The editor of The Times, William Rees-Mogg. is currently refusing to publish a story which reveals the extent of British Army interterence with telephones and mail in the North of The story was submitted over three weeks ago. Since then not only have changes been made lo it by the D-notice committee, but it has twice been re-written on Rees-Mong's instrucless it is still being held back as being too embarassing for the Government.
HUNDREDS TAPPED The story alleges that over the past five years hundreds of telephones have been lapped at the instigation of the security forces. According to sources inside the Post Office, the lines of such men as Paddy Devlin (SDLP Chief Whip) and even Tom Consty Ca Roman Catholic member of the Advisory Commission set up by Whitelaw) have been adapted at the Balmoral Exchange in Belfast to cable them to be tapped. Apparently not ever, a Roman Catholic priest described as an outspoken critic of the IRA"-Father McNamara of Sc. Theresa's Church in Glen Road, Belfast -has escaped such altentiop.
Other promineer figures whose phones have reportedly been inferfered with in this way include Westminster MPs Bernadette MeAlskey and Frank McManus, and leading politicians in the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Vanguard, and lan Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party, Leading Republicans such as Mis Maire Drumm and Mrs. Mary McGuigan have Lions to give it a less anti-Army alani. Neverthe- had their phones tapped, alang with LIDA leaders like Jim Anderson and the late Tommy Herron, Phones in clube, public houses and known mectine places also apparently receive similar treatment.
TWO SYSTEMS The centre of these lapping operations is reported to be at Churchill House in Victorin Square, Belfast, where accordine to Post Office sources more than 150 phones are tapped on a 24 hour a day basis. Two systems are apparently used for this. One method is to record telephone conversation onto a 35 millimetre multitrack marnetic lape will a tune strip alached. Codes are usod to indicate the lupped lines, and some can be monitored by carphones as well as recorded Telephones are atso modified by the security particular area of the city. SORTING CENTRES and then replaced. the Birkett Report in 1957 forces using the Trunk Offer Facility (TKOI, which is buill into the exclange system. This was originally desiened to allow the operator to cut into a call to warn that a trunk call was on the line, and by uing this the security forces can quickly and simply overhear ponversations and monitor phones in a lively tackled.
Bat Sansky The security forces also reportedly interfere with mail passing through the tluce main Belfast sorting centres, located in Bath Place Beerbridge Road, and Royal Avenue. Aller letters are sorled into street destinations by Post Office employees, selected mail is takco aside and checked by menrbers of the Post Offioe's special investigations branch. The method used is that of inserting a needle- Lean type device under the flap of the envelope This is then turned to wind the letter sound it, after which it can be taken out, inspocted.
Since Disect Rule the orders for tapping and inspection of mail have apparently been signed introduced in March 1972 at is undenitood that such activities were authorised by the Governor under regulations established alter a sea of hostile Arabism, whose continued existence is dependent on the goodwill of American imperialism For the Jews in Israel as for the Arab workers and peasants, peace can only come thruugh the revolutionary overthrow of all the regimes in the area the Zionist State of Israel, the traditional oligarchies, and the demagogic. pseudo anti-imperialist regimes und the establishment of a Socialist federation with full rights for national minorities (Kunds, South Sudanese, Israeli Jews), Suppurt for the Esptian-Syrian war etfort is obligatory for all socialists, even if the aims of the Arab ruling class are not the same as ours, and they themseives will bave to he toppled before the problem of Zionism can be effec Wiltings 1932 Loon Tretsky / £1.65 + 200 Writings 1939-40 (secand enlarged edition/ Trotsky / E1.65 - 20p pap Problems of Everyday Life Loon Trotsky 7-61.45 + 15р p&p Speeches to the Parly (1952-54) James P Cannon / E1.85 + 20p p&p Cash with ordor to: HED BOOKS 24 Boundary Road, London N.W.B.
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