Charlie Haughey, the Taoiseach of the day in 1989, phoned Larry Goodman, the owner of Anglo Irish Meat Company Ltd, to see if he thought it would be useful to send a Government minister to Iraq to press the Iraqis on payments for beef owed to Goodman.

The Goodman group at the time was Ireland’s leading beef processor and among the largest in Europe. He operated a number of companies including Anglo Irish Meat Company and Anglo Irish Beef Processors.

This was revealed in a note marked “secret” signed by John Swift, then-assistant secretary in charge of the foreign earnings division at the Department of Foreign Affairs, and dated 11 December 1989, revealed by the National Archives this week.

The details of the note were supplied by then Ambassador Patrick McCabe, who phoned from Baghdad with the information.

The note alleges that Goodman met with the Iraqi trade minister and acting minister for finance Mr Mohammed Mehdi Saleh.

The Taoiseach had mentioned to him some months ago that he was considering the possibility of sending a minister to Baghdad

“In a conversation which Mr Goodman had with the Ambassador before meeting Saleh, (talks which Goodman stressed were personal and confidential), he said that the Taoiseach had mentioned to him some months ago that he was considering the possibility of sending a minister to Baghdad to try to get more decisive action on the debt repayments.

“Subsequently, a few days ago, the Taoiseach had telephoned him (Goodman) to enquire if he thought it would now be useful to send a minister, with one or two officials only, to press the payments issue.”

A separate confidential document, with a handwritten date of 2 August 1990 with the heading “Iraq-debts to Irish companies”, shows that the total outstanding debt of which the Department of Industry and Commerce was aware was approximately £60.8m, of which £46.6m was overdue.

Iraq defaulted on debts owed to western countries following UN sanctions being applied in 1990.

This resulted in the Irish Government being forced into the unprecedented action in recalling the Dáil in August 1990 to provide the Goodman group with the protection of examinership.

Another note, marked confidential with no date on it and again signed by Swift, shows that at one stage “the real amount of debt owed to Mr Goodman is $240m”.

The note says that the “Taoiseach made the following points in my discussion with him yesterday” and referenced the Iraqis, stating “they have the money – the question is what should we be doing to persuade them to part with it”.

A further option was that he [the Taoiseach] could take up the outstanding invitation to visit Baghdad

Among the options suggested to recoup the debts owed for Irish beef was that a minister would go to Baghdad to have political-level talks on the subject.

“A further option was that he [the Taoiseach] could take up the outstanding invitation to visit Baghdad.

“Perhaps the only way of cutting the knot and impressing the seriousness of the situation on the Iraqis was for him to talk direct to President Hussain,” Swift said.

Concluding, he wrote: “I think we will need to discuss this, as a priority with Goodman’s people and with Industry and Commerce, before talking it over again with the Taoiseach”.

Improved co-operation

Another document signed by Swift, with the title “Mr Larry Goodman” and dated 18 January 1990, notes that “Mr Goodman called on Minister Collins this afternoon at Iveagh House”, referring to Gerard Collins, then Minister for Foreign Affairs.

“The one operational point arising from the call is that I am to have discussions, as soon as mutually convenient, with Aidan Connor or other AIBP executives on Mr Goodman’s views and how co-operation between his companies and Government personnel and agencies might be improved.”

On Iran, the document noted that Goodman was “unhappy” about one aspect of recent experiences in the market – that being “Irish suppliers bidding against each other and forcing down prices. (This is a standard Goodman complaint.)”