http://www.lettersfromgib.com/2009/08/mercenary-plot.html

I also had the opportunity of asking Mark Thatcher about Equatorial Guinea while he was on honeymoon in Gibraltar. Well, opportunity isn’t really right. I doorstepped him at his hotel. He didn’t say much, understandably…

http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=13160

I know Freddie, or knew him, way back in the late 50′s/early 60′s. I was mates with the guy who became famous as the Jackal, Jimmy Duggan from Bromley, and over the years met many of the mercs you’ve come to know so well via Freddie’s books. Freddie was their intel-officer and a good friend of Jimmy’s, I met him often. He knows the lot, kept copious files you would love to get a peek at!

The ‘Dogs’ scenario came about in late ’61, an idea from Black Johnny (who is thought to be still alive) as getting a place the mercs could retire too, along with friends in the OAS (2 of Jimmy’s men, Jean Baptiste and Rolf Steiner, had been members of the OAS, and via them I met a few of the top OAS men, who all realised it was over and wanted out, the problem being where they could live with no extradition treaty). It was Rolf who went to Equitorial Guinea, his dad had been a keen birdwatcher. He DID get beaten up, got a rifle-butt in the stomach and had to feed on babyfood for 2 weeks whilst staying ay Jimmy’s flat in Adams Mews in Mayfair. It was Rolf and Jimmy who planned and costed the coups. Finding the money was a problem, Forsyth was dealing with Lord Mountbatten who obviously wanted in big time (the geologist actually found offshore oil, billions of dollars worth). I suspect Jimmy and the guys didn’t trust Mounbatten, realising he was going to screw them and take over for himself. I have reason to believe he then thought to use the international power this would give him to take over The Crown of Britain in a coups (!). But, luckily, Jimmy was then approached by a gay bankclerk (Jimmy was bisexual) and together with Rolf and Black Jack Schramme, planned what we now know of as ‘The Great Train Robbery’, to finance the coups.

I don’t know what happened to change things, my family emigrated and I never saw any of the guys again. I might have met Buster Reynolds once. I did meet Roy James a few times. But as I was out of the loop I don’t know what went wrong with the Train Robbery op. By the way, the mercs and OAS guys – who were to do the robbery – could drive any vehicle, including trains, and the money was to be flown out within the hour on a plane flown by David Ferrie (of JFK fame). I met him at Jimmy’s, he was well-known by the mercs. The Corsican mafia would be waiting at a lonely chateau in France and swap the money for arms and ceritificates the guys needed to persecute the ‘Dogs’ coups. This before the Brit police knew there had been a robbery…..

It took 17 years, but I rewrote Freddie’s book about The Jackal and sent him a copy. He did read it, but refuses to talk to me about republishing it, and giving the money to charity. It’s not the definitive version, I don’t know it all, only Freddie knows that, but it is a damn site closer than he got!

I traced Jimmy to the Peitermauritzburg/Durban region, where several millionaire ex-merc leaders had estates and their own security, but my contact (who went to school with Jimmy’s son) went silent on me. This was 3-4 years ago now. Jimmy was living under another name, but it was him.

Forsyth is an interesting man. Another contact (with a pedigree to back it up) suggested he was a secret agent for Opus Dei. Would that match up with Mounbatten? My contact also suggested there have been 4 attempts to take The Crown the last 100 years, one was foiled by WW11 and was perhaps being setup again after it (the time I’ve mentioned?) and Diana was another attempt (though she didn’t know anything about it, was being used). Interesting point: there is yet ANOTHER coups being set up as we speak! It seems Freddie was arrested by the SIS after the Jackal attempt on De Gaulle AND after the failed ‘Dogs’ coups, but put his finger up and told them to back off. Does those files of his contain something really juicy? It does seem suspiciously so.

Freddie also knew Stephen Ward of the Profumo scandal, Ward was sometimes down the mews chatting (a favoured meeting-place for many professional and showbiz people) and was also a very good friend of Roy James, as Ward was an ex-racer (speak to Stirling Moss and David Piper about this, they knew Ward very well, thank you, it was Ward who swung the deal that got Piper the money to buy his Ferraris!) I’ve been trying to find photos taken in the mews that would show this. The bike-racer Paddy Driver and Marlene Redman, the Honda racer’s wife, were keen photographers and took many pics. But she divorced Jim after he retired and I can’t find either her or Paddy.

Perhaps he doesn’t dare, perhaps he’s been told to cool it, but oh yes, Freddie Forsyth knows a bit more than he lets on……

http://www.slate.com/id/2148608/

And another from Salon:

http://www.salon.com/books/review/2006/08/17/roberts/print.html

I haven’t read it yet, though it is in the mail. I really loved the Forsyth book though when I read it years ago.