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In this Paper Trail Pro Podcast, author Ciarán MacAirt discusses the legacy of General Frank Kitson.
This is the second part of a two-part podcast examining the legacy of General Frank Kitson in light of his development of the covert British Army unit, the Military Reaction Force, which was guilty of dozens of murders and attempted murders in the early 1970s. The vast majority of its victims were civilians.
General Frank Kitson (right) is a renowned British Army military strategist and counter-insurgency expert. His books include Gangs and Counter-Gangs and Low Intensity Operations: Subversion, Insurgency and Peacekeeping.
He was last deployed to the north of Ireland as Brigadier in charge of 39 Brigade and ran British military operations and intelligence in the Greater Belfast area from 1970 t0 1972, a crucial juncture in the conflict. Ciarán MacAirt argues that he laid the blue-print for how Britain was to wage its war during and after his tenure.
In-depth interrogation, psychological operations, pseudo-gangs and the murder of civilians were features of this counter-insurgency strategy. We are still dealing with its legacy to this day. (Part 2/2 Podcasts)
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This podcast is based on the author’s own book and his discovery of a secret paper written by then Brigadier Kitson on the day of the McGurk’s Bar Massacre. Read it here…
Download the secret Kitson paper: Future Developments in Belfast (PDF)
Listen to Podcast 2: General Frank Kitson – War Hero or Director of Terrorism? Part 1/2
