New theory on role of French agents

Press, 9 July 1986, Page 8

New theory on role of French agents

Secret French evidence of a second camper-van couple could have led to the decision to transfer Dominique Prleur and Alain Mafart to a Pacific Island, according to the author of the latest book on the Rainbow Warrior sinking. Dr Michael King. Dr King suggested in a press statement yesterday that this evidence was made available to the United Nations SecretaryGeneral, Mr Javier Perez de Cuellar. The evidence sought to show that the role of Mafart and Prleur in the bombing was not as great as alleged by the New Zealand police. Their culpability was probably limited to surveillance of the Auckland waterfront before the bombing, and collecting one frogman after his boat had been sunk, Dr King said. The gist of the evidence was that the team of French agents in New Zealand included another couple in a hired campervan. Some of the sightings

later alleged to be of Mafart and Prleur were actually of this second couple, Dr King said. If this new evidence had been presented to Mr Perez de Cuellar with some proof, it could partly explain his recommendation that Mafart and Prleur should serve a reduced sentence in French territory. In effect, he was influenced by a consideration more substantial than the simple fact that the French Government wanted the pair out of New Zealand, Dr King said.

Dr King’s book, “Death of the Rainbow Warrior,” was launched yesterday in Auckland, two days earlier than originally planned. The marketing manager of Penguin Books (N.Z.), Ltd, which published the book, Ms Karen Ferns, said the early publication was not simply to capitalise on the announcement of Mr Perez de Cuellar’s recommendation.

A distribution error meant that a few bookshops received early copies of the book and this required the publication date to be advanced, she said.

In his press release, Dr King claimed that evidence presented by the Crown at the trial of Mafart and Prleur was wrong. Mafart and Prleur did not transport a craft and outboard motor used in the bombing.

There was no positive identification of the pair when they were supposedly meeting members of the Ouvea crew at the Topuni Forest or at Kaiwaka on July 8 last year when they supposedly picked up a Zodiac craft and two outboard motors, Dr King said. The pair were actually near Kaukapakapa, just north of Auckland, and were known to have shopped at a roadside store there, when they

were allegedly at Kaltaia, he said.

This and other evidence

showed that there was more than one French couple moving between Auckland and Northland, working on the Rainbow Warrior operation, he said.

Dr King said it made sense that the organisers of the bombing would use agents who could be mistaken for one another. This was an etabiished ploy to confuse witnesses and police investigators. Quoting a source close to the French secret service, the D.G.S.E., Dr King said that the operation was deliberately planned to ensure that after agents completed their roles they had no contact with the rest of the operation. The desire not to publicise the role of other agents explained the silence of Mafart and Prieur, as well as the unwillingness of the French Government to defend the couple in a trial.

Further report, page 21