Max Bradford National Defence Spokesperson

20 September 2001

Minister forced to release documents

There is a disturbing and remarkable similarity between the covert army campaign outlined in the Gordon letter and the Communications Trumps communications strategy which the head of the army ordered to be destroyed, National's Defence spokesperson Max Bradford said today.

Defence Minister Mark Burton agreed to table the documents which were to be destroyed in Parliament today after it had been leaked to the media. "The communications strategy was written in July 1997, three months after the Gordon letter was written. That suggests to me very clearly that the campaign of the army was connected to the work by Communications Trumps which may be the first evidence of the Gordon letter campaign being implemented.

"We know there was an A and B team in the army. Those who agreed with the then head Piers Reid, who continues to be an avid defender of Government defence policy, were promoted and those who didn't were not.

"The Minister must answer why if these documents that Major General Maurice Dodson ordered to be disposed of are so innocent, why did he want them to be destroyed?" Mr Bradford said.

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