-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- Dave Hartley http://www.asheville-computer.com/dave GUARDIAN (London) Monday March 13, 2000 John Mullin, Ireland Correspondent Shoot to kill - army general's plan before Bloody Sunday Secret memo weeks before killings called for targeting The officer in day-to-day command of troops in Northern Ireland recommended to his superior that the army adopt a policy of shooting rioters three weeks before Bloody Sunday, it can be revealed today. Major General Robert Ford wrote in a secret memo that rubber bullets and CS gas no longer deterred rioters in no-go Catholic enclaves such as the Bogside. The army dubbed them Derry's Young Hooligans. Major General Ford recommended: "The minimum force necessary to achieve a restoration of law and order is to shoot selected ringleaders among the DYH, after clear warnings have been given." His secret report to his boss in Northern Ireland, Lieutenant General Harry Tuzo, includes recommendations on what bullets to use. It also may throw light on the mysterious destruction two months ago of three army rifles used at Bloody Sunday. The memo's contents are certain to spark renewed controversy ahead of the much-delayed start of Lord Saville of Newdigate's inquiry, which has so far cost 13m. It is scheduled to begin taking evidence in Derry's Guildhall on March 27. Peter Pringle and Philip Jacobsen, authors of the forthcoming Bloody Sunday chronicle "Those are real bullets, aren't they?", reveal Major General Ford's memo in The Guardian today. The Parachute Regiment shot dead 13 unarmed Catholics at an illegal civil rights demonstration in Derry in disputed circumstances on January 30 1972. A man who was wounded died five months later. Tony Blair announced Lord Saville's probe in January 1998, much to the dismay of prominent figures in the armed forces. They had supported the findings of Lord Chief Justice Lord Widgery's 1972 tribunal, which effectively exonerated the army. Lord Widgery's report enraged relatives of the deceased, sparking an enduring campaign to re-examine the evidence. They believed they have had to suffer a Ministry of Defence-inspired whispering campaign against those who died for almost 30 years. Lord Saville's inquiry has been dogged by controversy throughout, particularly when it tried and failed to ensure soldiers were named when they appeared to give evi dence. The House of Lords ruled they should be entitled to anonymity. Lawyers for the 14 people killed are due to return to the High Court in Belfast today. They are seeking a judicial re view of Lord Saville's decision to deny them a postponement. They have each so far received 60,000 pages of evidence. But there is still significant material outstanding, and they doubt whether they could digest it in time if it were passed to them immediately. As well as providing an insight into military attitudes towards rioters 30 years ago, lawyers for the victims hope that it may resolve the mystery of two missing rifles. The Ministry of Defence admitted last month three had been destroyed three months after it gave an undertaking to Lord Saville to preserve them. There were 29 rifles available to Lord Widgery's tribunal. But 14 were later destroyed and 10 sold to private companies. There were five left when Lord Saville demanded they be kept safe. In his memo Major General Ford said they were entitled to use the high-velocity, large-calibre bullets that their rifles took to deal with rioters. But he was worried about possible collateral damage, with the bullets able to kill one person and pass through into another. He suggested modifying some of the rifles to take smaller bullets "to enable ringleaders to be engaged with less lethal ammunition". Just before Bloody Sunday Major General Ford had sent 30 of the altered weapons to Derry for training purposes. Lawyers confirmed they were determined to probe Major General Ford's memo. Pringle and Jacobsen suggest one victim, Kevin McElhinney, 17, may have been shot with one of the smaller bullets. Peter Madden, whose firm Madden and Finucane represents nine of the 14 bereaved families, said: "We need to know if the modified rifles were used. This is a very serious area, and you can rest assured it is a key issue. We are all determined fully to explore it." Michael McKinney, 49, whose elder brother Willie, then 27, was killed, said: "They were all innocent victims. My brother was not in the IRA; he was not a gunman; he did not throw nail-bombs. We are determined that the full truth comes out this time." A statement published yesterday suggested soldiers started shooting believing they were under fire after a sergeant was apparently shot. He had instead been hit by the empty cartridge from one of his men's rifles after he accidentally shot himself in the foot. A retired colonel, then a captain in the Parachute Regiment, said in his statement to the inquiry some soldiers were "animals". They could not be controlled and later gloated over their actions. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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