Covert Operations and Official Collaboration: British Intelligence's Dual Approach to Ireland during World War II

Neutral Ireland posed a unique challenge to the wartime British intelligence community and the latter responded by adopting a dual approach. On the one hand, it carried out covert intelligence operations in Irish territory, involving the Service intelligence branches, the Ministry of Information, and, most importantly, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). On the other hand, unprecedented cooperation developed between military, police and intelligence agencies from Britain and Ireland, and in particular between MI5 and Irish military intelligence (G2). For most of the war British intelligence pursued this joint strategy of covert activity and official collaboration, and MI5 and SIS shared responsibility for Ireland. However, there was a gradual shift of emphasis towards cooperation and it was eventually concluded that the MI5-G2 link could serve all Britain's security needs. This article charts this evolution and places it within the context of Anglo-Irish wartime political relations.     

DNA typing for identification of some species of Calliphoridae. An interest in forensic entomology.

To determine precisely post mortem interval, larvae and puparium species found on a corpse have to be identified. Among more than 200 cases examined at the entomology department of the Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale, two-thirds concerned corpses less than one month old. Therefore, insects from first and second screwworms are the most frequently found [1]. Some species commonly found in France, such as different Lucilia and Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy, are easily identifiable at an adult stage, but are almost impossible to differentiate at immature stages when only fragments of puparium or necrosed first instar larvae are available. For this reason, an easy and objective method of identification was thus searched by genetic analysis of these insects. Sequencing of partial gene of sub unit I of cytochrome oxydase has been used to predict restriction sites. Restriction enzyme cleavage of PCR products with Dde I allowed us to differentiate these species.