MI5 spy reveals secret 'unauthorised' IRA talks

An MI5 spy who helped bring bid to Northern Ireland by defying orders, has breached his soundlessness to the BBC.

He has revealed helium met IRA leaders successful March 1993, contempt talks being called disconnected by the British authorities aft IRA bombs killed 2 young boys successful England.

What helium said successful that gathering encouraged them to state the ceasefire and determination towards the process that yet led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

The BBC's Peter Taylor has been trying to find the spy for astir 30 years.

He has discovered that what the spy said during the talks was not authorised by the British government.

The minutes of the gathering had been published by Sinn Fein - the IRA's governmental helping - successful 1994. They allege that the spy said: "The last solution is union… this land volition beryllium arsenic one."

"Those words are truthful arguable and truthful important," says Taylor successful a BBC documentary The MI5 Spy and the IRA: Operation Chiffon.

"To Unionists specified words would beryllium seen arsenic the eventual betrayal."

The writer says helium wanted to perceive what was really said from the spy's ain lips, but to bash that helium would person to way him down.

It is highly uncommon to perceive an MI5 serviceman speech astir a top-secret cognition similar this. Its codename was "Chiffon" and it was designed to get the IRA to telephone a ceasefire and clasp the governmental process.

"It was a seminal gathering that I judge successful the agelong word culminated successful the Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago," the seasoned newsman says successful the documentary.

Set up successful 1991, Operation Chiffon worked arsenic a concealed backmost transmission of connection betwixt the leaders of the IRA and the British government. By past the struggle had caused much than 3,000 deaths.

Taylor discovers that the spy was known to the IRA arsenic "Fred" but his existent sanction is Robert.

In the documentary, Robert reveals to Taylor that his face-to-face talks with the IRA connected 23 March 1993 had not been authorised by the British government.

"I was... connected my own, dealing astatine 1 region with the IRA's enactment successful the astir important substance affecting Irish and astir apt British politics. I knew I had to succeed, and lone consistency and patience would execute this." He said that for years, helium felt blameworthy for doing what helium did.

"Yes, I misled the premier curate truthful I misled the Queen arsenic well. It was a hard and truly precise unpleasant happening to person connected your conscience. I felt precise alone."

The IRA had conscionable carried retired a weaponry onslaught successful Warrington, injuring 50 radical and sidesplitting 2 children aged 3 and 12. It enactment an extremity to the British government's willingness to prosecute with the IRA, and the concealed gathering was called disconnected astatine the past infinitesimal by then-prime curate John Major.

But Robert had received a erstwhile connection from the IRA indicating they were shifting towards a governmental alternatively than subject mode guardant and was disquieted that by not turning up for the meeting, the embryonic bid process would beryllium enactment successful jeopardy.

"I had each sorts of thoughts going done [my mind]. A interest that I was going against my ain authorities and the Queen," Robert tells Taylor successful the documentary.

After hours spent soul-searching successful the countryside southbound of Stormont, the spy resolved to spell ahead, defying his brag John Deverell, the caput of MI5 successful Northern Ireland who had ordered him not to go.

Senior republicans Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly were astatine the meeting, representing the enactment of the IRA and Sinn Fein. It lasted astir 3 hours and took spot successful Londonderry astatine the location of Brendan Duddy, a nationalist businessman passionate astir peace. The republicans had expected Robert to beryllium accompanied by his boss, and were suspicious that helium had turned up alone.

"McGuinness did astir of the talking. It was not a affable interrogation," says Robert.

During the meeting, Martin McGuinness asked what the intentions of the 'Brits' were, believing that Robert was speaking arsenic helium had presented himself - "the British Government Representative".

Robert said that the extremity was yet to unify Ireland.

His nonstop words were noted down successful minutes written by Gerry Kelly:

"The last solution is union. It is going to hap anyway. The humanities bid - Europe - determines that. Unionists volition person to change. This land volition beryllium arsenic one."

Robert admits to Taylor that helium had nary authorization to marque specified a assertion and that it flew straight successful the look of British authorities policy.

"Those words are truthful incendiary and truthful important due to the fact that they appeared to bespeak that, down the scenes, the British authorities had a argumentation - that it wasn't divulging astatine this signifier - to enactment towards Irish unity," explains Taylor.

His words appeared to person resonated with the Republicans.

Speaking to Taylor successful February, Gerry Kelly described the gathering arsenic a "seminal moment".

"We were told helium was a British authorities representative. We conscionable took him astatine his connection - that's what helium was determination for, helium would correspond the British authorities and truthful we were talking to the British government," says Mr Kelly.

"It gave anticipation determination was a anticipation of a bid process done meaningful talks. I deliberation helium [Robert] did the close happening and helium tin assertion to person been portion of history," helium said.

During a interruption successful the meeting, the big Brendan Duddy said to Robert, "I deliberation you've got them, I deliberation they're going to telephone a ceasefire."

Robert did not travel cleanable with the British authorities astir the gathering but the concealed came retired aboriginal successful the twelvemonth [28 Nov 1993], erstwhile The Observer ran a beforehand leafage scoop revealing that a British authoritative had secretly met the IRA 3 days aft the Warrington bomb.

"This is hugely embarrassing due to the fact that the authorities had repeatedly denied that determination had been immoderate look to look meetings with the IRA," Taylor explains successful the documentary.

Robert resigned from the Service.

Taylor tracked him down much than 20 years ago. The way to Robert was triggered by a signed inscription successful a publication the spy presented to Brendan Duddy. The inscription - a punctuation successful Latin from Virgil's Aeneid - translated, read: "Perhaps 1 time it volition beryllium bully to retrieve these things," and was signed "Robert".

But, pursuing MI5's rules, helium lied to Taylor, and said helium wasn't the antheral helium was looking for. But successful 2021, the writer received a letter.

"Dear Mr Taylor: You volition nary uncertainty beryllium amazed to perceive from maine aft truthful galore years. For a assortment of reasons I could present springiness you immoderate inheritance which mightiness capable successful immoderate gaps - were you truthful interested. Two of the starring figures from my engagement person died [Martin McGuinness and Brendan Duddy] the third, crucially for me, is my wife. It is her death, which puts maine successful a presumption to interaction you. Yours sincerely Robert [surname withheld]"

"I'd similar what I did to beryllium remembered," helium tells Taylor successful the documentary.