The decision by the British Government to establish the Saville Tribunal into the Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry in 1972 sparked outrage within senior elements of the British military.
The revelation came in secret files released as part of the State Papers by the National Archives.
Newly released documents revealed that General Rupert Smith — the most senior British military commander in Northern Ireland — said it was “immature” to attempt to apportion absolute guilt in the complex situation that soldiers were cast into by their own government in the 1970s.
One document, dated June 1998, revealed that Irish officials were taken aback by the open criticism of London by such a senior British military commander.
Irish diplomats had invited General Smith to dinner. The general, who was a former member of the Parachute Regiment, was nearing the end of his tour in Northern Ireland.
Irish officials had, through their various dealings with General Smith, been impressed by his grasp of the situation in Northern Ireland and his “cerebral approach”, though they noted he was not receptive to nationalist sensitivities.
Further, they noted that he did not have “…any real understanding of how the Army is perceived on the ground in Northern Ireland”.
General Rupert Smith
General Smith had served in Northern Ireland as an ordinary soldier and had been badly injured in a blast. The 1978 explosion had resulted in him sustaining burns to 28% of his body.
Irish officials were taken aback when, at the mention of the Saville Tribunal, General Smith was open about his criticisms.
He labelled the new tribunal to be “a cynical political move”. He also said he believed that soldiers were once again being made the scapegoats for matters in Northern Ireland.
Irish diplomats noted that once he had finished his criticisms of the Saville Tribunal, General Smith acknowledged that Bloody Sunday was a terrible day.
“(It was) a uniquely appalling event,” he said. But he maintained that the responsibility rested with the politicians who had put soldiers into an almost impossible situation.
Irish officials noted that it was “quite extraordinary” to hear such a senior British commander voice such open criticism of his own government. Just over 12 months later, Irish officials hosted another dinner for General Smith’s successor, General Hew Pike.
General Pike was viewed as a much lower-key commander than General Smith.
One Irish official described General Pike as “quieter and a more unassuming type than his predecessor”.
General Pike openly admitted that he was baffled about Northern Ireland politics. He told his Irish hosts that he would have “a steep learning curve” to bring himself up to speed on the complex issues involved.
However, just like General Smith, General Pike was unhappy with aspects of the Saville Inquiry.
General Pike indicated that the British Army would resist any effort by the tribunal to lift the anonymity granted to the soldiers involved.
Bloody Sunday took place in January 1972 when 13 civil rights marchers and ordinary pedestrians were shot dead, with one dying sometime later.
A total of 26 unarmed civilians were shot.
An inquiry a few months later, under John Widgery, blamed the march organisers for what happened and effectively cleared the soldiers involved — members of the Parachute Regiment — of blame.
However, the Saville Tribunal adopted a more forensic and thorough approach to what happened.
In 2010, it ruled that the soldiers involved had lost control that day and shot at people who were unarmed and posed no threat.