Faulkner 'did not believe' Army claims

Thirteen civilians were killed on Bloody Sunday

Northern Ireland's prime minister in 1972 did not believe Army claims they had shot dead terrorists on Bloody Sunday, his former principal private secretary has said.

Dr Robert Ramsay made the comments when giving evidence to the Bloody Sunday inquiry at Londonderry's Guildhall on Tuesday.

Dr Ramsay said Brian Faulkner had questioned the Army version of events.

"When were a dozen gunmen ever killed in a crowd situation, and with no civilian casualties?" Mr Faulkner was said to have asked.

Brian Faulkner "did not believe Army claims"

The Saville Inquiry is examining the events of 30 January 1972 when 13 civilians were shot dead by British army soldiers during a civil rights march in the city. A 14th person died later.

In a statement released after the march, however, the prime minister contradicted his private comments.

He said: "Those who organised this march must bear a terrible responsibility for having urged people to lawlessness and for having provided the IRA with the opportunity of again bringing death to our streets."

Dr Ramsay told the tribunal: "When I told him on the telephone that the first reports were that the Army had returned fire against terrorists, he replied that he could not believe that all, or even most, of the victims had been terrorists."

Political implications

He said the Joint Security Committee, which was chaired by Mr Faulkner, had no specific intelligence ahead of Bloody Sunday in relation to a special IRA threat at the march.

Mr Faulkner, who died in 1977, had also reflected on the political implications of the killings.

"This is London's disaster but they will use it against us," he said.

Just weeks later in March 1972, Northern Ireland's parliament at Stormont was closed down by the Westminster government of Edward Heath and direct rule was imposed.

Lord Saville of Newdigate and the commonwealth judges accompanying him on the Bloody Sunday inquiry began their work nearly four years ago. They are not expected to report back until 2004.

The Bloody Sunday inquiry was established in 1998 by Prime Minister Tony Blair after a campaign by families of those killed and injured.

They felt that the Widgery Inquiry, held shortly after the shootings, did not find out the truth about what happened on Bloody Sunday.