Sir, - Now that Fianna Fail Ministers need no longer fear the wrath of Charles Haughey, it is perhaps time for light to be shed on another mystery. The explanation can be provided by Ray Burke, Michael Woods, and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.
Some seven years ago, Brian Lenihan revealed in a taperecorded interview with Jim Duffy that he, Sylvester Barrett and Charles Haughey had telephoned Aras an Uachtarain in the wake of the government collapse in 1982, thereby confirming the contemporaneous account of events as given by Geraldine Kennedy.
Mr Lenihan's subsequent denial of his own statement resulted in not just the loss of the Presidential election but also his dismissal as a Minister and the virtual end of his political career. Members of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party, to their eternal shame, voted at Mr Haughey's insistence for the sacking of this decent man.
Ray Burke and Michael Woods are the only members of the Haughey Government who were present at the Fianna Fail frontbench meeting in 1982 which made the decision to contact President Hillery. They must now be free to provide the definitive account of the events of that night.
Mr Burke claimed on RTE radio in 1990 that "no-one rang the President". However, Brian Lenihan, in his book On The Record, claimed that Mr Burke and others "were emphatic that Sylvie Barrett rang the Aras and that [Brian Lenihan] had nothing to do with making any phone calls." Michael Woods has never given a detailed account of the matter but he has withheld unequivocal support for Mr Lenihan's recollections. The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was Fianna Fail's director of elections at the time the difficulty arose and it is safe to assume that he made the necessary enquiries of his colleagues to ascertain the truth.
Dr Hillery, in retirement in 1991, indicated that were he to name the politician who telephoned the Aras and threatened an army officer on that night in 1982 he could bring down the then government. Charles Haughey was the only one of the three politicians named by Geraldine Kennedy who was still in government at that time and it seems to be an unavoidable conclusion that the former President's comments related to him.
Mr Haughey has, of course, denied that he made the calls or issued the threat, but then, as recent events demonstrate, for him the truth is sometimes a moving target. In this he has been supported by Fianna Fail. Mr Lenihan had been sacrificed and that was the end of the matter. In his book, Mr Lenihan maintained that the Progressive Democrats did not demand his dismissal and would have been satisfied with a public inquiry into the matter. Nevertheless, Mr Haughey, with the acquiescence of his parliamentary party, chose to sack his "friend of 30 years".
Why Mr Haughey did not opt for an inquiry is rather mystifying: Mr Lenihan suggested, somewhat tantalisingly, that, "surely [Mr Haughey], more than anybody else, had nothing to lose by such an inquiry."
The Taoiseach has assured us that he leads a "new" Fianna Fail which will not cover up for past misdeeds no matter how eminent their perpetrator is or was. As evidence of the sincerity of his intentions it is incumbent on him to clarify once and for all the events of that night in 1982. Brian Lenihan was an honourable man for whom loyalty to party was paramount and in whose interest he was prepared to conceal his not inconsiderable talents. He was betrayed by his colleagues in 1990 and forced to walk the plank alone. Mr Ahern and his colleagues can now make amends. Brian Lenihan deserves that much. - Yours, etc.,
Larry Power,
Ballincollig, Co. Cork.