RUC, Garda accounts differ at Smithwick

RUC intelligence has differed with Garda statements in regard to arrangements for a meeting between senior Garda and RUC officers in Dundalk Garda Station in 1989.

RUC Supt Bob Buchanan and colleague Chief Supt Harry Breen were murdered by the IRA as they returned from a meeting with then Garda chief supt John Nolan in Dundalk Garda Station, on Monday March 20th.

The Smithwick Tribunal was established to inquire into suggestions that members of An Garda Síochána or other employees of the State colluded in the killings.

RUC documents opened at the tribunal in Dublin this morning claimed Chief Supt Breen of the RUC had telephoned Dundalk Garda station at about 9.30am on March 20th to arrange a meeting with Chief Supt John Nolan.

The document headed HMG50 claimed that as Mr Nolan had not been available, he had called Supt Breen back at about 10.30am that morning. The documents claimed it was agreed in that phone call the RUC officers would travel south to Dundalk, arriving at about 2.pm. The RUC also believed Supt Pat Tierney was present at the afternoon meeting in the Garda station.

Counsel for the Tribunal Justin Dillon SC also said evidence would be given later that at least one of the murdered RUC officers had spoken of the probability of an impending visit to Dundalk during the weekend before his death.

However, Mr Nolan, who is now retired, told Judge Peter Smithwick he had not called the RUC, but had taken a call in his office on the day of the killings at 10.15am. He further said this call came not from Chief Supt Breen, but from the second RUC officer, Supt Bob Buchannan, who was calling from Armagh Police station. He said the phone line was not encrypted as the syatems North and South were not compatible.

Mr Nolan said Mr Buchanan and he were known to one another and they arranged the afternoon meeting while Mr Buchanan also advised he was to be transferred the following month to Newtownards, Co Down.

Mr Nolan said he had shared the knowledge of the impending visit only "on a need to know" basis. He recalled he did mention the visit to Insp Frank Murphy during a coffee break, but he was confident he was not overheard.

Mr Nolan said he had travelled to Newry in the aftermath of the killings and briefly met the RUC chief constable and other RUC officers and the question of collusion or a leak from Dundalk Garda station never arose. He said the prevalent opinion was that the RUC officers had been followed from Dundalk and killed.

However, Mr Dillon said it was well known that Assistant Garda Commissioner Edward Dillon had been sent to Dundalk to investigate allegations of collusion in the days immediately after the killings.

Mr Dillon, for the tribunal, said a newspaper headline the day after the killings had also referred to collusion. He accused Mr Nolan of "rewriting history" and asserted: "An attempt was made to create an aura that very few people knew of the visit".

Mr Nolan told the tribunal: "I never heard a word of a leak or collusion by a member of the force During my time in Dundalk."