Unearthed Records Show US Attorney General Attempted to Halt Gerry Adams’ 1995 Fundraising Due to IRA Weapons Concerns

Newly released records reveal that the US attorney general attempted to prevent Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams from fundraising in the United States in 1995, based on concerns that the IRA was still seeking weapons.

At the time, Janet Reno, the attorney general, had previously expressed her disapproval of then-US president Bill Clinton‘s decision to issue visas to Mr Adams and former IRA chief Joe Cahill in 1994, which came just months after the IRA announced a ceasefire.

Gerry Adams served as the president of Sinn Fein from 1983 to 2018, a party considered the political arm of the IRA, though he has always denied being a member of the organization.

Mr Clinton ultimately overruled Ms Reno’s objections, granting him a three-month visa, which included permission for fundraising activities. This decision sparked backlash from then-UK prime minister John Major.

The ongoing opposition from the US attorney general is highlighted in the annual release of documents from the National Archives in Dublin.

In a letter dated February 1995 to Mr Clinton’s national security advisor Tony Lake, she expressed frustration about the “latest effort” to ease restrictions on Mr Adams’ ability to raise funds from Irish American supporters, noting she had reviewed the situation “barely six weeks” prior.

She stated, “No evidence has been brought to my attention (since) that suggests progress has been made towards the disarmament and demobilisation of the IRA,” adding that she was aware of indications that the IRA was still searching for potential sources of arms procurement.

Additionally, she pointed out that the State Department, US Treasury, and the US Department of Justice had “recently intensified their efforts and public commitments to combatting international terrorism,” which could be compromised by lifting the visa restrictions on Adams at that time.

Mr Adams applied for a visa, permitting fundraising on February 22, 1995, which Mr Clinton approved, citing perceived progress in the situation.

According to a note from the US included in the Irish state papers, “We have made clear our expectation that all funds raised will be used for legitimate political party purposes that reinforce Sinn Fein’s commitment to the peace process.”

Other recently released documents include:

• Tony Blair effectively told then-UUP leader David Trimble to “get lost” regarding a plan for a referendum on Irish reunification in 2002.
• Diplomatic delays prolonged the return of a portrait of Daniel O’Connell – an Irish nationalist known as The Liberator – for over two years due to concerns that the Irish parliament only received a copy of the original.
• The Irish government had a negative view of some proposed candidates to lead important negotiations leading to the Good Friday Agreement, labeling them as ineffective politicians, poor lawyers, and in one case, possessing a “bitchy temperament”.

Netanyahu’s visit to establish diplomatic ties

Separate documents provide new insights into then deputy foreign minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Dublin in 1990, prior to his tenure as Israeli prime minister, which aimed to establish diplomatic relations.

During a meeting with then Irish foreign affairs minister Gerry Collins, he noted a “natural feeling of sympathy towards Israel among the Irish people”.

However, he acknowledged that relations were strained due to the deaths of Irish soldiers in Lebanon while serving with UN peacekeeping forces, many of which were attributed to Lebanese militias backed by Israel.

An Israeli embassy in Ireland was inaugurated in December 1993, though Israel recently announced its closure.

The Israeli foreign minister has accused Ireland of “antisemitic rhetoric” and of transgressing “every red line” in its relations with Israel.

Ireland has acknowledged Palestinian statehood and has voiced an intention to engage in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice regarding genocide.

Irish premier Simon Harris has dismissed these allegations, accusing Israel of “distracting” from the fatalities of children in the Gaza conflict.