Miss Devlin Faces Challenge In U.S.

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32078, 28 August 1969, Page 17

Miss Devlin Faces Challenge In U.S.

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright)

BELFAST, August 27.

Three of Northern Ireland’s leading Protestant politicians have announced plans to counter the Roman Catholic propaganda campaign being waged in America by Miss Bernadette Devlin, the Mid-Ulster member of the British Parliament.

One of the three, Mr Stratton Mills, who has challenged Miss Devlin to a face-to-face discussion on American television, represents Northern Ireland’s ruling Unionist Party at Westminster. He and Mr Robin Baillie, a member of the Northern Ireland Parliament, will travel to New York on Friday, when Captain Lawrence Orr, leader of the Unionist group in the British Parliament, will travel to Toronto to hold a parallel campaign. Mr Mills told a press conference: “There can be no doubt that we are facing today deliberate attempts to discredit our democratic Constitution and make Northern Ireland ungovernable. “The first thing is to tell the world the truth about Ulster, for many of the things that have been said have been very wild and exaggerated." Mr Mills said be believed that Miss Devlin would discredit herself by her own speeches. “She engages in the wide generalisation, the halftruth and the downright untruth,” he declared. Captain Orr commented: “Bernadette Devlin is dangerous in the sense that she is a

• presentable front for those . activists who wish to destroy the Ulster State.” 1 The fiery-tongued Miss Dev- ■ lin, a prominent figure in the . Londonderry riots of two weeks ago, has since been busy in America denouncing I Northern Ireland’s Protestant . rulers and raising funds for her Roman Catholic campaign. Miss Devlin told reporters ’ after a 15-minute talk with the United Nations Secretary--1 General (U Thant) that he ■ had expressed sympathy with ■ the people of Northern Iret land. , “Like all fair-minded men, , the Secretary-General is hor- , rifled by the lack of control within the ‘B’ specials,” she ' said, adding that the United ' Nations could not take any ' action because the situation in Northern Ireland was a ' British affair, i Report To Wilson Meanwhile, two officials i appointed by the British Govi eminent as watchdogs of the events in Northern Ireland ■ have flown back to London ■ from Belfast. Mr Oliver Wright and Mr i Alec Baker have the task of ■ reporting to the Prime Minis- ■ ter (Mr Harold Wilson) on developments in the bitter inter-denominational feud - that is wracking the six counties of Northern Ireland.

31 The Northern Ireland Pari liament has been recalled from its summer recess to • set up a tribunal of inquiry 3 into the recent riots. ) A High Court judge is exi pected to lead the investiga- > tion, and he will have powers t to compel witnesses to attend r and testify under oath. Callaghan’s Task ) The people of Northern Ire- . land today awaited with some • trepidation the arrival of the 1 British Home Secretary (Mi . James Callaghan). The task facing Mr Caliag- , han is viewed in Ulster as the . toughest of its kind a British I Minister has been called upon > to face in the post-colonial I era. The difference is that , Northern Ireland is not a . colony, but an integral part i of the United Kingdom. Already the Protestant Government of the Prime Minister (Major James Chi-chester-Clark) is said to be > alarmed that the British Gov- ■ emment may be whittling • away at the 1921 Constitution I on which its authority rests, i With a British general now in command of the 11,500 ; police and police reserves and : the 6600 peace-keeping Bri- • tish troops in Ulster, Stori mont will strongly resist any ' move by Mr Wilson I to place a senior Minister : from Westminster in the . Northern Ireland Cabinet.