Army general's 1972 memo called for NI 'escape'

A top-secret memo written by an Army general during the Troubles refers to Britain needing to find a way to "gradually escape" from its commitment to Northern Ireland.

It was discovered by the BBC NI's Spotlight programme during the making of a major new series on the conflict.

It was written by Sir Michael Carver, who was providing advice to government in 1972 as the Army's chief of staff.

The decades-long violence cost about 3,700 lives.