NATIONAL ARCHIVES
IRELAND
Reference Code: 2004/21/254
Title: Department of the Taoiseach memorandum regarding revelations that the British
government had faked IRA [Irish Republican Army] raids and bombings to discredit the IRA.
Creation Date(s): 6 October, 1973 Level of description: Item
Extent and medium: 1 page
Creator(s): Department of the Taoiseach Access Conditions: Open
Copyright: National Archives, Ireland. May only be reproduced with the written permission of the Director of the National Archives.
TSCH/3: Central registry records Department of the Taoiseach
© National Archives, Ireland
TSCH/3: Central registry records Department of the Taoiseach
© National Archives, Ireland
, M " 1913
FAKES IRA J::NQJDENTSt
HU'N.I\\ .• j:~)I·).J,AiOEAOHt
A- c,nQnl has arisen in Brit.ain with the revelation that the Br·iitish governrllent has, lI:fakedu, IRA raids to discredit the. IRA., The: i'act:;a were rmde. Dublic by two British intelligence agents;
tried ID A:mgust; .in a, Dublin courit :trOI' bank robberyo T'he acandal ir.:wolves; high ministers of the Br'itish Cabinet:1 including
Lord Carrington, 11ri tain t s; Defence, Minister, and a top aide to Pl!1ill1e Minister Edwo.rd Heath..
'i 'wo self confessed British agent,s broke the story during thei r trio.l. f],hey are Kenneth Little jom,)8.nd Kei th Little johnl. T.he.·ir story
bC .. Si been confirmed.. by other source a high in the British gOViernment.
The British Labour Ii?$rty has demanded a full po.rlimnentary investtgntiGn.
Mere are the facts 0 ,t..~.,.. /
'j'he Heath government set up a top secret intelligence operation designed to discredit the Irish Re.~ublican Army. Special agents were S@t1.tt to Sou,thern Ireland and. Ulster where they were given seleeted targets to bomb. After the bombings" the incidents were cnrried in the British prElss as II'JRA atrocities)'. Mnny of the target:;s included nun.-mili.tary ins talla tions such as pubs and churches,o In each ease,
the IRA was, blamed. by the police and the British Army. Several.
civilians were ki.lled in these inciaents. Despite IRA denials, the resultant public,ity severely damaged the image of the IRA and cost aome. pub lic s,upport.
Jitoliillical aasassination waa employed by the British government.
Selected individuals were I/targeted for aasass:ination by the British government", according to the Irish Times. Kenneth JLittlejohnll one British agent, described how he was ordered to assassinate
ttean MncS,tiofainl/. a leading Irish Republican in the swnmer of 1972,
and how he stalked, his intended victim's home. Li ttlejohn' s orde]$ were to blow up Mac&tiof'ain t 8:, body so tha t it was; It coml;letely unre,cognizable:".
Catholics in NloJlthern Ireland have long conten::1ed that the.
bombing of' Gatholic pubs and churches were the work of British intelligence agents9 and not the actions of Protestant extremists.
'JiThe disclosure of Britain's intelligence ope~ation lends. credence to this verson. The IRA is the only real threat to British control in Ulster 9 and observers have long noted that British policy has been
designed to di scredi t the IRA. and separa te it from the Catholic community.
In December, 1972, downtown Dublin was bombed and two people we~e.
killed. This was i.nunediately described as "IRA terroI'ismll , but it is now felt that Jl;ri tish agents set the bombs. off to cliscredi t the IRA and force the Irish Parliament to enact amendrnents to the Offences Against the State Act, aimed at controlling and suppressing the IRA.
The Li ttle'j,ohns also disclosed the bombing of two police stations in SDuthern Ireland were the work of British agents9 and not the IRA 0.$
originally reported.
Ivan Cooper ~ a leading Irish Protestant M.P 0 has, charged "The B,rit ish S:ecret Service has; been responsible for some of our atrocities in tha name of pauli tical expediency".
T'he Bir'i tish Defence Ministry has admitted the Li ttlejohn brothers, were British ag,ents$ The Li ttlejohns were extradited t o Dubl.in from London. During the London extradition hearings9 all proceedings wer~
held in secret at the insistence of the British government on the grounds of ilnational securi tyi"o
