Documents and the Cover-Up: A British Example

[John Simkin]

It is already being described as the largest political cover-up in British history. For over 20 years the British government have refused to disclose the documents concerning the deaths of 96 men, women and children who died at the 15th April 1983 at Hillsborough Football Stadium. After a long campaign, the last Labour government eventually gave permission for the Hillsborough Independent Panel to look as these secret documents. All those that have survived (some have clearly been destroyed including CTV footage) have today been published online. These documents show that there was a cover-up that included the police, politicians and the media. This is not unlike the JFK case and hopefully the CIA and FBI will eventually be forced to release their documents as well.

http://www.guardian....eron-apologises

http://www.guardian....live?intcmp=239

For the background of the case see:

http://en.wikipedia....orough_disaster

[David Josephs]

A very nice "coming clean" with the victims families applauding... damage done, we're sorry... (but we may be doing the same in other areas as we speak...)

Second Watergate Law of "American" politics

"Don't believe anything until it has been officially denied"

All one need do is listen to ANY news show, read ANY paper or periodical...

When was the last government denial of wrongdoing EVER shown to be honest and correct?

[Mark Wengler]

That is not new for the British Govermnent to do thongs like that there is the

The sinking of the Cape Ann The Royal Air Force believed the ships contained escaping SS officers. Tragically, British intelligence may have known who was on the ships, which may explain why the RAF has sealed the records until 2045

The Sinking of the SS Leopoldville A wartime tragedy resurfaces in the one-hour History Undercover: Cover-up - The Sinking of the SS Leopoldville. In 1944, a German U-boat destroyed the fully manned ship. 800 men died and their bodies lay buried at sea while they were declared missing in action. The History Channel explores the missteps behind the costly disaster and the reasons for the cover-up. British authorities urged Eisenhower to hide the true nature of the sinking which he did. Here, survivors and footage re-create one of the worst American losses of the War. ~ Sarah Ing, Rovi

[John Simkin]

Probably the biggest cover-up was the fact that for 12 months after he took power, Winston Churchill was involved in secret negotiations with Adolf Hitler (May 1940 - April 1941). They could not agree about how much of the British Empire they could keep. The documents about this are still declassified. In many ways, Churchill was right to negotiate with Hitler at this time. However, we deserve to be told the truth of this matter.

[Steven Gaal]

Hillsborough commander denies police conspiracy to blame Liverpool fans

David Duckenfield says there was no cover-up of police failings in the football stampede that killed 96 people, after admitting he lied about opening exit gate

David Duckenfield arrives at the Hillsborough inquest on Thursday. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

David Conn

Thursday 12 March 2015 16.18 EDT Last modified on Thursday 12 March 2015 20.07 EDT

The South Yorkshire police commander who admitted lying as the Hillsborough disaster was happening has denied that his false statements were the start of a police cover-up to conceal the force’s failings and blame the deaths of 96 people on Liverpool football club supporters.

“I don’t think I was involved in any cover-up,” former chief superintendent David Duckenfield said, on his third day of evidence at the new inquests into how the 96 supporters died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

Duckenfield admitted that he did not act as a reasonably competent match commander on the day, 15 April 1989, having been promoted to that role as chief superintendent just 19 days earlier. In his previous day’s evidence he accepted he made a “serious mistake” when he failed to foresee where fans would go, after he allowed hundreds in by ordering a large exit gate to be opened to relieve serious congestion outside Hillsborough stadium’s Leppings Lane end.

As the spectators came through the open gate, Duckenfield admitted it was a mistake not to take steps to close the tunnel facing them, which led to the overcrowded central “pens” of the terrace where the lethal crush happened.

I am of the view many people on that day contributed to the disaster, and I hold the view football fans played a part

David Duckenfield

Answering questions from Rajiv Menon QC, representing 75 families whose relatives were killed, Duckenfield accepted his mistakes led to the crush, although he did not accept he was negligent, or grossly negligent.

At 3.15pm on the day, while the disaster was unfolding, Duckenfield has admitted he lied to Graham Kelly, then the Football Association chief executive, who asked what had happened. Duckenfield admitted he did not tell Kelly that he had ordered the exit gate open; instead, he said “words to the effect” that Liverpool fans had “forced open” a gate.

Menon put it to Duckenfield: “It was the beginning of the creation of a false narrative that sought to blame the Liverpool fans for what happened and sought to conceal the truth about your failings and the failings of other senior South Yorkshire police officers.”

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Duckenfield replied: “There was no conspiracy as far as I was concerned. I have admitted my failings.”

Menon asserted that a cover-up was being perpetuated in these new inquests, by the barristers representing Duckenfield, who have repeated allegations that a substantial number of Liverpool supporters at the match were drunk, and arrived late and without tickets.

“That false narrative has been pursued at these inquests by your lawyers on your behalf – that’s right isn’t it?” Menon said.

“My lawyers are acting in my best interests,” Duckenfield replied.

Asked if he believed those allegations, Duckenfield replied: “Sir, I am of the view that many people on that day contributed to the disaster, and I hold the view that football fans played a part.”

On his own role, Duckenfield accepted a connection between the opening of the gate that he ordered, and the crushing in the central pens.

“You breached your duty of care to ensure the safety of the fans, didn’t you?” Menon asked.

Duckenfield responded: “Overall, yes sir.”

The coroner, Sir John Goldring, intervened after Duckenfield had repeatedly declined to answer directly whether he had failed to act competently. He agreed that a reasonably competent match commander, when ordering the gate to be opened, would have foreseen where the fans were likely to go, and would therefore have taken steps to close off the tunnel.

Goldring asked him: “Then it therefore follows – tell me if I have misunderstood – that on the day, you did not act as a reasonably competent match commander?”

“Yes sir,” he replied.

Duckenfield said he could not deny the conclusion in Lord Justice Taylor’s 1989 official report, that the failure to close off the tunnel after ordering the gate open was: “A blunder of the first magnitude.” However, Duckenfield rejected that he had been negligent, or grossly negligent.

Menon put to him. “Your negligence caused the disaster and the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans, didn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t use the word negligence, sir,” Duckenfield replied.

“What word would you like to use?” Menon asked.

“Mistakes, oversight,” he said.

He described the South Yorkshire police force in the 1980s as authoritarian, hierarchical, and agreed he was on the “disciplinarian wing” of it. Other witnesses have said Duckenfield was a freemason, and said that was a way officers got on in the force, so Menon asked him whether that might explain his promotion, given his admitted inexperience at football policing.

Duckenfield said he had been a freemason for 14 years by 1989, and the following year he became leader, worshipful grand master, of his lodge. He said he would not like to think freemasonry had anything to do with his promotion.

“You do not know why you get promoted,” Duckenfield said, “you just get promoted.”

Challenged about why it had taken 26 years for him to admit his mistakes, Duckenfield replied he had probably been in denial for years, and also did not trust the press to represent his views accurately. Menon told him that many relatives of those who died have themselves passed away, so never heard him make the admissions.

“Sir I must confess that had never crossed my mind,” Duckenfield replied.

The inquests continue.