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Writing Peace: The National Archives of the UK (TNA)

Record of a Meeting between David Fell and Eamonn Mallie to Discuss the Hume-Adams Talks on 13 October 1993

Wednesday, 13 October 1993

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This document provides an account of a meeting between Eamonn Mallie and David Fell on 13 October 1993. Mallie, who was well connected to the Republican movement, discussed with Fell about the motivations of the Republican Movement and the SDLP with regards to the document handed to the Irish Government by John Hume and Gerry Adams. Mallie also explained the reasons for Hume and Adam's joint statement's release date, just as Hume was travelling to the USA. He also warned Fell that South Armagh PIRA was interested in ending their campaign of violence with 'a bang'.

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HCS/910/93

FROM: D FELL

13 OCTOBER 1993

cc Mr Thomas – B

Mr Deverell - B

PUS (L&B) – B

MR EAMON MALLIE

1. As you know, I had lunch today with Eamon Mallie, and I think I was relatively successful in my ambition to be on

'receive' rather than ' transmit' mode. I was able to restrict what I had to say to what is already on the public record, and, while I am not sure of the precise value of what I received in return, from a journalist who is clearly very close to the Republican movement, I nevertheless record briefly below the points which I picked up from Mallie:-

(i) Mallie claimed that, while he understood a good deal of what was going on between Hume and Adams, he had no knowledge about precisely what is in the document which Hume reported to the Irish Government;

(ii) Adams, though not wishing upon himself the image of a cult figure, is vital to the Republican movement, who have invested a great deal in his success in the Hume/Adams Talks. However, he is not just a one man band, and in terms of the Hume/Adams Talks themselves, he is supported by a team which includes McGuinness, McLoughlin, Hartley, Gibney and Pat Doherty;

(iii) The joint Mallie statement version was launched of the reason just as why Hume the was Hume/Adams departing for the night, USA had is that to get first, his 3 Hume, MPs 'on onside ‘the previous Tuesday that Adams had to get everyone -and succeeded; Provisional and movement including a within the Ard Comhairle, a briefing of PIRA prisoners and meetings of local Provisional groupings ‘from Cork to Antrim’. Once Adams had completed that process - on Friday 24 September - he, having got the entire Provisional movement behind him, insisted that the statement would be put into the public domain, otherwise he would lose credibility within the Republican movement. Hume was reluctant to put it into the public domain because he was departing to the USA. Adams argued that he should not go to the USA, but Hume insisted. Nevertheless, Adams prevailed upon Hume to go public even though he was going to the USA.

(iv) Mallie regards the Hume/Adams decision to report to the Irish Government as the strongest signal ever given by the Republican movement to the Irish Government that the Republican movement no longer see themselves as the only legitimate Government in Ireland, and that they therefore no longer represent a threat to the Irish Government.

(v) According to Mallie, the SDLP as a Party (with Hume, like Adams, also supported by a group of 'trusties', which includes Mallon, Farren, Durkin and Dennis Haughey) are so committed to the peace process, that they have mentally budgeted for the prospect of the death of some members of the group, at the hands of Loyalist paramilitaries.

(vi) And finally, in a considerable digression, Mallie indicated (as we know from elsewhere) that South Armagh PIRA are key to the overall PIRA campaign, and, from his extensive sources in that area (where he was born) he has a strong belief that the South Armagh Brigade are interested in the idea of ending the war with a bang. Specifically, he claimed that, had South Armagh PIRA been successful in downing the Army helicopter near Crossmaglen last month, they would have declared a ceasefire.

2 . I do not know how this sit with other intelligence available to John Deverell and colleagues, but I record it here for what it is worth.

Signed David Fell

DAVID FELL