Of the following six scans, the first four are from Searchlight magazine, 1976; the fifth is from a 1991 essay by Gable. They expose this arch-liar’s duplicity IN HIS OWN WORDS. The final scan is a curious document indeed; about the only way it could have come into Gable’s possession is if Les Vaughan, the alleged numero uno of Column 88, was not what he was made out to be by Searchlight.
(1) Searchlight, May 1976, page 3 (1): In the mid-70s Searchlight ran a series of hysterical articles about the quasi-mythical “Nazi Underground” Column 88; here they call for an official inquiry into the organisation while boasting that they have supplied the national press with “many stories” about its subversive activities. The comment in biro was added by Mark Taha.
(2) Searchlight, May 1976, page 3 (2): The magazine claims to be spearheading a campaign to expose the activities of Column 88. The TA officer named in this article was none other than Les Vaughan, who was almost certainly working for the Searchlight Organisation, [see (6) below].
(3) Searchlight, Jul/Aug 1976, page 6: Roberts was praised to high heaven by Searchlight for exposing the quasi-mythical “Nazi Underground” Column 88. A quarter of a century later, Gable dismissed him as a fascist and a thief.
(4) Searchlight, Jul/Aug 1976, page 8: After his conviction for conspiracy to assault the staff of an Indian restaurant, Searchlight not only stood by Roberts but claimed that he had been targeted by right wing fanatics as a result of his valiant efforts to expose the neo-Nazi menace of the quasi-mythical Column 88. Explain that away, Gerry!
(5) An extract from Gable’s 1991 essay The Far Right In Contemporary Britain; John Tyndall – who led both the National Front and the New National Front (later renamed the British National Party) – was said to have been inducted into Column 88 at the age of 19, ie in 1953. In the May 1988 issue of Searchlight it was claimed that Column 88 was founded around 1970, while in the April 1993 issue it was said to have been “a honey-trap organisation controlled by British intelligence.” Gable hasn’t just lost the plot, he is literally making it up as he goes along.
(6) This is a letter the current writer wrote to Les Vaughan. For information on its background, click here.
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