Alan MacLeod - PhD Thesis

311 Pages·2012·1.62 MB·English

MacLeod, Alan Stuart (2012) The United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland,
United States and the conflict in Northern Ireland, August 1971 -
September 1974. PhD thesis.

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The United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland,
United States and the Conflict in Northern
Ireland, August 1971 – September 1974

Alan Stuart MacLeod,
MA (Hons), MPhil

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Department of History
School of Humanities
University of Glasgow

December 2011

© Alan Stuart MacLeod, 2011
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Abstract

This thesis offers a new interpretation of the international history of the early
period of Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’. Such a revision is necessary given the recently
released material in the national archives of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and
the United States, and in the personal archives of those involved. Furthermore, by
adopting a different methodology, made possible by the recent archive material, further
new perspectives emerge of the international dimension. Rather than taking a single
element of the international history of the Troubles – for example, the ‘Irish dimension’,
‘American dimension’, the Cold War, or European integration – this thesis takes a
multidimensional approach analysing the impact of the interactions of each of the
international actors.
The starting point for this multidimensional analysis is the introduction of
internment without trial on 9 August 1971. This was not just a significant event in
Northern Ireland, but also had the effect of internationalising the Troubles. Over the
months that followed the international dimension developed two distinct spheres of
activity – a political sphere and a security sphere. Different combinations of actors
interacted in each of these spheres. In addition to the moderate Northern Irish parties, the
British and Irish governments participated in the political sphere. The US government
eventually ruled itself out of this sphere following the US presidential election in
November 1972, but only after it had flirted with intervention. However, interventions
by the US Congress’s ‘Irish Caucus’ continued. Meanwhile, in the security sphere,
comprehensive Anglo-Irish security cooperation proved impossible to achieve. Instead,
Anglo-American and Hiberno-American security cooperation developed – with Dublin
eventually exerting as much of an influence on US policy as the UK. However, the US
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government’s attempts to supress IRA support were seriously restricted by the
administration’s unwillingness to pick a fight with the Irish Caucus.
The international dimension was an integral component of the peace process that
resulted in the establishing of a cross-community power-sharing executive and the
Sunningdale Agreement of December 1973. Even when this process was brought to an
end by a Protestant backlash in May 1974 the principles developed during this period
were confirmed and were to be central to future peace initiatives in Northern Ireland,
including the Good Friday Agreement.
iv

Contents

Abstract ii
Acknowledgements vi
Abbreviations viii
Note on Terminology x

Introduction 1

Part I – Interaction without Cooperation, August 1971 – March 1972
Part I: Introduction 15
Chapter 1: Internment 18
Chapter 2: The American Reaction 34
Chapter 3: Stalemate 47
Chapter 4: Bloody Sunday 60
Chapter 5: Hearings 71
Part I: Conclusion 85

Part II – Conceding Principles, March 1972 – March 1973
Part II: Introduction 87
Chapter 6: The March Initiative 89
Chapter 7: US Presidential Election 102
Chapter 8: Security Cooperation 115
Chapter 9: Green Paper 128
Part II: Conclusion 141
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Part III – Reaching Agreement, March 1973 – December 1973
Part III: Introduction 143
Chapter 10: The Coalition 145
Chapter 11: The Package 161
Chapter 12: The Inter-Agency Conference 174
Chapter 13: Sunningdale 186
Part III: Conclusion 201

Part IV – Confirming Principles, January 1974 – September 1974
Part IV: Introduction 203
Chapter 14: Hillsborough 206
Chapter 15: The British General Election 219
Chapter 16: Withdrawal 233
Chapter 17: The UWC Strike 243
Chapter 18: Doomsday 257
Part IV: Conclusion 274

Conclusion 276

Bibliography 285
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Acknowledgements

I would not have been fortunate enough to undertake my PhD without the
financial support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council. In addition I would like
to thank the Department of History at the University of Glasgow for their research
support grants and the facilities provided to PhD researchers, both of which greatly
assisted me in my studies.
I am deeply indebted to the staff of the many archives that I visited in the course
of my research. I would particularly like to thank the staff at the following archives: the
Bodleian Library, Oxford; Churchill College, Cambridge; the UK National Archives at
Kew; the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland; the National Archives, Dublin; John
J. Burns Library, Boston College; Howard Gotlieb Archival Center, Boston University;
the Bronx County Historical Society; Butler Rare Books and Manuscript Library,
Columbia University; Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College; the John
F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston; the Library of Congress
Manuscript Division, Washington, DC; the Records of Irish America at New York
University; Alden Library Archives and Special Collections, Ohio University; Mudd
Manuscript Library, Princeton University; Queen’s College Library, City University of
New York; Queen’s Campus Library Special Collections, St John’s University, New
York; the M. E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, State
University of New York, Albany; Thomas J. Dodd Research Centre, University of
Connecticut; Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research, University of Georgia;
Lilly Library Political Collections, Indiana University; the National Archives at College
Park and the Nixon Presidential Materials Staff, College Park, MD; and Yale University
Manuscripts and Archives.
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Special thanks must go to my PhD supervisor Professor Simon Ball. He has been
a source of considerable support, advice and encouragement to me throughout my PhD,
and my masters and undergraduate degrees before that. I am also indebted to Pauline
McLachlan, Christelle Le Riguer and Alison Peden in the Department of History and
Kathleen Johnson and Richard Codd in the Graduate School of the College of Arts.
Finally I would like to thank my family and friends. In particular I would like to
thank my parents, without whom I would have been unable to complete this thesis, but
also Rob, Amy, Amy, Alex, Ian and Sam for making it enjoyable.
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Abbreviations

ACUJ American Committee for Ulster Justice
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
DFA Department of Foreign Affairs
DUP Democratic Unionist Party
EEC European Economic Community
FARA Foreign Agents Registration Act
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
FCO Foreign and Commonwealth Office
GOC General Officer Commander, British Forces in Northern Ireland
HMG Her Majesty’s Government
IDU Inter-Departmental Unit on Northern Ireland
INAC/Noraid Irish Northern Aid Committee
INC Irish National Caucus
INS Immigration and Naturalization Service
IRA Irish Republican Army
NACP US National Archives, College Park, MD
NAI National Archives of Ireland, Dublin
NIO Northern Ireland Office
NPMS Nixon Presidential Materials Staff, College Park, MD
NSA National Security Advisor
NSC National Security Council
OIRA Official Irish Republican Army
PIRA Provisional Irish Republican Army
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PRO Public Records Office, Kew
PRONI Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast
RUC Royal Ulster Constabulary
SDLP Social Democratic and Labour Party
UDA Ulster Defence Association
USG United States Government
UUC Ulster Unionist Council
UUP Ulster Unionist Party
UUUC United Ulster Unionist Council
UVF Ulster Volunteer Force
UWC Ulster Workers’ Council