At Belfast High Court this morning leave was granted to the family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane in their legal action to force full disclosure of the Cory report to the family. The Secretary of State now has three weeks to provide detailed reasons why the UK government refuses to...
Letter from Madden & Finucane Solicitors to Secretary of State
Peter Madden | 01 December 2003
Secretary of State Castle Buildings Belfast Dear Secretary of State, Re: Judge Cory's Report As you know, we act on behalf of the family of Pat Finucane.
For God and Ulster: An Alternative Guide to the Loyal Orders
PFC | 11 April 1998
This alternative guide to the Loyal Orders is an attempt to fill a gap, a gap in information about semi-secret organisations which have played a major role in the history of this island and a gap in understanding as to why a significant number of people have a problem with those organisations. Few...
Arrest policy for protestants - loose minute December 1972
MoD memo discussing the criteria that might be applied 'if and when' loyalists would be detained. Refers to loyalist violence including 'comparatively harmless vigilante activity'.
One MoD memo from November 1972 titled 'Security Forces and UDA' instructs that operations 'should be directed against their criminal extremist elements whilst making every endeavour to maintain good relations with law abiding citizens in the organisation.' The RUC apparently had similar instructions. Vigilante type patrols should be tolerated…
Memo of meeting between Attorney General and British Army
Two pages of a memo (AG 1971 p2 and AG 1971 p3) concerning the visit of a J.M. Parkin, Head of C2 at HQNI (British Army HQ) in the North to the then Attorney General Basil Kelly, a Unionist MP. In reference to any potential prosecutions of soldiers for the murder of civilians Parkin notes,
A diary of the meeting between J.M Parkin, Head of C2 and HQNI and Attorney General Basil Kelly and additional confirmation that the Attorney General fully understood that HQNI was telling him that he should not prosecute soldiers. In effect the military tail was wagging the legal dog. This meeting took place less than two months before Bloody Sunday
Brief for the British Attorney General (AG) in preparation for the 'Irish state case' (the Hooded Men) from September 1972 from DS10 (the Defence Secretariat at the MoD in London). Of interest is the disinformation provided to the AG, the most senior law officer in Britain, by the Ministry of Defence. At para 4 it is claimed that Ballykelly only...
CJ4-4198 - Memo to PWJ Buxton from Stephen Boys-Smith re possible proscription of UDA in light of recent discovery of arms and ammunition at its HQ - 2nd June 1981
A rather telling memo that illustrates the British Government's ambiguity to the UDA: 'The UDA was not engaged in violence although it might be ready to resort to or encourage violence in extreme situations. Boys-Smith noted that the Secretary of State was anxious that the Government and police be seen as even-handed. He had noted that there had been no...