Duncan Campbell reports on the allegations of is quite clear that violent means were a Several factors suggest that Tracey possibility. is not just gossiping idly about a an anti-Labour' army of resistance' Neave, who appeared familiar with distinguished man who can no longer Tracey's background, said that if the defend his own reputation. One is that Tories were to be elected, he expected Tracey is withoutdoubt an experienced What did a Tory MP say to become security overlord. He would intelligence operative, and a veteran of then carry out a 'purge' of MI5 and the several MI6 operations. (Details of his in the Cumberland Hotel? Metropolitan Police, because there career are given on page 12.) were too many officials who, for vari- His political views have not pre- JUST BEFORE the 1979 election, the him before. But I had a very high ous reasons, were unreliable. (One vented him discussing intelligence late Airey Neave, MP - one of Mrs regard for his reputation.' Deputy Assistant Commissioner was topics on other occasions with the New Thatcher's closest allies - discussed At the Cumber land Hotel, Neave referred to by Neave as 'Crazy Horse' , Statesman. He has normally been as with former security-service agents discussed his fears that Labour might and singled out for attention.) discreet as his background would sug- plans for an undercover 'army of resis- be re-elected, and that premature His own politics, says Tracey, are gest - but whatever the oddity of his tance' in case of a Labour victory. retirement by James CalIaghan could 'hard right', and the conversation was political judgments, firm factual state- These, according to Lee Tracey, an leave the way clear for Benn to become based on the assumption that there was ments he has made have turned out to MI6 electronics experts of long expe- Premier. Tracey was asked to consider a real danger of Britain being taken be correct when checked against other rience, included the possibiliy of vio- sources. He does not appear to be a lent action if it seemed necessary to mere fantasist. prevent Tony Benn becoming Prime Furthermore, the fact that Mr Neave Minister. had conducted meetings of this sort Tracey, who now runs his own elec- just before his death was known to us tronics business in London, has been in detail at the time, and has since been interviewed for next Monday's Pano- confirmed by another former security rama programme about the security agent. In the immediate aftermath of services, furnishing a long account of the assassination, there was nothing we his experiences with MI6. The pro- could or would have done to investi- gramme is only being shown after con- gate further. siderable intervention - and cutting - But Tracey's involvement with the by the BBC Director-General, Sir Ian Panorama programme, and his Trethowan. But in Tracey's case, the willingness to discuss the matter effect of having talked at length for the attributably, creates a new situation. cameras appears to have made him To put the matter no higher, a man ready to discuss openly matters which who has been frequently employed on previously would have been taboo. Airey Neave feared Benn becoming premier Government intelligence work claims to have had a highly-dangerous conver- TRACEY'S ACCOUNT is that his whether he would join a team, consist- over by 'Communism'. He says that he sation with a senior politician during. introduction to Neave came through ing of various intelligence and security agreed to a further meeting. But one the course of a general election. Ugly as intelligence-world contacts sharing his specialists, which would 'make sure week later, Neave himself was killed by the matter inevitably is, it would be own starkly anti-Communist views. 'I Benn was stopped'. The conversation a car-bomb planted at the House of difficult to argue that Tracey's evi- was phoned up by Neave. I'd never met was brief, according to Tracey, but he Commons. dence should be suppressed. 0