Reaction and contents Foreign and Commonwealth Office migrated archives

1 reaction , contents

1.1 mau mau
1.2 cyprus
1.3 plans chemical warfare testing in botswana

reaction , contents

cary s report , documents released had shown that, on 3 december 1963, 9 days before kenya formally declared independence, 3 wooden packing crates containing 1,500 highly sensitive government files loaded on british united airways flight bound gatwick. on eve of kenya s independence, colonial secretary iain macleod ordered sensitive colonial-government documentation destroyed or flown out of country because disclosure might embarrass majesty s government . embarrassment hardly covers it, remarked times editorial, noting covert history of colonial administration in kenya bears comparison methods of torture , summary execution in french war in algeria. in april 2011, government officially admitted first time not merely having relevant mau mau documents, had total of 8,800 files 37 ex-colonies, make public in batches april 2012 november 2013. times opined: given foreign , commonwealth office s apparent skill in such matters, quite feat ignore 300 boxes of documents filling 110ft of shelving half century.

david anderson, describing mau mau initial 2011 revelations start, emphasised other former british domains, including malaya, cyprus, , gulf states, likewise await final reckoning, , colonial personnel , tactics subsequently made way policing of troubles. in particular, noted aileen mccolgan, techniques alleged in 1950s kenya refined known 5 techniques use in internment in 1970s northern ireland: wall-standing, hooding, subjection noise, deprivation of sleep, , deprivation of food , drink. went on note: european court of human rights ruled in 1977 britain had breached article 3 of european convention on human rights, prohibits torture , inhuman , degrading treatment , use of 5 techniques in northern ireland. prime minister, edward heath, told commons in 1972 techniques never again used aid interrogation , commitment reiterated before european court.

after cary investigation, hague appointed cambridge s tony badger colonial files tsar oversee review , transfer of hidden files public domain. foreign office duly released first batch of more 1,200 records 12 former colonial territories in april 2012, portion of 10,000 files britain removed 37 of colonies. badger described migrated archives episode embarrassing, scandalous. . . . these documents should have been in public archives in 1980s. s long overdue. harvard s caroline elkins observed: @ time, britain in middle of parallel, massive cover-ups. while government besieged publicly allegations of brutalities in detention camps , cover-up of systematised violence—and denying allegations—it culling , purging record. process—practised in other colonies well—deliberately sought remove incriminating evidence. so, too, did seek shape future colonial archive , realities produce.

—professor david anderson, july 2011

it not first time uk government department has systematically withheld files regarding british colonial crimes—and not first time professor anderson has been involved in challenging it. , 2 colleagues noted in 2006 after reconstruction of chuka massacre: evidence on these events should have been released public record office in 1984. file withheld ministry of defence , marked closure until 2038. . . . not on [chuka] file has been revealed: , raises tough questions culpability of british army in colonial war crimes, official secrecy, , inadequacies of freedom of information legislation . in 2009, british taxpayers presented £1 million bill after ministry of defence failed disclose relevant evidence in 2009 court case involving allegations of murder british troops in iraq.

the guardian stated:

among documents appear have been destroyed were: records of abuse of mau mau insurgents detained british colonial authorities, tortured , murdered; reports may have detailed alleged massacre of 24 unarmed villagers in malaya soldiers of scots guards in 1948; of sensitive documents kept colonial authorities in aden, army s intelligence corps operated secret torture centre several years in 1960s; , every sensitive document kept authorities in british guiana, colony policies heavily influenced successive governments , post-independence leader toppled in coup orchestrated cia.

as guardian s summary shows, after first 2012 release of tony badger s review, fco continued deny existence of documentation on repeated british subversion of democracy in british guiana in 1950s , 1960s, though richard drayton, rhodes professor of imperial history @ king s college london, said not credible: when kenyan historians requested documents in past, told repeatedly fco had been destroyed, fco, under judicial pressure, yield them. hoped fco @ point discover british guiana archive. already, under pressure, having asserted held no british guiana materials whatsoever, fco has found 1 document describes formidable schedule of documents governor of british guiana sent home in april 1966 showing how accountable documents in custody disposed of  . elkins agreed frankly impossible, given there well-established procedures handling archives @ decolonisation 1960s. warning bells should going off. drayton noted fco refuses make public full inventory of hanslope park archive. while have full confidence in professor badger, many historians wonder if not handed archive which, once again, had been screened , culled. drayton further mused if material made public had been screened according same criteria applied c. 1960—preventing potential prosecutions, protecting collaborators, , protecting reputation of britain.

there wide agreement fco still withholding files. keith flett said: correct despite william hague s professed policy of transparency towards release of government files colonial era far released , depend on skills of historians spot gaps in record. elkins, who, anderson, expert witness mau mau legal action, highlighted need caution, , wrote of involvement trying files out of foreign office analysis @ harvard: process has been straightforward. despite legal context, fco has culled files, requiring multiple requests full disclosure, , still files have not been forthcoming. of april 2012 release, noted excludes territories such palestine , rhodesia. cyprus files exclude period of emergency. malaya files cover little of contested emergency years. kenya documents meagre subset of files released (though culled) in context of mau mau case. 12 colonies covered in today s release, there appears great deal pertaining finance, tourism, administration , like. . . . first release of migrated archives is, @ first glance, lacking in substantive files, particularly former colonies cyprus , malaya future lawsuits potentially loom.

laleh khalili of soas declared:

the aden material ludicrous. given extent [of] torture , ill-treatment, detention , protest in colony in latter years, laughable see released files having fisheries. . . . seems me whole release whitewash intended mollify critics , save government embarrassment.

journalist ian cobain , others suggested that, owing nature of british withdrawal colony of aden, incriminating material may, instead of being withheld, have been more comprehensively destroyed @ time of decolonisation, rather migrated.

badger accepted historians believed fco old tricks again , , added: given failure of foreign office acknowledge existence of migrated archives, understand legacy of suspicion. difficult overestimate degree of suspicion.

ominously, guardian noted:

in number of colonies, files destroyed certificate completed , sent london show job had been done. these certificates stored @ hanslope park, providing glimpse of contents of each file destroyed? fco refusing on tuesday, , insisted queries such certificates should subject of freedom of information request. furthermore, cary s report states separate inquiry examining fate of number of files lost or destroyed after returned uk. fco failed answer number of questions inquiry, stating files remained missing despite extensive search.

david anderson expressed alarm @ foreign office refusal release index of files might enable historians know missing.

mau mau




—kenyan attorney-general eric griffith-jones

regarding mau mau uprising, records included confirmation of extent of violence inflicted on suspected mau mau rebels in british detention camps documented in caroline elkins study. numerous allegations of murder , rape british military personnel recorded in files, including incident african baby burnt death , defilement of young girl , , soldier in royal irish fusiliers killed in cold blood 2 people had been captives on 12 hours . baring himself aware of extreme brutality of sometimes-lethal torture meted out—which included drastic beatings, solitary confinement, starvation, castration, whipping, burning, rape, sodomy, , forceful insertion of objects orifices—but took no action. baring s inaction despite urging of people arthur young, commissioner of police kenya less 8 months of 1954 before resigned in protest, horror of of [camps] should investigated without delay . in february 1956, provincial commissioner in kenya, monkey johnson, wrote attorney general reginald manningham-buller urging him block enquiry methods used against mau mau: appear each , every 1 of us, governor downwards, may in danger of removal public service commission of enquiry result of enquiries made cid. april 2012 release included detailed accounts of policy of seizing livestock kenyans suspected of supporting mau mau rebels.

—colonial secretary alan lennox-boyd

commenting on papers, david anderson stated documents hidden away protect guilty , , extent of abuse being revealed disturbing. happen did happen. allegations beatings , violence widespread. away murder. systematic , anderson said. example of impunity case of 8 colonial officials accused of having prisoners tortured death going unpunished after crimes reported london. huw bennett of king s college london, had worked anderson on chuka massacre, said in witness statement court new documents considerably strengthen knowledge british army intimately involved colonial security forces, whom knew systematically abusing , torturing detainees in screening centres , detention camps . in april 2011, lawyers foreign , commonwealth office continued maintain there no such policy. november 1952, however, military reports noted [t]he army has been used carrying out functions belonged police, eg. searching of huts , screening of africans , , british soldiers arrested , transferred mau mau suspects camps beaten , tortured until confessed. bennett said british army retained ultimate operational control on security forces throughout emergency , , military intelligence operation worked hand in glove kenyan special branch including in screening , interrogations in centres , detention camps .

the kenyan government sent letter hague insisting uk government legally liable atrocities. foreign office, however, reaffirmed position not, in fact, liable colonial atrocities, , argued documents had not disappeared part of cover up. ten years before, in late 2002, bbc aired damning documentary on british crimes committed during rebellion , 6,000 depositions had been taken legal case, former district colonial officer john nottingham had expressed concern compensation paid soon, since victims in 80s , pass away. told bbc: went on in kenya camps , villages brutal, savage torture. time mockery of justice perpetrated in country @ time, should be, must righted. feel ashamed have come britain did did here [in kenya].

thirteen boxes of top secret kenya files still missing.

cyprus

the release of material in 2011 sparked legal threats veterans of eoka, fought campaign against british occupation of cyprus.

david french utilised fco files on cyprus migrated archives prove british did not intentionally use colonial policy of divide , rule flare community tensions on island.

the april 2012 documents suggested british never intended peace talks rebels succeed. uk conspired seychelles colony deport troublesome archbishop makarios talks took place.

plans chemical warfare testing in botswana

in 1943, britain planned test virulent type of poison gas in bechuanaland (now botswana). on 6 june 1943, harold eddey priestman, administrative secretary high commissioner in south africa, sent hand-written letter, marked secret , personal , aubrey denzil forsyth-thompson, resident commissioner of bechuanaland, in explained: types of poison gas being manufactured in union [south africa] on uk account. uk ministry of aircraft production have asked practical trials may carried out on considerable scale. . . . understand poison gas virulent type. therefore necessary 1) preclude access experimental area considerable time after experiments had ceased. 2) , take consideration danger of gas being carried wind areas adjacent experimental area.

the british looked isolated area within reasonable distance of air base, had 15-mile buffer zone no water sources, , comparatively free vegetation . suitable found in south africa, provisionally settled on somewhere in makgadikgadi pan. forsyth-thompson later said unwilling consider testing in area because surrounded farms , impossible maintain secrecy. under codename of forensic, air-launched trials envisaged, approach of rainy season prevented testing going ahead. there no evidence forensic executed.

although never deployed, britain stockpiled poison gas because of fears of possible use germany.