Conspiracy Index

Index of the documentary "Conspiracy" by Daryl Dellora, 1994
This was aired on the ABC TV True Stories in 1995.

It can be obtained from
https://www.filmartmedia.com/projects/conspiracy/

A low resolution is available, but I would encourage you to purchase using the link above.
http://berglas.org/Articles/Conspiracy-40.m4v

The film presents first hand accounts and evidence that the 1978 bombing of the Hilton Hotel in Sydney was actually carried out by accident by the Australian security forces.

Further information can be found at wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Hilton_Hotel_bombing

Jim Hatton's speech to the NSW parliament also contains additional details
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansard/Pages/HansardResult.aspx#/docid/HANSARD-1323879322-692

Index of Key Points

Much of it is theatrical noise, to make an entertaining documentary.   But key points relevant to understanding the conspiracy are underlined.


Chapter 1
0:35  Clock 12:30 Police outside hilton. 

Reenactment.  People killed, seriously injured.

1:10 Garbos empty bin.  Running.
2:18 Explosion  
2:20 Newsreader.  two men "blown to bits", two fighting for lives.
2:30 Now 16 years, most notorious bombing incident .. outside Chogam in 1978.  Police said it ws a conspiracy
3:06 Film name
3:15 Terry Griffiths general recollections.  Detailed to stand in front.
3:50 Rosamund Dallow-Smith (RD) caught taxi
4:00 Man M? went for coffee, allocated coffee times.
4:25 Griffiths People walking past
4:54 RD: saw garbage man
5:14 Bill Ebb, Garbage Truck driver.  Saw garbo.
5:35 RD: went inside, heard blast.
6:05 Griffiths: Shock, felt metal enter his shoe.  Pain right side stomach.  Saw Sgt Horton cringe.  Someone's scalp go past.
7:48 Peter Rees Journalist.  All shop windows blown out.  Deserted scene.
8:02 RD: Dust and debrie... Young man sitting close was sliced over.
8:45 Reenactments.  Pain.
9:45 Griffiths:  Talked to Rod, where did it get you.  Need to get help.  Body over center of road.  Land rover hailed.  Feeling faint.  Prayed.  Fire brigade officer got ambulance.  "There is people worse off than you."
11:27 Griffiths: Full extent of injuries.  Foot, knee, large bowel out to heel.  Hard to sleep, saw bomb blast.

Questions in Parliament; Threat assessment; Troops called out.

12:40 Commentator: Questions asked in NSW parliament.  Was bomb made by CSIRO?  Was bomb disposal unit waiting nearby as part of a pre-arranged plan?  Were army sniffer dogs delberately called off?   Did someone from a police observation vehicle telephone a warning?  What happened to the fragments that could identify the bomb?  Why was a rubbish bin left unchecked and unguarded in a high security area?
12:29 Commentator:  First Chogam;  11 heads of state.
13:40 Ian McDonald (IMcD) Inspector, Australian Federal Police:  Security Cordon just a police presence.   Not stop and search people.
14:03 Malcolm MacKenzie-Orr, Army Bomb Disposal.  Threat seened very low, so precautions adequate.
14:40 Commentator:  Day after bombing 2000 troops called out to protect Heads of State.
14:50 Rees: Shutting gate  after horse bolted.
15:00 Jenny Hocking (JH) Monash Uni: first time since federation troops called out.  Constitutional issue

Amanda Marga accusations

15:35 McDonald: About an hour after the bomb the "NSW Special brance officer attached to our delegation" made a few calls and said it was Amanda Marga.  IMcD Surpised conclusion so fast.
16:05 Comentator: 3 days later, Richard Seary contacted police. Said Hare Krishina was responsible.  Police did not investigate, asked to investigate Amanda Marga. 4 months later,  charged but unrelated to Hilton Bombing.
16:50 Russell Hogg (RH) Macquarie Uni:   Anderson, Dunn, Alistair charged with conspiracy to murder Cameron.  From Seary.
17:46 Seary alleged Dunn and Alistair confessed to planted the bomb with help from Anderson.
18:15 Griffiths: Copper came in and said "Some fellows at Nr One said warning call came in 10 minutes before blast." 
19:05 Griffiths: Received information that Margis not responsible.
19:15: Commentator:  Searies alleged that Margis did it, but no further charges laid.

Occurance Pad -- warning delayed

19:30 Griffiths :was told  by "serving officer" that a  Doc from CIB said that 12:30am  Miss Jones on switchboard received call to put call through to special branch, 10 mins before bomb at 12:40.
20:05 Griffiths: May 1991 from Sgt Horton: has been asked to resign / "correct" his statement made in hospital?
20:30 Sgt John Hawtin:  Made minor corrections. A Detective showed Hawtin the occurance pad which showed that at 12:32 Mrs Jones received a call saying bomb had been planted in the bin. Not received at central for a few minutes before.

Walsh Inquest. 

21:35 Inquest.  Margis Demonstrators.  
21:59 Commentator:  first inquest 13 August 1982.  4.5 years after event.
22:30 Walsh reenactment cross examination limited.
23:20 Barry Hall QC:  Had information that ASIO and Special Branch involved.  Rumours of onterference of investigations.  Wanted to explore this in Inquest.
23:55 Walsh reenactment "Bomb was on footpath, what is happing on 1st floor not relevant."
24:10 Hall: It may be true no ASIO et. al. had involvment, but Govt. could have called witnesses to dispell this but they steadfastly refused to let us call them or look at documents that would have shown the rumours are untrue.   This heightened suspicion that they were involved.
24:50 Horton.  New occurrance entry.  Poor Forgery.  Too fresh.  Not same as he had seen before.
24:35 Comentator: in all four different versions at inquest, none the same as original Horton saw.
26:20 Walsh/? Debate about whether occurance pad entries being relevant.
27:27 Hall went to the "people" and asked for info in secret to clear security forces.  Hall was treated like enemy of state.  This heightened his belief of discredible there.

Forensic Evidence

28:05 Max Hatherly Prof Metallurgy Uni NSW: Normally good search of crime sight, evidence collected, sent to people like Hatherly.  Small pieces, scanning electron microscope.  They were not near any bomb.
29:07 Hall: Very little forensic material.  "We only saw a fraction."
29:13 MacKenzie-Orr: Trucks taken to depo, MO looked at it.  Door had been taken off to tip.  MO wanted to see garbage, but dumped and site not demarcated.
29:54 ???:  Very little forensic evidence retrieved.  Unlikely to be Margis becuase bombs leave large amount of evidence.
30:30 Rees: Cooincidentally 15 land mines stolen from Magaloor army base Vic. 3.5 months before.  After theft news speculated Margis.
31:22 Hall: Double Explosion reported by some.  Jumping jack mines would have double explosion.  Type of explosive still unknown.  Reports Initially said mine, then no mine.

Witnesses.  Analysis of evidence.

32:15  Hall: Govt would not permit people to be called from "army people concerned bomb & bomb disposal."  We believe they were awake when the bomb went off.
32:50 Hall: Info that ASIO involved to have bomb discovered to justify existence.  If people in bomb squad were awake would make it hard to make any claim were not involved.
33:15 Allen Fleming,  Protective Services: :Ridiculous".  ASIO had nothing to do with organization of the conference other than sweep of rooms.
33:55 MacKenzie-Orr: Security Services not very good at bombing so seems unlikely.  Not an operational organization.
34:22 ???: no consipracy.

(Note that Hall makes specific arguments, others are just saying that there was no conspiracy.)

34:50 Comentator:  Claims.  1. Warning received but not passed on.  2. Principle private secratary of Fed Senator said bomb disposal truck and special branch surveilance car on scene prior to explosion.  
35:10 Griffiths: They said I was only after money, mentally unstable, did not know what he was talking about. 
35:35 Peter Monaghan (prinicpal private secretary to democrat senator) before inquest  approached by "people" that claimed had info.  "Worked for Asio was involved in bombing."  Evidence not asked for in inquest.
36:15 Griffiths: Never permitted to supeana security forces or cheifs to whitness box.

Seary says Margis done it.

36:50 ???: Seary introduced to inquest to terminate inquest.
25:55: Reinactment, Seary says Alister, et. al. confessed to Hilton.
37:44 Hall: Seary very unimpressive witness.  If Margis were allowed to continue as normally happens then Hall thought crown case would collapse.
38:30 Walsh terminates inquest.
39:40 No charges laid after Seary's inquest. In 1985 Magis Pardoned & Compensated.  Justice Wood.

Second Anderson arrest.

40:12 Griffiths: 1988 Griffiths made submission to Police Assoc. seeking help.  They voted to assist.  To push for reinvestigated.  Then 30 May 1989 then Anderson rearrested.  Griffiths quite surprised and shocked.
41:00 Rees:  Two days before Anderson arrested, Two police officers interviewed Rees about Peter Monoham?   Involvement of security forces being seriously investigated.  But then Anderson arrested.
41:50 Evan Pederic gave confession.  Said 52 sticks of dynamite But would not fit in garbage bin, then 20.  Said would detonate when Desai (Indian PM) not there.  Anderson showed video tape Pederic not there.
43:00 Appeal successfull June 1991.

Sniffer Dogs

43:33 Keith Burley dogs:  Told to prepare for Chogm.  Specifically letter bombs.  Late on Thurs told not required unknown reason, from vic baracks i.e. security.  Dogs would have found the bomb, very sensitive.
44:50 Bill Ebb:  Bin overflowing with guarbage.  Spoke to three previous drivers due to empty Sat morning, Sat afternoon Sun Morning.  On three occasions told by the police to leave bin alone and carry on.  Garbage all over the place.
45:30 Griffiths: My shift was not told to stop garbage men emptying bin.  Other people had emptied it, not council workers.
45:50 Commentator:  In 1980 Frack Walker Atourney General NSW was told that Asio asked Csiro to make bomb.  Told journalists.  Walker will not comment further.
46:30 Protective Services created under Flemming to protect VIPs.  
47:15 Flemming: Threat was Margis.
47:50 Commentator: Asio was under attack.  Special Branch.  Peak 1978.  Special branches likely to go (SA done).
48:50 ???:  Wran to hold enquiry anounced two days prior to close. 
49:00 Rees: ASIO Funding incresed 25%. 
50:00 Terrorism Became totally federal area.  Woffle of exercises eg. ASIS fiasco. Hilton could
51:15 ???: Could have been a counter terrorism exercise gone wrong (dubious!)
51:20 Peter Collins NSW Attorney General 1991-2:  History of a litteny of lies.  So many questions could have been resolved.
52:25 Griffiths: torn his life apart.  Depressed etc.
53:50 Commentatior: Dec 1991 NSW parliament unanimous called.
54:10 Griffiths: Theory:  Bomb to be found.  Area evacuated.  Bomb detonated in front of press by robot.  But unfortunately warning message lost.
54:50 Commentator: Garbage truck 20 mins earlier than usual due to light trafic at 12:40 -- saw bin and emptied it.
55:55 Reinactment:  Operator: No one at special branch now -- put you through duty officer CRC.