There appears to be a form of censorship
being placed around those who agree with Johnny White's
action at the press conference in Derry re Captain
Kelly's behaviour as an agent of the Dublin Government
in the north. The pursuit of truth and the cause of
the Kelly family can not be served by such censorship.
That is why I support the imminent Derry journalist
Frank Curran's call for a public inquiry to be set
up in order to obtain the truth. I for one have a
contribution to make to such an inquiry if called
to attend.
There is no doubt that Captain Kelly
was used and eventually thrown on the heap by the
southern Government of the time and since. As a result
his family has been shabbily treated by the southern
authorities and they have my sympathy in this matter
and I believe for the family's sake that the Government
should come clean and exonerate Captain Kelly who
after all was second in command of the southern intilligence
services at the time.
This does not mean however that there
does not exist truth in the allegations made by Johnny
White that he as OC of the Derry Brigade of the IRA
was offered money by Captain Kelly to get rid of certain
republicans at the time. For let us recall that the
birth and development of extra-parliamentary activity
in the north in the late nineteen sixties and early
seventies helped as a catalyst to plant hope in the
nationalist people.
Even those republicans who did not
support or were half hearted towards the movement
for civil rights eventually began to see the potential
for a renewed armed struggle arising from the mass
of the nationalist peoples participation in the CR
marches and protests. Some of the latter who relished
the fruit but harboured a distaste for the sowing
founded the Provisional Movement later. However for
sometime prior to the formation of the Provisionals
officers of the southern Irish Army, southern politicians,
and certain Civil Servants of the Dublin Administration
- in particular Captain Kelly- were known to have
made contact with members of the Republican Movement
who later formed the Provisionals and certain northern
Fianna Fail sympathisers, some of whom later became
members of the Defence
Committees in the north.
As recent southern state papers and
other sources reveal Captain Kelly's mandate was to
split the Republican Movement in order to disable
its more progressive elements and via the dissenters
to manipulate the movement in the north. The southern
political sources saw this as a means of bringing
to an end the increasing agitation in relation to
housing, ground rents, etc., in the south.
In fact, within a four month period
in 1969 secretaries in governmental departments in
Leinster House had communicated twice to the Cabinet
that they were extremely concerned about the progress
and the activity of the Republican Movement both north
and south.
In one of the latter communications,
it records decisions taken at the IRA Army Convention
held that year which imply that an informer or informers
were present at the convention. The latter could have
been recruited by any of the southern governments
representatives but more likely by Captain Kelly who
because of his title and role was the main source
or filter of information coming from the Republican
Movement to the Cabinet.
I was a delegate of the IRA Headquarters
Staff at that convention and I witnessed some in attendance
who later helped to form the Provisionals and I have
no doubt that Captain Kelly was in contact with them. In
fact some of the latter were not active in the struggle
since the end of the 56' to 62 Border Campaign and
were coaxed into possible action by the promise of
training at Army Barracks in the south and the supply
of weapons. Some republicans were trained in southern
Barracks at the time and one of the politicians who
attended the Kelly press conference in Derry offered
a few dozen bullets to the OC of an IRA Brigade in
Co. Derry. The latter incident became a source of much
amusement in the IRA after it had occurred.
Aside from the humour and there was
much the southern authorities were worried about the
threat coming from republicans under the leadership
of Cathal Goulding and Tomas MacGiolla at the time
and that is the cause of the so called arms crisis
and Captain Kelly's involvement not as an innocent
but as a committed agent of the southern state. A leader
in a body wich used state funds to buy what would
serve the interests of the state, the latter is nothing
new in Ireland for after all the Brits have M this
and M that and we are aware of their black activity.
As stated I have a contribution to
make to such an inquiry and in any case what I have
arising from meetings with Captain Kelly and the secretary
of a southern state department in County Monaghan
may well via publication precede such an inquiry.
Time will tell.
