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Government Must Answer Kincora Questions

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Government Must Answer Kincora Questions In the summer of 1974, a special remember receiving them from RUC inquiry investigated Kincora Wallace. The homosexual allega- 'housefather' William McGrath, his tions against McGrath were not homosexual acnvmes and his printed at the time. extremist associates. The Hughes The Hughes inquiry stresses that report says that '[these1 original merely because McGrath's homo- documents had not been in the sexuality was known to the Army, possession of the Terry Inquiry they did not necessarily know about investigators' . Kincora. This is nonsensical. It is After McGrath and two other inconceivable that the intelligence Kincora staff were jailed late in 1981, services would not know where senior Ministry of Defence officials McGrath - a high priority intel- became alarmed about the activities ligence target - was employed, or of a former Ministry official, Colin fail to draw the relevant conclusion. Wallace. Wallace had been an It is also provably untrue because employee of the Army's 'Psyops' entries in intelligence notebooks kept (psychological operations) unit in during 1974 by former Military Northern Ireland until 1975. He Intelligence Officer Captain Fred then left the civil service. Holroyd (NS, 4 May, 1984) refer to Wallace knew a lot about Kincora, the Kincora hostel by name, and say GOVERNMENT MUST ANSWER having frequently briefed journalists ofleading Protestant politicians that at the time about McGrath and his they are 'all queers'. Although this is paramilitary organisation called nothing more than gossip, it does KINCORA QUESTIONS Tara. But in 1981, Wallace too was show that Army and RUC imprisoned at Lewes, Sussex, for 10 intelligence officials had had no years for manslaughter of an antique difficulty coupling information The real 'scandal' of dealer. About the same time a secret about homosexual Protestans Kincora is not the memorandum went to Defence extremists to the Kincora hostel. homosexual abuse of Ministry Permanent Under Holroyd also says that, while being children in care. It is the Secretary Sir Frank Cooper, warning trained for his Northern Ireland unresolved question of him that Wallace had both the duties, he was told that the Tara whether British intelligence information and the motive to reveal organisation was in effect controlled organisations in Northern the story behind Kincora. by British intelligence, and was not a Ireland knew of and Bizarrely, the Sussex police team real security threat - implying that which was then appointed to McGrath had indeed come under condoned the abuses - and intelligence control before 1973. exploited them investigate Kincora for the RUC comprised the same officers who had Late in 1984, Holroyd assisted investigated the manslaughter case Wallace to send this and other papers The latest Kincora inquiry, which against Wallace. Wallace claims his to the Prime Minister. The original reported last month, failed to conviction was a frame-up. documents have never come back. discover any evidence of official The fears expressed to Sir Frank Photocopies were inadvertently conspiracy because it was told not to Cooper were well founded. With the substiruted, and pencil markings on ask the right questions. aid of his wife, a former Secret them show whoever made them was This week opposition Northern Intelligence Service employee, attentive to publicity that might Ireland spokesman Peter Archer QC Wallace has widely circulated a series affect the intelligence services. But asked the Ministry of Defence to give of internal Army documents and both the MoD and the Northern him a direct and honest answer as to summaries, including examples of Ireland Office deny making, or even whether or not British Army propaganda about Kincora and other knowing about, the substirution. • documents about Kincora he has matters prepared by his unit. received from an ex-Army official are Wallace's most important docu- genuine. If the documents are ment, which was seen by the Hughes genuine, they prove beyond doubt inquiry, is a four-page Northern that the police or intelligence services Ireland Army Headquarters Eastern moles could have intervened to check on memorandum dated 8 November child abuse at Kincora a decade 1974, classified 'confidential'. THE BRITISH ATLANTIC before the scandal came to light in Signed by Wallace, the document is Committee, a Foreign Office- 1980. entitled "Tara reports regarding funded campaigning front for If that is proven, says Archer, the criminal offences associated with the NATO, is the latest British affair should be re-examined. 'All homosexual community in Belfast'. defence-oriented group to admit previous enqumes have been The report recommends that the that the 'Moonies' religious cult carefully strucrured to avoid the Army leak information about Tara to has been trying to infiltrate its question of the intelligence services' discredit the Protestant paramili- ranks. early knowledge of the Kincora taries involved. This week, BAC director Major affair', he said. Protestant extremist William The Hughes inquiry scrupulously General Chris Popham told the New Former intelligence officers say McGrath, 'housefather' of the avoided finding out whether Statesman that he too had been a that both the Royal Ulster Kincora boys home in Belfast and said by the Army to have been the Wallace's document was genuine. target of theMoonies. Constabulary and MI5 were fully commanding officer of a They merely report that an RUC Last summer, he said, an organ- aware, from police informants and paramilitary called 'Tara'. But enquiry 'did not establish its isation calling itself the International agents, that Kincora's staff were whose side was Tara really on? authenticity'. Similarly, a forensic Security Council offered him a free exploiting children in their care. report was 'inconclusive as to trip to Lisbon to discuss They were also top Protestant reference specifically excluded police, authenticity'. The Hughes inquiry Mediterranean security. He become extremists and paramilitaries. military or intelligence officials. A team did not ask the Defence suspicious when he learnt that the Intelligence officials' knowledge of previous enquiry into Kincora by Ministry itself, or the Army, or conference was not being attended by their behaviour meant that they Sussex Chief Constable Sir George Wallace's former colleagues whether senior NATO figures. Then they could be blackmailed into working Terry in 1982 and 1983 dismissed it was genuine - the omission Archer admitted they were funded by the and informing on behalf of the claims of police or military cover-up is now rectifying. Moonies, otherwise known as the intelligence services. as nonsense. But Terry'S terms of Nevertheless it is not difficult to Unification Church. But Judge William Hughes' reference were also limited - to . prove that the Army did know about A few days later, BAC members inquiry into children's homes and reporting evidence of criminal McGrath and Tara in 1974, as started complaining that they had hostels restricted its conclusions to offences to the Director of Public Wallace alleges. Two other been approached at their private improvements needed In the Prosecutions. documents on this subject which addresses by another Moonie front, residential child care system. The Hughes inquiry report has Wallace distributed are known to be CAUSA (UK). The problem was so Hughes' report found no evidence of now revealed that critical documents genuine because several journalists serious that a special warning letter a 'cover-up' - but his terms of were never shown to Terry's inquiry. in Northern Ireland at the time all went out to allBAC members. •.
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