Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has told the High Court he was not the senior officer of the IRA Belfast brigade referred to in documents related to meetings with British government officials in 1972.
He also denied that he was representing the IRA during those meetings, and would not "speculate" on who was in or leading the IRA in west Belfast in 1972 or at any other time.
Mr Adams made his remarks during the second day of his cross-examination in a defamation action that he is taking against the BBC.
He alleges he was defamed in a 2016 Spotlight programme and a subsequent online article, which he says falsely claimed that he sanctioned the killing of former senior Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson.
Mr Donaldson was shot dead in 2006, months after admitting to being an informer for the police and MI5 over two decades.
Mr Adams has denied any involvement in the killing.
Senior Counsel Paul Gallagher, representing the BBC, continued his cross-examination of Mr Adams, asking him if he knew who was in charge of the west Belfast brigade of the IRA in 1972.
Mr Adams repeatedly answered that he was not going to "speculate" about who was in or leading the IRA at that or any other time.
Mr Gallagher asked if he knew anyone who was in the IRA. Mr Adams replied: "The IRA have gone."
Mr Gallagher again asked if at the time he knew anyone involved in the IRA. Mr Adams again replied that he was not going to speculate.
Mr Gallagher told Mr Adams he was not asking him to speculate. Mr Adams replied: "That is the answer I am giving you."
Mr Adams also denied that he was the senior IRA officer released from internment to take part in talks aimed at securing an IRA ceasefire.
Mr Gallagher said a book written by the IRA referred to a condition that it laid down stating a senior officer was to be released from internment to take part in the talks.
Mr Adams said there may have been a reference to a senior officer but "that was not me".
Asked if any other senior officer had been released from internment at that time, Mr Adams again said he was "not prepared to speculate" about the status of IRA volunteers "released or otherwise".
Mr Gallagher said he was asking him one final time if he knew of any other senior officer released at that time.
"I've given my answer," Mr Adams said.
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Mr Gallagher asked if he could take it then that he was not aware.
Mr Adams said: "No, don’t take it at all. I’m saying I am not prepared to speculate."
The jury then watched what was described as a "montage" of television programmes spanning a number of years, in which various statements were made about Mr Adams' alleged involvement in the IRA and its activities, including the murder of Belfast woman Jean McConville.
Mr Adams was also asked about remarks he made at a press conference following the murder of an alleged IRA informer.
He denied that his remarks were a warning or a threat to people and said he had appealed to anyone "caught in the trap" of being an informer - either through blackmail or coercion or other means - to come forward, as the IRA had decided to hold an amnesty for informers.
Asked by Mr Gallagher who had the power to decide that someone was an informer and could be sentenced to death, Mr Adams replied "presumably those who killed them".
He said it was not for him to speculate on what the procedure was.
Mr Gallagher said he was asking him again why as a representative of the people he did not inquire what the process was, Mr Adams replied: "I have already answered that."
Asked if he was aware of the "rules", Mr Adams again replied: "I have already answered that."
Asked if he was familiar with the structure of the IRA, Mr Adams said he did not intend to speculate. Mr Gallagher said: "Let me be clear, I am not asking you to speculate."
Mr Adams replied: "I've already answered that question."
Mr Gallagher said he had not answered the question, adding: "So any questions I put to you on IRA processes and rules you won't answer?"
Mr Adams said his point to the jury was that this line of questioning was to "smother them in the history", which was that "some of us were able to bring to an end and open up new opportunities for the people of this island and my point is what on earth has this got to do with the killing of Denis Donaldson and the accusation that I authorised his death as alleged in the Spotlight programme?"
Mr Adams was asked if there was any "kick back" from communities when alleged informers were killed and disappeared by the IRA.
Mr Adams said he was not aware of the IRA practice of killing and disappearing alleged informers until many years later when families started to ask questions about what happened to their loved ones.
He said none of the families had raised it with him at the time and often they did not know what had happened to their loved ones and some may have believed they were living somewhere else.
He rejected a suggestion from Mr Gallagher that the reason people did not ask questions was due to fear.
Mr Adams said once he was approached about it, he felt duty bound to help families find the bodies of their loved ones and a process was set up to facilitate that.
He said he had met almost all of the families of the disappeared. A suggestion that people may have been afraid to come to him was "unfair and inaccurate", he said.
Asked if he was aware of many allegations against him in relation to the disappeared, he said he was aware of an allegation relating to Jean McConville but not about anyone else.
Asked about the book 'Say Nothing' which made allegations against him, Mr Adams said he had not read it and it was written by an "opportunist" and based on the "totally discredited Boston tapes".
He agreed that the book had associated him with the killing of Jean McConville and that he took no action about it.
He agreed that he had supported the right of the IRA to pursue armed resistance and said there was a difference between supporting the right to use of arms and using them.
He was critical of many IRA actions and that it would be wrong to describe his political efforts as relating totally to the IRA, he said.
"Let's not box me in to this singular person whose sole focus was the IRA," he said explaining that he was also trying to build a peace process and a political party.
He said the montage of tv programmes show to the jury was a "selective montage" which in most cases featured interviews with those who were entirely hostile to the project in which he was engaged and had called for his death.
Asked about a comment he made at a rally, saying "they haven't gone away you know", referring to the IRA, he said it was a response to a heckler who had said bring back the IRA. He said the person was probably frustrated with the progress of the peace process at the time.
"It was not rehearsed and if I might say so it was not a bad response in terms of keeping the republican people at that rally on board," he said.
He also said the remark had been used by many others and he should have "copyrighted it".
Mr Adams also denied that a black beret he wore at a republican funeral guard of honour in 1970 was the "garb of the IRA". He said he was honoured to have been asked to take part in the guard of honour.
When shown a picture of the event he said he looked "more like a character out of Some Mothers Do Have Em" – an English comedy programme.
Paul Gallagher put it to Mr Adams that the clothing at that time was "a much more intimidating uniform" to members of the public and he must have known that.
Mr Adams also said the former Chief of staff of the IRA Sean MacStiofain was "mistaken" when he said in public interviews that he was a member of the Belfast Brigade.
Mr Gallagher said Mr MacStiofain had described Mr Adams as taking part in meetings in 1972 and Mr Adams replied: "I was not there in that capacity, I have made that clear."
He also said Mr Gallagher should be reminded "that I am not on trial here". He said the very same statements were thrown out by a court in Belfast when he was previously charged with IRA membership.
