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Home » Publications » Free Presbyterian Magazine » 1971 » July 1971 » Notes and Comments

Notes and Comments

I.R.A. PERFIDY

It has long been suspected that the disturbances in N. Ireland were organised and that the Irish Republican Army were the main instigators of trouble. Now indubitable proof has been produced, as reported in the “Times” of 22nd May, which leaves no doubt that this vicious organisation, trained in Eire, the spawn of the papal system, must be held accountable for the continued murder, arson and destruction that fill the headlines in the press and radio news from Ulster. Documents were disclosed before the Scarman Tribunal in Belfast on 21st May which contain the secret plans of campaign of the I.R.A. Counsel said that these plans were received from the Royal Ulster Constabulary in mid-1968, were described as from a reliable source, and greatly helped the police in dealing with the riots in August 1969. In the first phase, plans were laid to ferment riots, under cover of which informers were to be killed, and “quiet assassination for police” and “silencers, poisoned darts, etc. can be used with effect here;” kidnappings were to take place to secure hostages in the event of executions of Republicans. The second stage was a military operation against the British Forces in Ulster. Counsel quoted from the document which read: “This type of operation should, and must be of a purely ‘killing nature’ designed to inflict as many fatal casualties on the British as possible. It should be confined completely to British Army personnel.” To avoid rousing suspicions, the men composing the unit for this task, consisting perhaps of 60 men, were not to be drawn from one area—60 men drawn from Dublin would be noted. Selected men would receive a three weeks’ course in basic military skills. The Tribunal learned that the purpose of this campaign was to try out with little cost in men the strength of the northern organisation. In the final phase agriculture and industrial sabotage were to take place. The Stormont Government and the British Forces have a stern task to maintain order in Ulster, but now that the real enemy has been uncovered, that task should become simpler. C.

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