In 1975, two agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms knocked on the door

at 465 East 9th Street in Brooklyn, New York. They were investigating some illegal gun purchases

up north in New Hampshire. There wasn't a lot to go on, but they had a check that was made out

to a store in the city of Concord, which had been traced to the man who lived at 465 East 9th Street,

a quiet security guard named George Harrison. Jack Holland describes the scene in his book,

American Connection. Harrison came to the door and welcomed the ATF agents in. He was 60 years

old and had a full head of white hair and a distinctive Irish accent. The men sat down in the living

room and Harrison made a few cups of tea. The agents asked him a couple of questions about the

guns and let him know that they planned a column before grand jury. Harrison said he understood

and that he'd appear in court with his lawyers, which he later did. Strangely, at the grand jury

meeting, he was only asked for his name and address. That was it, and he was free to go.

The two ATF agents eventually finished their tea, got up from the couch and headed for the door.

Harrison said his goodbyes and waved them off as they walked out onto the street.

What they didn't know was that in the room next to where they had just been sitting,

were 200 rifles and 150,000 rounds of ammunition, all headed to the Irish Republican Army.

And 8-week-long gunsmuggling trial in New York, Brooklyn, federal court went to the jury today.

The question to be answered were the defendants working for the IRA or the CIS?

You're listening to Foreign Agent. My name is Nate Lavy and this is Episode 4.

The

There are lots of people sending guns to the IRA, but in this episode we'll tell the story of

the rise and fall of the most successful IRA gun runner in the United States.

The story stretches from a military base in North Carolina to the docks in New York,

...