State papers: UK PM unconvinced IRA ended armed campaign after ceasefire
In letter to Bill Clinton, John Major said he could not determine if IRA military action had stopped
Taoiseach Albert Reynolds shakes hands with Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and SDLP leader John Hume outside Government Buildings after a discussion of ways to advance the peace process following the IRA’s ceasefire announcement of August 31st, 1994. Photograph: Matt Kavanagh
Celebrating the IRA ceasefire in BelfastPhotograph: Peter Thursfield
UK prime minister John Major remained unconvinced that the IRA had permanently ended its armed campaign following the ceasefire in 1994, according to declassified government documents.
Although there was a wide belief among politicians and the media in the republic that the August ceasefire was the end of military activity by the IRA, Major remained sceptical. In a drafted letter to US president Bill Clinton, Major said it was important to assess whether the ceasefire was permanent.