The RUC chief in Derry on the day of Bloody Sunday still believes the military authorities were wrong to have stopped the civil rights march at the edge of the Bogside that day, it emerged today.
The key witness, retired Chief Superintendent Frank Lagan, now 85, is not well enough to be called to the witness stand at the long-running inquiry into the shooting of 13 civilians by paratroopers.
Instead the inquiry at the Derry Guildhall, chaired by Lord Saville, has his written statement, which it released today.
It showed he still believes the military authorities were wrong to have stopped the civil rights march at the edge of the Bogside that day.
His advice for the march to be allowed to follow its route through to Guildhall Square in the city centre to contain potential trouble had been ignored, he said.
Mr Lagan was in the British army operations room in Ebrington Barracks during Bloody Sunday but could not clear up the question of exactly who gave the order for paratroopers to go in on an operation which resulted in the 13 deaths.
Mr Lagan said he and the army commander for the area, Brigadier Pat MacLellan, met six days before what became Bloody Sunday to decide the security operation which should be mounted.
Knowing there would be a big turnout, they had the choice of stopping the illegal march at its origin, stopping it en route or allowing it to proceed.
To stop it at its origin would have been "impractical", to stop it en route would result in "serious incidents", he said.
The two men agreed the march should be allowed to proceed unhindered and he informed the RUC Chief Constable of the decision, he said.
Some time later he was informed by RUC Headquarters in Belfast that their advice had been rejected at a meeting of senior army and police personnel and the decision taken that the march was to be kept within the Bogside and Creggan in a "military controlled operation".
"I was never told why our joint advice was rejected. This was usual in police circles at the time, I just accepted the decision," he said.
On the day before the march, he said, he attended a briefing session with Brigadier MacLellan who announced that paratroopers would be carrying out an arrest operation.
"The tone of the meeting was sombre. It was a mixture of anticipation coupled with the expectation that it would be a difficult day," he said.
Ahead of the shooting he had not formed a view about the wisdom or otherwise of 1 Para being used for the operation, but he said: "I was aware that they had a reputation for being very robust in their methods."
On Sunday January 30, 1972 Mr Lagan went to Brigadier MacLellan's operations room where he told the Brigadier and the Commander of Land Forces, General Ford, that he had received information from the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association - the march organisers - that they would not try to force security barriers blocking the way to the Guildhall Square and would divert the march into Rossville Street - still in the Bogside.
"Neither Brigadier MacLellan nor General Ford responded. General Ford immediately turned away from me and Brigadier MacLellan quickly followed."
Mr Lagan commented: "I must say that I was very disappointed by the lack of response. I thought that they would be delighted to hear that the confrontation at the William Street barrier would be averted."
Later the Brigadier returned to the room and announced 'the Paras want to go in'. "I said 'for heaven's sake hold them until we're satisfied the marchers and the rioters are well separated'," said Mr Lagan.
He said the officer made no comment and walked past before returning to say "I'm sorry, the Paras have gone in".
At 4.16 p.m. he heard a radio report sent into the operations room that the Paras were moving down Rossville Street. "I heard further reports that shootings were heard and that ambulances were moving in and out of the area."
At around 6 p.m. a domestic radio was switched on to hear the local news and he heard it announced for the first time that 13 people were dead.
PA