- That the attack was not a spontaneous reaction to deteriorating circumstances as the Indian Government and others have asserted. The correspondence released is dated February 1984. Clearly the attack was well into the planning stage. Governments do not ask other Governments for assistance until they themselves have done considerable groundwork. So the attack was planned even before Feb.
- That the SAS was involved in some stages of the attack. This information was known to many Sikhs at the time and was even reported in the Times Newspapers. However there was no official evidence. These letters now confirm what was reported at the time.
See below the letters that have been released under the UK governments 30 year rule.
Doc A – Chronology of UK/Indian contact over Operation Blue Star
Doc B – MOD Submission of 3 February 1984 seeking Ministerial approval for a military adviser to travel to India and provide advice to the Indian authorities on early contingency planning to remove occupiers from the temple complex at Amritsar.
Doc C – Letter of 3 February 1984 from Private Secretary/Foreign Secretary to the Principal Private Secretary/No. 10 outlining plan for a military adviser to travel to India and provide advice to the Indian authorities. The note from Robin Butler to Brian Fall of 6 February 1984, which was released on 3 January 2014, is the response to this letter.
Doc D – Letter of 23 February 1984 from Private Secretary/Foreign Secretary to the Principal Private Secretary/No. 10 reporting on the outcome of the UK military adviser’s visit. The letter from Brian Fall to the Private Secretary/Home Secretary of 23 February 1984, which was released on 3 January 2014, referred to the content of this report.
Doc E – Internal FCO minute of 7 March 1985, which attaches an earlier internal (undated) note recording views of the Indian Intelligence Co-ordinator on the role of the UK military adviser and Operation Blue Star.
Doc F – Mrs Gandhi’s letter of 14 June 1984 to Mrs Thatcher, which sets out her reasons for ordering operation Blue Star.
