Sir, – As an opponent of the Provisional IRA’s armed campaign, I find it ironic that Sinn Féin is relatively indifferent to the British authorities’ bid to acquire the recorded testimony of IRA members from the Boston College oral history archive (Home News, December 20th).
If this legal action succeeds, it will be a major infringement of the right of academic researchers and journalists to protect their sources.
Furthermore, the arrests and prosecutions that may result from handing over these records could destabilise Northern Ireland’s political institutions. The lives of the college’s researchers might also be at risk. Indeed, I wonder why the British authorities are seeking the interviews of IRA members only, and not those of the loyalist paramilitaries who also took part in the oral history project. All in all, Sinn Féin’s reticence on this crucial issue is rather curious.
Without the ability of journalists and scholars to give guarantees of confidentiality, the media would effectively be gagged, as would academic researchers. Much of what we now know about the Troubles would never have been revealed. Therefore, despite what we may think of those who contributed to this oral history archive, their anonymity must be protected.
It would be strange if the US judiciary permitted the violation of an academic project when it upholds the right of Catholic priests to conceal all manner of crimes revealed to them in the confessional. If the presiding judge William G Young is consistent and if he values academic freedom, he must rule in favour of Boston College and bring this dubious and dangerous legal action to an end. – Yours, etc,