The Heath government's broad support for the security and political policies being pursued by the Stormont prime minister, Mr Brian Faulkner, is revealed in papers released in Belfast. They also indicate the extent of UK concerns about the political fate of the Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch.
The minutes relate to a meeting held at Chequers on August 19th, 1971, just 10 days after the introduction of internment. Those present included Mr Faulkner, the British prime minister, Mr Heath, the home secretary, Mr Maudling, the foreign secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, and the defence secretary, Lord Carrington.
The discussion covered the question of security, and Mr Heath said it was time to make further strong representations to Mr Lynch about better co-operation from his security forces. Mr Faulkner described this as of little practical value at present. Mr Faulkner said really serious bombing attacks had dramatically decreased since internment but warned of skilled bomb planters at large who could be regrouping.
Mr Heath inquired about plans for the next stage of the internment operation, and Mr Faulkner explained that while the security forces hoped to be in a position to carry out another "lift", the RUC Special Branch was fully stretched, carrying out interrogations and processing the material gained, which was better than expected.
The British prime minister deplored wild newspaper talk which had been stimulated by statements from Mr Lynch and he agreed with Mr Faulkner that such speculation had an unsettling effect right across the board in Northern Ireland.
What the man in the street in Britain was now looking to the government at Westminster and Stormont to do was to bring back the parliamentary opposition and somehow remove the fears of the minority, so that the country could settle down. There had been a great clamour for tripartite talks. The British government ruled this out completely and, fortunately, Mr Lynch's recent outburst (supporting civil disobedience in the North) had helped to ease the pressure for moves in that direction.
The foreign secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, felt it would be a pity if Mr Lynch were toppled, as he had personal qualities and influence which made him more desirable than any likely successor. However, Mr Faulkner doubted whether any successor could do less, in practical terms, to help the situation in the North.
Dr Eamon Phoenix is a historian and broadcaster