The Chichester-Clark government was forced to undertake "difficult and long drawn-out negotiations" with the British Labour government in the wake of the August disturbances of 1969, according to cabinet papers released in Belfast. The decision to transfer security powers to Westminster was made by the Stormont prime minister and his delegation without referring back to his cabinet in Belfast in conditions reminiscent of the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations of 1921.
On August 20th, 1969, Maj James Chichester-Clark informed his cabinet that the decision to transfer control of the police to the British Army GOC was a temporary measure. The control of the security forces would revert to the Inspector General of the RUC at the end of the present emergency.
The North's prime minister and the members of his cabinet deputation to London appreciated that, in making this arrangement, they were going beyond their specific brief from the entire cabinet, but in the crisis they considered that no other alternative was open to them. The approval of the full cabinet for this action was sought.
The cabinet approved the deputation's action and the terms of the subsequent Downing Street communique of August 19th, issued after the London conference.
However, the minister of commerce, Mr Roy Bradford, considered that the terms of the agreement should have been referred to the cabinet for approval before being announced publicly and further, the transfer of the police to the GOC represented a fundamental shift of power to Westminster.
For his part, the attorney general, Mr Basil Kelly, asked if any discussion had taken place on the constitutional position of Northern Ireland and was assured the matter had not been discussed, save to the extent of the reaffirmation in the published declaration.
The Downing Street meeting was attended by the British prime minister, Mr Wilson, the foreign secretary, Mr Michael Stewart, the home secretary, Mr James Callaghan, the secretary of state for defence, Mr Denis Healey, and the minister of state at the Home Office, Lord Stonham, as well as the prime minister of Northern Ireland, the deputy PM, Mr J.L.O. Andrews, the minister of home affairs, Mr Robert Porter, and the minister of development, Mr Brian Faulkner.
The communique read: "In a six-hour discussion the whole situation in Northern Ireland was reviewed. It was agreed that the GOC (Northern Ireland) will with immediate effect assume overall responsibility for security operations. He will continue to be responsible directly to the minister of defence but will work in the closest co-operation with the Northern Ireland government and the inspector general of the RUC.
"For all security operations, the GOC will have full control of the deployment and tasks of the RUC. The GOC will assume full command and control of the Ulster Special Constabulary [B-Specials]."
The two governments announced a weapons amnesty while Maj Chichester-Clark announced an impartial investigation into the recent disorders. In addition, the British government proposed that two senior civil servants from London should be stationed at Stormont to represent the increased role of the British government.
The two governments also agreed to "a joint declaration of principles which should govern future action". In this document, which became known as the Downing Street Declaration, the UK government reaffirmed "that nothing which has happened in recent weeks in Northern Ireland derogates from the clear pledges made by successive UK governments that Northern Ireland should not cease to be a part of the UK without the consent of the people of Northern Ireland".
In a reference to reforms, the British government welcomed "the decisions of the Northern Ireland government in relation to the local government franchise, the division of local government areas, the allocation of houses, the creation of a Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and machinery to consider citizens' grievances against public authorities . . . as demonstrating the determination of the Northern Ireland government that there should be equality of treatment of all citizens". Both governments agreed that the momentum of internal reform should be maintained.