very high speed, rolling the letter un so that it can read and replaced.' Other such include the inspection of social security files, obtained through 'contacts' offices, the tapping of telexes, and the examination of bank accoullts.
MIS Since all this is illegal, information these and cannot be made public instance, in attempting to gain a Convicul court, though those courts are in the North of ireland. other 'evidence' manufactured. Informers One former army intelligence officer is quoted Times: 'When you had an arms find you simply retained some pistols and ammunition. there was somebody you sure was a Provo, you house search and Then the Provo would be given a choice of going inside or working for intelligence.' The planting of evidence is fairly common in most countries, but the special characteristic of its use by the British Army in the North of Ireland is that such practices are officially arranged by brigade intelligence units; in 401- other words it is official Army policy.
Road, Despite such 'fittings-up' and the complex machinery employed security services, the claims that it is informers who supply 80 per cent-of the information which they find useful. According to of quoted in the Irish Official IRA members are par in icularly useful if passing on in and formation on the Provisionals and IRSP' (Irish Socialist Party). This would tie in Theoretically, limited to foreign countries.
ways poor quallty - for internment juryless Accordingly Around 20 vit spies — are also used.
in ine Irish When were branch of British intelligence. did planted it.
IRA members. in Lambeth.
technological by the Army the partitionist policy.
source community in general or the ProTimes, visional movement in particular which are the targets of the dirty tricks' employed intelligence Republican fond of tapping the phones of Military Intelligence 6 (MI6)
MI6 shouldn't be operating at all in the North of Ireland; its briet is But the agency was drafted in after the of Special Branch and Army intelligence had been exposed during the operation in 1972, when than a quarter of those picked up in the initial swoop were members of the IRA.
operate in the North at any one time. They usually come as civil servants, although other covers - post office workers, journalists, insurance agents MI6 also operates in the South of Ireland where it is particularly keen on phone tapping. It has extensive files on Southern Irish noliticians and has informers and agents I the Irish police, army and civil service.
The 'Six' is regarded as the sophisticated It is more concerned with monitoring the Provisionals and evaluating political developments than simply securing the arrest or liquidation of It was MI6 which recruited the Little. john brothers to infiltrate the IRA in 1973. The brothers were subsequently arrested for armed robbery in the South of Ireland.
The London headquarters of Ml6 is at Century House, near Westminster Bridge, Military Intelligence 5 (MI5)
MIS was deployed in the North of Officials' pro- bourgeois It is not just the Catholic by Paisley.
The RUC Special Branch is foreign countries discredited in the Littlejohn fiasco. Many of its operatives are former They are seen as the "plodders'.
Its staff are scattered throughout the North of Ireland; most of the agency's officers serve undercover in police civilian liaison.
MIS is meant to have a special responsibility tor spotting British VIPs, or bombing Britain, but in this it has been singularly unsuccessful.
The Five' has an office at British Army • HQ at Lisburn, near Belfast, but its own centre is at Rover House, MI5 agents tend to be very right wing Both tney and MI6 have 'doubles' in each others agency to keep an eye on what the others are up to.
British Army Intelligence
Intelligence in the British Army operates on a number of different levels: 1. Each battalion in the Army (about 550 personnel in all has an intelligence section. This is made up of 35 soldiers, including three officers and six NCOs. of this the three North of Ireland brigade areas have a permanent intelligence unit, which is about 20 strong and usually headed by a major.
In overail control is the headquarter's intelligence unit at Army HQ in Lisburn. This is around 50 strong and is commanded by a hieutenant-colonel or a ful colonel 2. Special Military Intelligence Among those who have suffered in this politicians way are Social Democratic and Labour Party politicians, John Hume and Gerry Fitt, as well as Loyalist -figures such as Further afield, MI6 - the espionage outfit responsible for - has a long This is mainly police officers. 3. Special plots against using campaigns in observation posts murdered High Street, shot Boyle in the back. 4. Special run special projects.
The team.
Robert Nairac, who Armagh, . On top Duties Team.
Special Branch formation Unit.
record of spying on bourgeois in the South These spies usually operate under diplomatic cover the Embassy Dublin, although other disguises have been used.
file MI6 operatives in Dublin have is on Charles Haughey, the leader of
somewhere else, all will be well