Queen Elizabeth II
Newly released documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation reveal that Queen Elizabeth II was potentially targeted for assassination 40 years ago, prior to her visit to the United States.
The recently published stockpile of 103 pages, available on the FBI’s online records site, The Vault, details the preparations for various trips made by the Queen, including an official tour of the West Coast accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, in 1983.
Around a month before the visit, the San Francisco police received a phone call that is documented in one of the files. The details of the call outlined in the document. “a man who claimed that his daughter had been killed in Northern Ireland by a rubber bullet.”
In addition, “the man mentioned the intentions to cause harm to Queen Elizabeth, suggesting either dropping an object from the Golden Gate Bridge onto the Royal Yacht Britannia as it passes beneath, or attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth during her visit to Yosemite National Park.”
In the same document, “it is the intention of the Secret Service to close the walkways on the Golden Gate Bridge when the yacht nears.” There’s no mention of any precautions that may have been taken at the national park nor do the files reveal whether any arrests were made.
The recently disclosed files shed light on the FBI’s escalated vigilance regarding possible threats targeting the British monarch during her journeys. They underscore the FBI’s collaboration with the US Secret Service and express apprehensions about the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its supporters in connection with visits made by the royal family.
The released files demonstrate the FBI’s heightened vigilance regarding potential threats to the visiting British monarch. They highlight the cooperation between the FBI and the US Secret Service, as well as concerns surrounding the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its supporters in relation to royal visits.
The assassination of the Queen’s cousin, Louis Mountbatten, in 1979 by the Provisional IRA, utilizing a bomb placed on his fishing boat, is highlighted in the documents. Tragically, three others, including two children, also lost their lives in the same explosion. Given the turbulent period known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, many of the Queen’s visits to the United States took place during this time. The disclosed files reveal that the FBI closely monitored these events and made preparations for royal visits over the years.
One particular document, pertaining to a private visit to Kentucky in 1989, notes that although the FBI had no specific information about threats directed at the Queen, there remained a constant potential for threats against the British monarchy from the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
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The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh attended a baseball game in Baltimore in 1991 while on a separate tour to the US, joined by US President George H. W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush.
In another section of the files, a document related to the Queen’s state visit in 1991 highlights concerns about Irish organizations planning protests during various scheduled events, including a baseball game and a White House gathering. The document references an article published in the Irish Edition, a Philadelphia-based Irish newspaper, which reported heightened anti-British sentiments due to widely publicized injustices suffered by the Birmingham Six at the hands of the corrupt English judicial system. Additionally, the article mentioned the recent wave of brutal killings of unarmed Irish nationalists in the six counties by loyalist death squads.
The document further explained that, while the stated publication made no direct threats against the President or Queen, the sentiments expressed could be interpreted as potentially offensive. It emphasizes that the source referenced an Irish organization obtaining a large number of grandstand tickets, raising concerns about the possibility of disruptive behavior during the event.
Another documnment in the collection, dated July 1976, referenced the Queen returning through the Atlantic Ocean to help celebrate America’s bicentennial, with visits in Philadelphia, Washington, and New York.
According to the FBI papers, a summons was issued to a pilot on that trip for flying a small two-seater plane above Battery Park with a placard that read “England, Get out of Ireland.”