The officer who helped bring peace to Northern Ireland tells the BBC he defied orders from the government.
An MI5 spy who helped bring peace to Northern Ireland by defying orders, has broken his silence to the BBC.
"Those words are so controversial and so important," says Taylor in a BBC documentary The MI5 Spy and the IRA: Operation Chiffon.The journalist says he wanted to hear what was actually said from the spy's own lips, but to do that he would have to track him down. "I was... on my own, dealing at one remove with the IRA's leadership in the most crucial matter affecting Irish and probably British politics. I knew I had to succeed, and only consistency and patience would achieve this." He said that for years, he felt guilty for doing what he did."Yes, I misled the prime minister so I misled the Queen as well. It was a hard and really very unpleasant thing to have on your conscience. I felt very alone.
Senior republicans Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly were at the meeting, representing the leadership of the IRA and Sinn Fein. It lasted around three hours and took place in Londonderry at the home of Brendan Duddy, a nationalist businessman passionate about peace. The republicans had expected Robert to be accompanied by his boss, and were suspicious that he had turned up alone.
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