IRA intercepts British Intelligence documents
British spies operating in 26 Counties
British Intelligence documents which have been
intercepted by the IRA show that British soldiers have
recently been operating in the 26 Counties. They also
show that at no time did British forces call a
ceasefire. Indeed, within weeks of the IRA's 1994
cessation, Britain was upgrading its Intelligence war
against republicans.
The documents were the property of Sergeant RA Davies
from the Intelligence section of the Welsh Guards, who
was based in Bessbrook Barracks in South Armagh until
recently. They contain personal details of a number of
people from the South Armagh/North Louth areas,
including information on Pat McNamee, a Sinn Féin
Councillor and negotiator at the multi-party talks.
Maps and aerial photographs pinpointing the people's
homes were also among the documents intercepted.
Pat McNamee described the documents as ``very worrying''.
He said: ``Given the history of collusion between
British forces and loyalist killers, there is obvious
concern that this material could have fallen into the
hands of loyalists. If it had found its way to
loyalists - either deliberately or accidentally - it
would be a ready-made kit to bring killers to people's
doors.''
The Sinn Féin talks negotiator said the material had
obviously been compiled in recent months. ``This calls
into question the commitment of the British government
to the peace process,'' he said. ``There is a clear lack
of goodwill. It shows once more that the only armed
group on ceasefire is the IRA.''
Intercepted along with the information on individuals
were training manuals and documents explaining
procedures for intelligence operatives in the border
area. They show that in October 1994, a matter of weeks
after the IRA cessation of August 1994, British
Intelligence was stepping up its war against the
nationalist community.
One of the manuals - titled ``Operational Intelligence
Aide Memoire'' for Intelligence Corps operators -
outlines the basic modus operandi for British spies in
the field. It describes the main intelligence databases
used in the Six Counties. They are CRUCIBLE, for
general purpose intelligence and VENGEFUL, for vehicle
intelligence.
The operation of the VENGEFUL system is outlined in a
separate manual, complete with the classified callsigns
for various areas in the Six Counties. The computerised
system classifies suspect vehicles into a number of
categories. These are shown below.
Among the material intercepted were a number of encoded
computer disks. The IRA is currently trying to access
these disks, which are thought to contain further
classified intelligence information.
This large haul of documents is sure to be an
embarrassment to the British Army. They expose the
range of intelligence operations in the South
Armagh/North Louth area, as well as proving that
British forces regularly enter the 26 Counties on
intelligence-gathering missions. They also contain a
mass of detailed information on Britain's covert war in
Ireland. But what will be of political significance is
that the documents prove that Britain never called a
ceasefire. While republicans have been engaged in a
genuine search for peace, Britain has prosecuted war
relentlessly.
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