The Committee: Political Assassination in Northern Ireland

Niwot, Colo: Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1998. 1st ed. hardcover. Near fine in a near fine to very good++ jacket. In archival mylar. in near fine dust-jacket. Quarto black cloth, black d.j. with silver spine, in archival mylar wrap; 418 pages, [12] pages of plates: illustrations; 24 cm. "In 1991 Sean McPhilemy produced "The Committee", a sensational documentary for British television that revealed that a group in Northern Ireland- drawn from the Unionist members of the business community, Protestant clergy, the police (RUC), and the British security forces- was systematically colluding with Loyalist terrorists to murder Irish Republicans and other Irish Nationalists. The documentary contained exclusive firsthand testimony of a member of the Loyalist committee responsible for the murders. This source provided a detailed account of how various assassinations had been planned and carried out. The broadcast of "The Committee" resulted in highly publicized legal proceedings in the High Court in London when the British Conservative government tried unsuccessfully to force the program makers to identify their source. Since the broadcast of his documentary, McPhilemy has struggled to protect his reputation in the face of various legal actions against him over the program. Harassed by British authorities and his life threatened, he has brought two libel actions against newspapers in London that sought to discredit him. This book gives a full account of the murder conspiracy, the making of the documentary, the subsequent legal proceedings, and additional evidence that substantiates the original allegations." -- Publisher description. Explains how Sean McPhilemy's documentary about a how a group of Unionists are killing Irish Nationalists has created controversy over whether or not he should reveal his sources. Political violence -- Northern Ireland -- History -- 20th century.