"My way or the highway!"September 1982 to March 1983: The New Guidelines

 1. The IRA's activities to be directed at the police,not the UDR who were to be 'left alone' apart from their officers,

2. The British Army to be spared most of the IRA's war of attrition apart from the SAS who were to be a No. 1 priority,

3. Both soldiers and police only to be the goal of armed activity when they were on duty or armed,unless of course they had been involved in Military Intelligence gang activities. This was what I referred to as "open military warfare". In my 1981-2 induction,followed by rapid promotion,I ordered, explicitly "full frontal attacks" (my own words,lest there be any doubt or backsliding). Barracks and checkpoints and and army installations to be mortared and attacked in "open military warfare", our opponents to be given a fair chance to defend themselves. Thereby,keeping within the rules of military engagement,

4.No more disappearances or attacks on civilians in England and the activities there to involve large-scale attacks on property to "hit the English in the pocket",

5.A militia-style organisation operating from within the North,

6.An end to rioting to be publicised and strictly enforced and,in answer to British Army allegations of rioters being used as human shields,that Belfast practice to stop,

7.Horses for courses,an intelligent man as an intelligence officer and a 'plain man' for a plain man's role. Specialisation. Separation of functions,

8. Importation of Red-eye surface to air missiles, break-in at Southern US Marines base and seizure of a Red-eye trainer launcher. SAM-7 " too big and cumbersome and Russian bases likely to be much better protected",

9.Area-to-area operations and IRA to operate inside the North since "the Gardai are our hidden enemy",

10. The depoliticisation of the IRA and "training to be given to anyone who wants it",open recruitment,ramping up the war, escalation of armed struggle,

11. Establishment of a 'Security Unit' since intelligence and security are two different types of activity,intelligence-led operations and head of IRA Intelligence to be head of Security to stop competition, intelligence gathering being an outgoing type of activity and security being an internal function,

12. The IRA to escalate its activities and to manufacture its own rifles without flash suppressors from metal pressings,and explosives from nitric acid, glycerol and Felsen clay deposits at Castlecaulfield, originally utilised in the production of Parian China tableware.