The officer in day-to-day command of British troops in Northern Ireland 28 years ago recommended to his superior that the army adopt a policy of shooting rioters three weeks before Bloody Sunday, the Guardian newspaper reports this morning.
Maj Gen Robert Ford wrote in a secret memo that rubber bullets and CS gas no longer deterred rioters in no-go Catholic enclaves such as the Bogside, according to a new book. The British army dubbed them Derry's Young Hooligans (DYH).
Maj Gen Ford recommended: "The minimum force necessary to achieve a restoration of law and order is to shoot selected ringleaders among the DYH, after clear warnings have been given." His secret report to his boss in Northern Ireland, Lieut Gen Harry Tuzo, includes recommendations on what bullets to use. It could also throw light on the destruction, two months ago, of three army rifles used on Bloody Sunday.
The memo's contents are certain to cause renewed controversy ahead of the much-delayed start of Lord Saville's inquiry, which has so far cost £13 million. It is scheduled to begin taking evidence in the Guildhall, Derry, on March 27th.
Peter Pringle and Philip Jacobsen, authors of the forthcoming book on Bloody Sunday, titled Those Are Real Bullets, Aren't They?, reveal Maj Gen Ford's memo in the newspaper today.
The Parachute Regiment shot dead 13 unarmed Catholics at an illegal civil rights demonstration in Derry in disputed circumstances on January 30th, 1972. A man who was wounded died five months later.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, announced Lord Saville's investigation in January 1998, much to the dismay of prominent figures in the armed forces. They had supported the findings the 1972 tribunal of the lord chief justice, Lord Widgery, which effectively exonerated the British army.
Lord Saville's inquiry has been dogged by controversy, particularly when it tried, and failed, to ensure soldiers were named when they appeared to give evidence. The House of Lords ruled they should be entitled to anonymity.
Lawyers for the 14 people killed are due to return to the High Court in Belfast today. They are seeking a judicial review of Lord Saville's decision to deny them a postponement.
They have each so far received 60,000 pages of evidence and feel there is insufficient time to digest the remainder.
The Ministry of Defence admitted last month three rifles had been destroyed three months after it gave an undertaking to Lord Saville to preserve them. There were 29 rifles available to Lord Widgery's tribunal. But 14 were later destroyed and 10 sold to private companies. There were five left when Lord Saville demanded they be kept safe.