The family of one of the Bloody Sunday victims today accused the British government of suppressing documents about former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath's knowledge of the killings.
Lord Gifford QC and Mr Richard Harvey, representing the family of James Wray at at the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, believe the Cabinet Office has suppressed documents which throw light on Sir Edward's "planning and foreknowledge" of Bloody Sunday.
Documents, including some ministerial briefings and notes of the Northern Ireland Cabinet Committees chaired by Sir Edward in 1972 are missing, the legal team claimed in a written submission to the inquiry.
These documents shed light on the motives and knowledge of the leading players and the Cabinet Office should appear before the inquiry to explain it, it was claimed.
Sir Edward (86), was the Conservative Prime Minister on January 30th 1972 when British paratroopers shot dead 13 unarmed men on a Derry civil rights march. He was due to give evidence to the inquiry tomorrow but, following a fall outside Salisbury Cathedral on Sunday, he will now give evidence in the New Year.
The most likely explanation for the papers to be withheld is that "their contents are embarrassing for the interests of the Government," the submission claims.
The Wray legal team believes the Government has frustrated the search for contemporaneous documents even though Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered this fresh investigation in 1998.
Inquiry staff have been diligent in seeking these documents but "these efforts are being thwarted by a refusal on the part of the present Government to disclose what they still possess," the submission states.
An inquiry spokesman said: "We are aware of the submission and the tribunal will make a decision on this in due course."
The original inquiry into the shootings, headed by Lord Widgery, largely exonerated the soldiers saying they had fired in self-defence after coming under IRA attack. It was dismissed by bereaved relatives and survivors as a whitewash.