THE BLOODY SUNDAY INQUIRY/Day 216: The inquiry is to renew efforts to trace official notes and memoranda, believed to be still buried in State archives, in relation to top-level political meetings which took place in London and Belfast in advance of Bloody Sunday.
In evidence yesterday, the former deputy secretary of the Stormont cabinet in 1972, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, indicated a note should exist which he prepared for the cabinet in relation to a meeting between the Northern Ireland prime minister, Mr Brian Faulkner, the British prime minister, Mr Edward Heath, and the British home secretary, Mr Reginald Maudling, on January 27th, 1972, three days before Bloody Sunday.
He confirmed a suggestion by the chairman, Lord Saville, that a similar note would have been made of the meeting by his counterpart in the British cabinet.
Lord Anthony Gifford QC, for a number of victims' families, said that under the 30-year rule documents were available in the Public Records Officer this year covering the period up until 1971, but the cabinet papers relating to 1972 appeared to have been marked with an embargo for something like 50 years, or even longer in some cases.
Sir Kenneth, who served as deputy secretary to three Stormont prime ministers and later became head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, confirmed that, to refresh his memory before giving evidence, he had been given access at the Public Records Office to minutes of meetings in which he might have been involved, including minutes concerning January 1972. He said he did not recall being told of any embargo.
He told Lord Gifford that he had never at any time suggested that cabinet minutes of 1972 should be subject to a special retention.
Sir Kenneth also confirmed a suggestion by Lord Gifford that a note provided by the Ministry of Defence in relation to the prime ministerial meeting of January 27th was not in the normal form of a record of such a meeting. Counsel stressed the importance of the tribunal obtaining any more official note that might exist, and Lord Saville told him they were doing their best.
Sir Kenneth was questioned at length about a memorandum concerning a meeting of the Joint Security Committee at Stormont three days ahead of Bloody Sunday, and in particular about a reference to the effect that that a "shooting war" might develop on the day.
Sir Kenneth said that he did not attend that meeting and that the remark was not attributed in the minutes to any particular individual. However, he thought the comments noted in the minutes would have been a summary of a report given by the GOC (general officer commanding).
The GOC, the late Sir Harry Tuzo, was director of operations for security purposes, he said. Asked who would have been involved in deciding which regiment or battalion to use for the purposes of carrying out a major arrest operation at the Bloody Sunday march, he replied: "Solely the army authorities, as far as I'm concerned."
He said he was sure Mr Faulkner, "who wanted to stabilise the situation, would have recoiled with horror from the thought that anybody might be shot out of hand".
The tribunal, in a ruling announced yesterday, rejected an application by retired forensic scientist Dr John Martin that he be screened while giving oral evidence to the inquiry. However, the three judges directed that "the necessary measures" be put in place to ensure Dr Martin was not photographed while entering or leaving the Guildhall in Derry, or traced to and from his place of residence.
Dr Martin, who was attached to the Department of Industrial and Forensic Science at the time of Bloody Sunday, examined weapons used by soldiers on that day and bullets that were recovered.
He expressed views at the Widgery tribunal on related matters, including the significance of lead on the hands and clothing of some of the deceased.
The inquiry resumes on June 10th.