Books - Arming The Protestants

MICHAEL FARRELL WILL have two books launched next week. One is his "Magill Book Of Irish Politics" which, because it's produced by ourselves, we will not comment on it or mention it in any way. It would be unfair to other books of politics, it would give this one an unfair advantage and would take up too much space. Anyway if you want to know about it, and see all the many reasons why you should buy it, there's an advertisement for it on page 38.
What this Diary really wants to go on about is "Arming The Protestants" which will be launched on 7 Decem ber, two days after the "Magill Book Of Irish Politics" which is, by the way, great value for money. "Arming The Protestants" is published by Brandon in Ireland and Pluto Press in England. It takes its title from a remark of Winston Churchill's at a Cabinet meeting in July 1920:

"The Secretary of State for War enquired what ... would happen if the Protestants in the six counties were given weapons and . . . charged with maintaining law and order and policing the counntry."

The book examines the setting up of the Special Constabulary and the RUC. The Special Constabulary was made up almost exclusively of former members of the UVF and the RUC was made up of members of the Special Constabulary or the old RIC.

Michael Farrell used sourrces in London, Dublin and Belfast. In London he found RIC police reports and some material which was not availlable in Belfast. In Dublin he worked in the State Paper Office, Public Records Office and in UCD where he used the Mulcahy Papers.

He also interviewed old IRA commanders about the nature of activities in Nor-

them Ireland. He discovered a mole in the RUC headdquarters until September 1922. This man was the private secretary to the government's military adviser. He was not able to discover the man's real name, allthough a me which conntained it had been available to another historian in the Public Record Office in Norrthern Ireland.

This me was closed to Michael Farrell. He found as he continued to work in the Public Record Office in Norrthern Ireland that more and more files were closed to him which had been available to historians more sympathetic to the government. Over a hundred files were closed. They are now closed to everyybody.

There are also two other interesting matters explored in the book besides the settting up of the police. One is the Boundary Commission. Lloyd George had told Michael Collins first that there would be a transfer of considerable territory from the North to the Free State and then he told him that he would not interfere. Michael Farrell has discovered that Ramsay McDonald later gave Craig an assurance that there would be no major transfers of territory. He has also unearthed a Protestant paramilitary group called the Imperial Guards which have not been treated by any other historian: they numbered beetween 10,000 and 30,000 in the 1920s.

"Arming The Protestants" costs £7.95.