27 May 2016

Weapons Caches and Dark Plots

It has long been suggested the US and its allies have established weapons caches in various locales, especially in Europe that were accessible by those in the know and in an hour of need. Supposedly set up for 'Stay-behind' units, covert cells established to generate resistance in light of a Soviet invasion, these weapons caches were used by various underground groups during the 1970s and 1980s to conduct terror operations across Europe.

John Longstaff who died under very mysterious circumstances in 1984 is purported to have been connected to NORAID, the American based organisation working to support the IRA. We know they were in part backed by Gaddafi in Libya and Longstaff seems to have some connections there as well. Although ironic to some, it's very likely the US and Libya were offering support to some of the same people and in the shadowy world of intelligence operations and backroom deals there may have been collaboration. Longstaff may indeed have been a figure who acted as a bridge between the various sectors.

The CIA has long been accused of supporting the IRA. In particular we're talking about the PIRA which broke with the mainstream in 1969. It's well known they received a great deal of funding and support from the United States.

This would represent another instance of the FBI working against the CIA. The FBI worked in collaboration with the British government to stop IRA support in the United States, while other elements of US power worked to support the Irish in their push to drive the British from Ulster.

Why? The question once again harks back to the Strategy of Tension and the way the United States exercises its power. It's multifaceted, complex and very devious.

The CIA has of course denied these connections but they don't go away.




The following article is somewhat reminiscent of the 1997 Hollywood film 'The Devil's Own'. There were other incidents of the IRA bringing arms by sea across the Atlantic. At the time of the movie's release in 1997 some reviewers dismissed the plot as 'preposterous' and yet it was actually based (in part) or more properly 'inspired' by true events.


I recall sitting in an Irish pub in Northern Italy during this time. The American base hosted some British AWACS crews and they liked to frequent the pub and ambush Americans about support for the IRA. They didn't like my answers. The British have always felt betrayed on this point and yet they shouldn't be surprised. The US does this to all of its allies. It's a mechanism of control but I can assure the reader it earns the United States no warm feelings of love and admiration. The alliances are often bitter. These British crewmen were all but contemptuous of the United States.

All these things considered I return to the question of Longstaff and his stealing weapons from a UK storage facility. I've never been able to find out more about the weapons but these warehouses exist and sometimes in surprising places.

During my time in the USAF I participated in transporting equipment to a nearby town. Off a quiet neighbourhood street, in a place you'd never expect it the Americans were stockpiling equipment. The only time I handled weapons was when we were loading or unloading on the flightline. In this case we were delivering transport equipment and other material. The warehouse was full of stuff and I had no opportunity to look around.

I have no idea what was in there but I remember being struck by the location and lack of security. What was it for? I was told it was DRMO, basically surplus to be sold off. I thought it was peculiar as some of the things we were delivering were virtually brand new. Maybe it was nothing, but then again maybe not.

Later when I learned about Gladio and the other underground cells I thought about that warehouse. If those types of people knew about them or had access to them they could clandestinely outfit their operations. Maybe some of the things are genuinely being stored or prepped for sale. But it's also possible they are staged for others to access them with ease.

Was Longstaff killed by Gaddafi, the British or by his own CIA or IRA connections? We'll probably never know. It strains credulity to believe he committed suicide.


His wife later re-asserted that he was murdered. I imagine she was terrified and rightly so.

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