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  4. Record of Telephone Conversation between John McConnell and Matt Wallace Regarding Wallace's Contact with PIRA Senior on 7 January 1991

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Writing Peace: The National Archives of the UK (TNA)

Record of Telephone Conversation between John McConnell and Matt Wallace Regarding Wallace's Contact with PIRA Senior on 7 January 1991

Monday, 07 January 1991

i23275

This document provides an account of the telephone conversation that took place between Father Matt Wallace and John McConnell on 7 January 1991. Wallace had been contacted by a senior member of PIRA, who had informed Wallace that he had been disappointed by Peter Brooke's response to PIRA's overtures made during the Christmas ceasefire of 1990.

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JMcC/1/1

FROM: J McCONNELL
AS CENT SEC

DATE: 7 JANUARY 1991

cc PS/PUS (B&L) - B Copies 3 & 4 of 9
PS/Sir K Bloomfield - B Copy 5 of 9
Mr Pilling - B Copy 6 of 9
Mr Alston - B Copy 7 of 9
Mr McNeill - B Copy 8 of 9
Mr Petch - B Copy 9 of 9

PS/SECRETARY OF STATE (B & L) - B Copies 1 & 2 of 9

DISCUSSION WITH FATHER MATT WALLACE

1. Father Wallace is based in St Peter's Parish in the Lower Falls and someone with whom I have had a great deal of contact both when in PAB and now with MBW.

2. He rang me this morning to let me know he had had a conversation with a senior member of "the Provos" (sic) who had told him that he had been disappointed at the Secretary of State's response to overtures made at the time of the 3 day Christmas truce. He went on to tell Father Wallace that the Secretary of State is the only British Minister that they have ever trusted to date and for that reason he felt that the truce could have been extended if a more positive response had been forthcoming.

3. I pressed Father Wallace on the identity of his contact and with a great deal of reluctance he eventually volunteered "it was one of the big Gillans" and stressed that he knows him to be heavily involved in the Provisional Movement.

4. Father Wallace expressed surprise to me that he had been sought out by Gillan to give him this message and he believed it may well be because Gillan is aware of Father Wallace's contacts with me and others. The only other point of interest that Father Wallace took from the conversation with Gillan was that he felt Gillan was looking towards an end to the violence though he did stress that this could well be wishful thinking on his part.

[Signed: JEMcC]

J E McCONNELL
MAKING BELFAST WORK

RC/3709