Dennis Payne
<p>According to journalists Paul Lashmar and James Oliver, Payne was "director of <a title="MI5 B Branch" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/MI5_B_Branch">B Branch of MI5</a> and Chief of Intelligence, Northern Ireland, from 1973 to 1975.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4"><a href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Denis_Payne#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup>
According to <a title="Colin Wallace" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Colin_Wallace">Colin Wallace</a>:</p>
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<dd>In Northern Ireland the chief intelligence post was given to an <a title="MI5" class="mw-redirect" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/MI5">MI5</a> officer, Dennis Payne, much to the chagrin of <a title="SIS" class="mw-redirect" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/SIS">SIS</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5"><a href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Denis_Payne#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup></dd>
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<p>Wallace added:</p>
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<dd>In theory the head of Army Intelligence in the Province was a full Colonel, <a title="Peter Goss" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Peter_Goss">Peter Goss</a>, who came under the direction of <a title="MI5" class="mw-redirect" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/MI5">MI5</a>'s Dennis Payne. <a title="SIS" class="mw-redirect" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/SIS">SIS</a>, who came under the direction of Payne, had their own senior officer at Army HQ at Lisburn, <a title="Craig Smellie" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Craig_Smellie">Craig Smellie</a>, and a complete office at <a title="Laneside" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Laneside">Laneside</a>, and reported directly to <a title="Century House (page does not exist)" class="new" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php?title=Century_House&action=edit&redlink=1">Century House</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6"><a href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Denis_Payne#cite_note-6">[6]</a></sup></dd>
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<p>D. H. Payne is listed as an Under-Secretary at the Central Secretariat of the <a title="Northern Ireland Office" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Northern_Ireland_Office">Northern Ireland Office</a> in Stormont Castle in the Civil Service Yearbook for 1974, which went to press in November 1973.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7"><a href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Denis_Payne#cite_note-7">[7]</a></sup> The listing recurs in the same position in 1975 as "D.H. Payne (liaison staff)".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8"><a href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Denis_Payne#cite_note-8">[8]</a></sup>
According to Paul Foot, Payne presided over the creation of the <a title="Clockwork Orange (page does not exist)" class="new" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php?title=Clockwork_Orange&action=edit&redlink=1">Clockwork Orange</a> psychological warfare operation:</p>
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<dd>Not long after the change-over from MI6 to MI5 was completed, <a title="Colin Wallace" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Colin_Wallace">Colin</a> was called to a high-level conference at Stormont. Senior MI5 officers were there, including <strong class="selflink">Denis Payne</strong>. The subject of discussion was a new initiative to meet the deteriorating security crisis and to stem the rising tide of sectarian assassinations. A top secret information offensive was proposed. Its codename was to become 'Clockwork Orange'.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9"><a href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Denis_Payne#cite_note-9">[9]</a></sup></dd>
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<p><a title="Michael Cudlipp" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Michael_Cudlipp">Michael Cudlipp</a> told Sir <a title="Frank Cooper" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Frank_Cooper">Frank Cooper</a> in April 1975 that the <a title="General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland" href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/General_Officer_Commanding_Northern_Ireland">General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland</a> wanted more input from Payne's unit in psychological operations:</p>
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<dd>He believes strongly that we do not retaliate sufficiently against the Provisional's propaganda and suggests more use should be made of Army intelligence reports (community relations reports?) that come into Mr Payne's Department to provide regular briefing material. Is this a sound idea? Should an intelligence brief be produced for NIO information officers?<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10"><a href="http://powerbase.info/index.php/Denis_Payne#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup></dd>
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