The Dirty War: Covert Strategies and Tactics Used in Political Conflicts [Paperback]

Martin Dillon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 041592281X | ISBN-13: 978-0415922814 | Publication Date: March 17, 1999 | Edition: 1

1969 was a year of rising tension, violence and change for the people of Northern Ireland. Rioting in Derry's Bogside led to the deployment of British troops and a shortlived, uneasy truce. The British army soon found itself engaged in an undercover war against the Provisional IRA, which was to last for more than twenty years.
In this enthralling and controversial book, Martin Dillon examines the roles played by the Provisional IRA, the State forces, the Irish Government and the British Army during this troubled period. He unravels the mystery of a war in which informers, agents and double agents operate, and reveals disturbing facts about the way in which the terrorists and the intelligence agencies target, undermine and penetrate each other's ranks. "The Dirty War" contains startling disclosures and throws new light on previously unexplained events.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

An amazingly detailed and profoundly disturbing examination of the ``dirty'' covert war between Northern Ireland's paramilitary groups and British security forces. Investigative journalist Dillon focuses on the chaotic years of 196990 to describe how British security forces attempted to infiltrate and destroy the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). The two sides fought a deadly, no-rules war with spies, informers, assassination, misinformation, and wholesale coverup. While the IRA tried to destabilize Northern Ireland by bombing, compiling weapons, and murdering British troops, British security forces established their own ``unofficial'' hit squads to identify and murder IRA operatives. Dillon brilliantly illuminates the deadly, murky underworld of spies and informers, meticulously describing how British intelligence would arrest ``vulnerable'' IRA members and ``turn'' them with threats of imprisonment, blackmail, torture, and monetary rewards. Dillon also reveals how the IRA systematically searched out and eliminated informers within their midstusually with a bullet to the head. Dillon fully understands the devastating political and cultural implications of Northern Ireland's ``dirty'' war. He repeatedly points out that governmental counterterrorism, waged in secrecy and thus lacking accountability, ``raises serious issues for a democracy.'' He cites the brutal murders of Andrew Murray and Michael Naan, two suspected IRA members killed by British soldiers. Although dozens within the British army knew about the murders, the crime was systematically covered up for eight years. Dillon's account of the Murray/Naan murders makes for shocking and fascinating reading. The ``dirty'' war in Northern Ireland has created a diseased culture of silence, betrayal, and selective memory. Though a decade old (it was a bestseller when first published in Ireland), Dillon's book is investigative journalism at its relevant best. He's put himself in harm's way to get at the dark truth, gaining access to both British intelligence sources and the IRA. A seminal, if dated, study of Northern Ireland's nightmarish legacy of official and unofficial violence. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

Long regarded as one of Northern Ireland's best-informed journalists, many of Mr. Dillon's books have until recently been unavailable to American audiences. Now, thanks to Routledge, they are receiving the audience they deserve.
–The Washington Times

An amazingly detailed and profoundly disturbing examination of the 'dirty' covert war between Northern Ireland's paramilitary groups and British security forces..Dillon's book is investigative journalism at its relevant best. He's put himself in harm's way to get at the dark truth, gaining access to both British intelligence sources and the IRA.
–Kirkus Reviews, March 1999

Makes Cold War duplicity a la Deighton and Le Carr seem positively endearing.... This excellent book demands the attention of anyone concerned about civil liberties in the United Kingdom.
–The Guardian

Grippingly written with the pace of a thriller.
–Financial Times

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 041592281X
• ISBN-13: 978-0415922814
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #597,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I have read on Northern Ireland, February 27, 2000

By 

David Dearborn (Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dirty War: Covert Strategies and Tactics Used in Political Conflicts (Paperback)

There are many reasons to buy and admire Martin Dillon's 'The Dirty War,' which is nothing less than a monumental achievement in investigative journalism. Dillon peels the lid off a very large can of worms--two decades of undercover conflict between the IRA (Official and Provisional), British Army, RUC, Loyalists and assorted other players in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1990. The author's painstaking research (including many first-hand interviews with participants) and scrupulous objectivity should make this book required reading in newsrooms and journalism schools everywhere. But it's not some dry exercise. A lot of 'The Dirty War' rivals the best non-fiction crime and detective writing. Dillon knows how to tell a story. He also has a knack of involving the reader in his exhaustive analysis of individual incidents and themes. When answers aren't evident, his not afraid to admit it; rather, he asks questions and draws us in. This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in the modern British Army and its counterterrorist tactics. But it's not an anti-British book and it's not an anti-IRA book. It IS continually fascinating and, refreshingly, has a strong moral compass in the author's value set to help the reader through the unpleasantness.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Account of an Undercover War, October 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dirty War: Covert Strategies and Tactics Used in Political Conflicts (Paperback)

Having just read 'The Dirty War', I realised the charachter of the conflict in Ireland which was fought away from the headlines. Martin Dillon presents an account which is now proving correct. He objectively reveals the practice of secret burials, a story in the headlines currently, with families demanding the whereabouts of the bodies of the "disappeared". Dillon also -- without predjudice -- shows how all the combatants fought this dirty war. In particular, it is interesting that his revelations are part of the on-going discussions in the British media, especially pertaining to the role of the British intelligence agencies. Consequently, I was astounded by the review written here by [e-mail]. Apart from the fact that he confused two of Dillon's books - The Dirty War and The Shankill Butchers -- it appears that he did not have a sufficeint grasp of the material. In response then why should we believe Phil306 about Sgt. Oram and not Mr. Dillon, who does not hide behind an e-mail address? Significantly, the author's revelations in both books are such that when he does not name people for legal reasons, those reasons are obvious to the intelligent reader. In his comments, Phil306 offers us a seminal awareness of a national trait which is something that Dillon clearly rejects in his balanced portrayal of all the players in both books. If phil 306 had fully digested the material in The Shankill Butchers, he would have understood that Messers. A and B were never charged with their crimes. In that context, the law in the United Kingdom would not have permitted their names to be published. Did Phil306 recognise the obvious risks to the authors' life in even giving us the insights in the facts that A & B existed? Since Phil306 appears to be the oracle in these matters, let him name A & B publicly in the British Isles, and explain his 'closeness' to Sgt. Oram. The Dirty War is an excellent book on the undercover war, and The Shankill Butchers is a stunning account of mass murder. If Phil 306 had properly read the Post Sript to the Shankill Butchers, even he could have made reasonable deductions about the identities of A and B. Perhaps, he should re-read both books and next time, avoid confusing the facts when writing a review. I am an Englishman living in the United States, and Mr. Dillon enabled me to grasp the complexities of a conflict which found its way onto my shores. I applaud Mr. Dillon for his investigative skills and his unbiased approach in his writings.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dillon knows his Irish history, January 28, 2000

By 

Mr. D. J. Walford (Lancashire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dirty War: Covert Strategies and Tactics Used in Political Conflicts (Paperback)

A good book by Dillon. He covers all parts of the Northern Irish Troubles, including British Army and security forces undercover actions and the way in which the IRA use devious "honeytraps" to tempt British Army men to their deaths. It also gives a section on the little known Loyalist paramilitary forces. I Liked this book as it was easy to read and gives a good insight into the past 30 years of the troubles. Anyone who is just getting into Irish history and is unsure about what to read, The Dirty War is an excellent starting point as, from the start, it gives you no illusions, even the title tells the truth.