Perhaps it’s time to remind ourselves what happened politically that day.
For an example of what was in the public domain, here are some quotes from an International Express article published shortly after the crash:
“… the intelligence experts … were to have drawn up a list of options …The proposals were expected to include:
* A “surgical” round-up of key IRA personnel north and south of the border …
* Security operations to continue with stepped up “harassment” of terrorist suspects.
* Major expansion of covert operations to identify the Provos’ planned main targets.
* Extra forces – possibly an army battalion – for Ulster.”
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(I have no doubt there would have been other rigorous activities started up again that had been a bit sensitive to the public since the Gibraltar incident.)
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Further, in the same article:
“The most senior officer to die in the crash, Ulster’s Special Branch chief Brian Fitzsimons, was to be one of the key strategists at Fort George.
“The RUC Assistant Chief Constable, who played a crucial role in the capture of Brighton bomber Patrick Magee, was “extremely pessimistic” about the peace plan.
“A senior intelligence colleague said: “He would have been going to the meeting with the intention of formulating a major offensive against the terrorists …””.
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So how does any of the above suit the secret (illegal) negotiations that had been going on between MI6 and the IRA?
Bring into the equation that senior politicians had publically expressed that they would like to wash their hands of the Ulster problem and that there was a terrorist threat to the sacred financial districts – how does it feel?
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For a while I thought you’d have to go back as far as Joan of Arc for a betrayal of comparable magnitude – but then I revisited that incident back in the 1920’s when 20+ British agents had their movements and locations leaked to the IRA and they were killed in one operation. Together with the subsequent murder of Michael Collins, this put paid to any chance of a mutually respectable solution to the troubles way back then.
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Airey Neaves thought there was something wrong with the intelligence services regarding their performance in NI – he had replacements ready (with Thatcher’s blessing) for heads of both MI5 & MI6 – got blown up days before he could push it through.
It is a pity we do not have anyone else of the calibre of Brian Fitzsimons or Airey Neave to look at this Chinook crash – perhaps we could hope for something more in the way of justice than just clearing the names of two who were in fact victims themselves.