in which Dr Kelly had said that he himself was holding up well under all the pressure but it had all come to a head and his wife was taking it really badly.
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