thing gent interest in the Troops But Morement conference oil the Annie Mirand, and Represion, only days after the circular advertising chas Been timed.
The Coordier NATSOPA chapel, ankl the Hanumersmith Hoapital branch of NUTE will almost cerlainly send delegates.
Nearly 500 letters have heen seat but, and inchuled in the muiling list have beon every Trades Copocil in Beitair, every womens group, every Clumant Linion, erory consmunicy o taft-wing ownspapet, chery students union, sid most af the we versity Socialist pociolins dopether with a Red Weekly: 12 April 1974 Page 4 The confernace nikes glace at ch Logilan ICE on Saturday T1 May The First session whichstart it 10.15 am. will cour ile British Arity. i role, lecinologs, wal tactics. The честй тетою міл лесив гересяон and counter-insingency in Ireland, and the third session is What can be done in Bricain' This will he folerat by a serie of workshops which will deal with partic was themes in depth. Thew incheder The Iress. TV. and the arny in poster Gason MeChan:
Supernal Security, the irmy and Police in Britain", shiked will abo deal with state spying in the trade unions: The Snutes, Policien Correl and Morale of die British Army Women in the Irale Smugg gech to the Honien on trebied Collectiverand Wai Lie Arme las Rammed from it Colonul furs. speaker Fred Halliday:
The conference fee is 50p, and credencinis for indichusbat well as for dedigsules from organsations cun he obtaiood from T0l, 24 1ammas Pek Kosi, Elime London WS. There will be a creche throughout the con Fetchen, and a soot in the evening with Witches Brew, and i bar esten and Beltast days of rioting followed this incident in which 30 people were killed.
In addition to the North of Ereland, there are currently over a hundred SAs men carrying out The man generally regarded to be the "theorist of the SAS's methods is Frank Kitson, His postines road like a toll-call of British counter- forces. insurgency campaigns Kenya, Malaysia, Muscat. Oman, Cyprus KITSON areas.
Kibon has become the Army's expert in the tactics needed to deteat strugdes in any paven stuntion. In Ireland he coremanded the 39th Brigade, in charge of the key area, Belfast, He was undoubtedly responsible for the build-up of special forces operating in the North. *SAS squadrons are particularly well suit ed, trained and equipped for counter revolutionary operations. Small partie мну he infiltrated or dropped by para chute, including free fall, to avoid a long approach thraugh enemy dominated areas, in onder to carry out any of the following tasks.
Tal The collection of information on the location and movement of insurgent *(bl The ambush and harassment of insur *(al infiltration of assassination and "(dil Border surveillance "(al Limited community relations. "4f) Liaison with, and organisation of. friendly querralla forces operating against the common enemy."
In publishing this intormation, Red Whet ly is contravening the D Notice regulations.
government. This was the case even with Desmond Boal, who seemed to move close to the Provisionals views on Regional Government.
The Republicans were wrong to foster illusions in the nature of these moves. But they were right to see them as a positive development, and were right to respond favourably to them. They gained some short term advantages: for example, UVF/UDA backing for their accusations of British involvement in the sectarian assassination. campaign.
In the long term such contacts could provide the bridge over which some sections of the protestant community could cross to join the fantry Training at Warminster in Wiltshire.
The operations of the SAS in the North of Ireland can be best understood from an examination of Kitson's book Low Intensity Operadons, In'it he points out that during the insurgency (armed) stage of any struggle: "The problem (for the Army) of destroying enemy armed groups and their supporters consists very largely of finding them."
He then details how ordinary uniformed units of the Army can assist in building up background Information on the area in which they operate, He goes on to state: *In some cases, however, groups are formed designed to develop Information. By using special skills and equipment or by exploiting the characteristics of special people such as captured agents!
One of the ains of the special force would beito provide contact information, which could put Army units ranks of those opposed to British imperialism in Ireland, But this can only result if any last illusions that they have of saving the protestant ascendancy are destroyed.
The result of the election can only postpone such a development. since it opens up a new credible means of scuppering the Council of Ireland-through parhamentary means. The psychological importance of this is considerable.
Despite the savagery of the sectarian assassinations, and periodic pog roms, the political unity of the protestants has depended on 'establishment' leaders, and "constitutional' methods. The existence of a strong in alreet touch wan urgent unus or their supporters. The Military Reaction Force (MRF) is just such a special unit. Set up exclusively in the North of Ireland to fit the conditions faced by the British Army there, its operational personnel are supplied by the SAS The MRF first came to public notice in October, 1972, when the Provisional IRA killed the driver of the Four Square laundry van in the Twinbrook Estate area of Belfast. On the same day the Provos raided a massage parlour in the Antrim Road killing three more MRF operatives.
Both business were fronts for the British Army, sun by the MRF. The Four Square laundry was used for surveillance work, and forensic tests were carried out on clothes taken for cleaning.
The intimate setting of the Gemini Health Studio, which advertised 'attractive masseuses' in the personal column of the Beijart Teleand united parliamentary expression for anti-Sunningdale Unionism will the cloud of despair.
TROOPS OUT MOVEMENT The very complexity of the situation argues against any imminent resolution of the conflict, even if a cease-fire were to occur. The British Government still does not have enough strength to make Sunninghave enough strength to get a settlement which would fulfil their minimum requirements The outcome still depends on whether or not the Provisionais con extend the base of the struggle, and graph, was used to obtain informalion, and according to the Scottish Sundey Mail of 8 October 1972:
* There are claims that cameras were used by hidden agents to record people in compromising positions, and force them to spy en the IRA.
Almost exactly a year later 'Operation Lipstick came unstuck the story that female British Army personnel with Irish backgrounds had carried out door-to-door sales of cosmetics, and had been running 'underwear selling parties in West Belfast.
1 in the summer of 1971, when the files of the RUC Drug Squad were taken by the Army, and soon after young people on these records were arrested, and offered drugs and immunity from further arrest, in return for information. slow down the fragmentation, and lift dale stick, and the Provisionals do not Ircland. front is being utilised.
when the Andersorstown News broke operations.
Another example of blackmail was These operations are just the tip | draw in new forces against British Imperialism in Ireland, Their continued blindness to the need to fuse the struggle in the North with that of the working class in the South beconses daily more serious.
However, there is another possibHity. The continued inability of the British Government to solve the Irish probiem, and the possible breakdown of Sunningdale, could create a crisis in British politics sufficient to force a withdrawal of the Army from The indications are faint, but it is clear that such a crisis is on the agenda. At one pale individual bourgeois commentators broach the possibility of the muckheap. Any cover which provides contact with the local population such as social workers, adventure playground helpers, or census gatherers -as well as any business which could provide a In addition to its information gathering operations, the MRF has a "dirty tricks" department. which examines ways of improving operational efficiency, new ambush techniques, and methods of riot controL It also works on developing new equipment for use during The joint Army-Police operations at Heathrow and elsewhere were in Line with the view of the Tory Party as outlined in a pamphlet called ire Lofa withdrawal (even the Army has been quoted as postulating that a withdrawal would not necessarily lead to a bloodbath), and at the other there is increased corsciousness In the labour movement, and in civil liberties groups, of what is being prepared in Ireland for use in Britain These trends emphasise again the possihilities for building a moventent in Britain for withdruwal of the troops from Ireland. That is why the message of this Easter to the British left must be to plunge into this task and belp to swing further the balance of forces against British imperialism in Ireland BOB PURDIE Defener of Peace, with a foreword by Lord 'Littlejolns" Carrington. This advocated that the Army should be trained in internal security techniques, for use inside Britain, It is hardly accidental therefore that Kitson was posted to Warnuns ter to teach his population control techniques to the infantry the Army's teeth Kitson himself envisages that the Army will be called on to restore "law and order' to areas of Britain in the mid to late 708. The working class movement on this side of the Irish Sea will ignore what is happen. ning in Ireland roday at its peril.
ALASTAIR RENWICK Red Weekly 12 April 1974 Page 5
The National Union of Students' Conference, meeting in Liverpool between 1 and 5 April, must have left many students dizzy and confused.