Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and her then secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Tom King, were warned that speculating about a garda mole being involved in the killing of two senior RUC officers would be "playing the terrorists game" the Smithwick Tribunal heard today.
Confidential briefing documents prepared for them the day after the killing of Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan were read into the record at the Tribunal along with a series of internal RUC documents relating to the killings in March 1989.
The Tribunal is investigating allegations that a garda passed information to the IRA which allowed them to set up the ambush in which the two men died shortly after leaving a meeting in Dundalk Garda Station.
The briefing notes prepared for the two senior politicians gave them background details to the killings and as well as indicating possible questions and suggested answers.
In a briefing note for Mr King, he was warned that "horrific as they are, it could be counter productive" to focus on the murders of the two senior RUC officers when other people were being killed too.
In a note to him and Mrs Thatcher, they were both advised to say something along the lines that there was "not a shred of evidence to substantiate these allegations which are extremely dangerous". Such speculation would "help the terrorists" and they should "avoid fuelling dangerous rumours."
RUC intelligence reports also named two people whom they believed were involved in the ambush, Patrick Joseph 'Mooch' Blair and Leonard 'Hard Bap' Hardy.
Other reports mentioned that former Special Branch Det Garda Owen Corrigan had been kidnapped and interrogated along with a known republican smuggler, Francie Tiernan over a "property scam."
This was done by the South Armagh brigade without consent from more senior officers. The documents state that "PIRA/Sinn Féin held an inquiry" into the incident and Mr Tiernan was cleared.
Another intelligence report from 2004 said that a member of the South Armagh brigade said he believed the ambush in which the two RUC men were killed was planned and carried out on the same day. This information tended to negate the suggestion of collusion, the report stated.
This intelligence was given the high grading of B2 meaning the source and the information were likely to be true.
In another report it stated that "two anonymous messages identified Leo Colton, a sergeant in Dundalk." Former Sgt Leo Colton is one of three former gardaí being investigated by the Tribunal. He along with Det Sgt Corrigan and Sgt Finbarr Hickey deny the allegation of collusion with the IRA.
It was also revealed today that senior RUC officers flew to Washington to interview journalist Toby Harden who wrote the book 'Bandit Country' in which the allegations of garda collusion were highlighted.
Garda officers had also flown to America to interview Mr Harden about the same allegations.
In the RUC summary, it was noted that it was "blatantly obvious" Mr Harden had been approved to receive briefings from the RUC Special Branch and the military for his book.
The Tribunal has adjourned for one week.
It had been hoped that one of the three former garda at the centre of the Tribunal, Owen Corrigan, would be giving evidence this week.
However, Judge Smithwick was told that he is too ill to attend and it is not known when he will be able to give evidence.
Counsel for the Tribunal Justin Dillon said they were going back into their investigative phase.
