Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (2025) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
1
- (BOLT SLIDES OPEN)
- (INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
- (KEYS JINGLING)
- (DOOR UNLOCKS)
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
(DOOR UNLOCKS)
ALISDAIR: All that blood on his hands.
How can you, of all people, bear
to be in the same room as him?
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
Will, you monster, give it back.
I'm going to be late.
- What do you look like?
- Stop being so annoying.
(LAUGHS) I haven't left yet
and you're stealing my clothes?
Oh, it's for the party tonight.
Can I? Please?
- Fine.
- JANE: Right.
Washed and ironed as commanded.
(CHUCKLES) - FLORA: Thank you, thank you.
Oh, gosh, Flora, look at this mess.
Imagine ditching your family at
Christmas for a new boyfriend.
Oh, shut up. (GRUNTS)
It's too full.
- (ZIPPER ZIPS)
- It's fine.
(ZIPPER CONTINUES ZIPPING)
Ta-da!
- Don't be sad.
- Oh, let me be sad.
First Christmas without you.
(CAR DOOR OPENS) - And
I'll deal with you when I get back.
Remember, a baseball bat
and a Yankees cap!
- Please drive carefully, Cathy!
- CATHY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Go and have the time of your life.
- Love you, Dad.
- I love you too.
JANE: Bye, darling.
(CAR DOOR CLOSES)
Bye!
- Bye, darling.
- See ya!
- (PA SYSTEM CHIMES)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENTS OVER PA)
Have fun tonight.
(VEHICLE BEEPING)
(WHIRRING)
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Whew! Just made it.
- Had to beg them to let me on.
- (FLORA CHUCKLES)
He's much, much better.
And he's not in any pain,
that's the main thing.
You have my permission to spoil him.
- Turkey and all the trimmings.
- Ah. Thank you, Dr. Swire.
I'll look in after Christmas. But
if anything comes up, call me,
- any time, day or night.
- Yes, I will.
(OVER PA SYSTEM) This is Captain MacQuarrie
speaking. We are currently cruising at
ARNAUD: It is a computer science
program that we are working on together.
Yes, it is very complicated.
I won't bore you. Um
So what is it that you do?
I'm a PhD student, doing research at
- The University College, London
- (PASSENGERS SINGING)
Rudolph the red-nosed
reindeer, had a very shiny nose ♪
- Come on, they must have this at home. Come on.
- No, I can't.
You may even say it glows
All of the other reindeers ♪
(MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS)
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight
Then how the reindeer loved him ♪
Hi, Mrs. Walker!
Oh, hello. I hope
you've done your homework.
You'll go down in history ♪
Very good. Very good.
- (ARNAUD LAUGHS)
- Whoo!
Santa, you're early.
(ROLAND LAUGHS)
Ah. Puncture?
Mr. Edwards is going to show me
how to fix it.
Nice.
jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
in a one-horse open sleigh
Hey, jingle bells, jingle bells ♪
FLORA: Excuse me.
- (RUMBLING)
- (PASSENGERS SCREAMING)
(DISTANT EXPLOSION)
(INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER)
- You got the keys?
- Yeah.
(DISTANT EXPLOSION)
(SPOON CLATTERS)
- (CHRISTMAS MUSIC PLAYING)
- (RUMBLING)
(THUDDING)
(CONFUSED CHATTER)
(THUDDING CONTINUES)
(GRUNTING AND PANTING)
(EXCLAIMING)
(PANTING)
(GROANS)
(SCREAMS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(SPUTTERS)
(WHOOSHING)
(PANTING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (WOMAN MOANING)
(EXPLOSION)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
ELLEN: Oh, God, that's Stephen
Where's my house gone?
Where's my mum and dad, Mrs. Walker?
Where did they go?
(SIREN WAILING)
(MUSIC PLAYING ON CAR STEREO)
DJ ON RADIO: we interrupt
this program for a newsflash.
There are reports coming in
of an air crash
near the town of Lockerbie
- in the Scottish borders
- (BRAKES SCREECH)
(TIRES SQUEALING)
- (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
- I bought a calendar this year,
so I'll know how many days
there are till Christmas.
(TV CONTINUES PLAYING)
(DOOR CLOSES)
(DOOR CLOSES)
All right, Will?
Yeah.
- (CHUCKLES) They suit you.
- What do?
When are we expecting Cathy back?
Oh, she shouldn't be much longer.
WILL: Dad, Mum, come here.
Why? What is it?
A newsflash, a plane's gone down.
NEWSCASTER: just north of
the Scottish border.
The plane disappeared off radar
screens at 19 minutes past 7:00.
Pan Am Flight 103 took off from
Heathrow at 6:25 this evening
Was that her flight number?
Jim, is that Flora's flight number?
I don't know.
NEWSCASTER 2: Pan Am have released
- emergency telephone numbers.
- A pen, quick.
NEWSCASTER 2: They are
It won't be her flight. It can't be.
(NEWSCASTER 2 CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)
(SIREN BLARING)
(FIREFIGHTER SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
(ALL CLAMORING)
(MURRAY COUGHING)
(BUSY SIGNAL BEEPING)
- Still engaged.
- Keep trying.
(DOOR CLOSES)
GEOFFREY ARCHER ON TV: Investigators
will want to see if there's any evidence
of a sudden cabin depressurization
Uh, what's going on?
- JANE: Cathy, did Flora make her flight?
- Yeah, I think so.
JANE: Oh!
Are you sure?
ARCHER: This suggests that
whatever disaster befell the jumbo jet
- happened very quickly.
- What's happened?
Once the tragic task of dealing with
the dead and injured has been completed,
accident investigators
will search for
(SIREN BLARING)
Okay, so listen up. First priority
is gonna be to find survivors.
Sir, I just had a call
from a farmer up in Tundergarth.
There's bodies on his farm.
That's three miles away.
Who knows Tundergarth Farm?
I do. It's Grant Nelson's farm.
- FERRIE: What's your name?
- Ellen.
Okay, Ellen,
take this group with you now.
- Get there now. Hurry!
- Okay.
Come on, this way.
- (CLATTERING)
- (SIREN BLARING)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
(COUGHING)
(HELICOPTER HOVERING)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING CONTINUES)
- (EXPLOSION)
- (WOMAN SCREAMS)
(PEOPLE EXCLAIMING)
(WHIMPERS)
(LINE RINGING)
Why is no one answering?
Other people will be trying to call.
JIM: Yes, but I've been trying
for two hours.
- (LINE RINGING)
- (CALL CONNECTS)
Hello? Hello?
WOMAN ON PHONE: Pan Am desk,
JFK Airport.
(PEOPLE CLAMORING) - BERT:
He's my brother, his name's Tom.
Thomas Joseph Ammerman.
Please. Just a moment, sir.
JIM: I'm calling about
my daughter, Flora Swire.
Sir, I'm afraid I have no news
at the moment.
Nothing?
So all your damn computers
and you can't say whether my
child is on that plane!
WOMAN: We're doing everything
we can to get more details.
That's all I can tell you
right now. I'm sorry.
(FLAMES CRACKLING)
NELSON: Hey, over here.
(GRUNTING)
NELSON: Watch where you're treading.
(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
Over here
(ELLEN WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY)
I couldn't leave him lying there.
God rest his soul.
There's more. All over.
I stopped counting after 50.
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
Who are they?
NELSON: I don't know.
They said they were crash
investigators or something.
RESCUE LEADER:
They got here awfully quick.
Spread out!
(TELEPHONE RINGING)
Hello? Jim Swire speaking.
WOMAN: Good evening, sir.
I'm calling from Pan Am.
- Finally.
- We have confirmation for you.
The passenger list
has been checked and verified.
Flora MacDonald Margaret Swire
was a passenger on Pan Am Flight 103.
I'm afraid there are no survivors.
JIM: (STAMMERS) Are you sure?
Are you completely sure?
- Who gave you this information?
- (CATHY SOBBING)
JIM: Can you recheck, please?
CATHY: No
(CATHY CONTINUES SOBBING)
Yes, I would like you to do that now.
CATHY: No, no, no.
(ALL SOBBING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
MURRAY: The small,
quiet town of Lockerbie
is waking up this morning to
the sheer
unmitigated horror of
Britain's worst-ever air crash.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
259 people were on board
Pan Am Flight 103
when it exploded over
the Scottish town.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
Hello?
Is anyone home?
The search for survivors
has so far proved unsuccessful.
(DIAL TONE)
Though we still do not know
how many people on the ground
have been killed,
the scale of this disaster
is unmatched.
What is not yet known
is whether this was
human or mechanical error,
or an act of terrorism.
One thing is for certain,
life will never be the same again.
(NEWS HELICOPTER HOVERING)
FEMALE RESIDENT:
It was like the world was on fire.
Thick smoke
MALE RESIDENT: I saw
the explosion of flames rise up.
FEMALE RESIDENT:
The sound of screaming.
FEMALE RESIDENT 2:
There were bodies everywhere.
(OVERLAPPING REPORTERS
SPEAKING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES)
REPORTER: In a matter of seconds,
the community was ripped
by explosions and fire.
An earthquake,
some residents thought
REPORTER 2: As the news
reached John F. Kennedy airport,
so did the stream of relatives
discovering the full horror
that awaited them.
REPORTER 3: Among the
passengers were 38 students
from Syracuse University in New York.
Christmas is a special time
for the young,
for those who carry the twin
promises of hopes and dreams
It's beyond anything
in one's experience.
REPORTER 4: The giant
aircraft with its holiday travelers
apparently crashed directly
into a gas station.
REPORTER 5: Fireball rose
hundreds of feet
four days after the disaster,
the area search has been
extended yet again.
JEFF KRIENDLER: No indication
that there were any problems.
There was no contact from the captain.
REPORTER 6: They'll
be looking at two theories,
one that the crash was caused
by a structural fault,
the other, that a terrorist bomb
had been planted onboard.
Intelligence sources believe it to
have been a revenge attack by Iran
for the American downing
of an Iranian Airbus in July,
in which 290 people lost their lives.
The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher,
will today attend a
memorial service in Lockerbie,
where she will later meet the
families of the victims of Flight 103.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I
lost my dear husband, Peter.
I'm so sorry.
MAN: Ladies and gentlemen,
the Prime Minister,
Mrs. Margaret Thatcher.
The Transport Secretary,
Mr. Paul Channon.
(PEOPLE MURMURING)
Paul Channon, Transport
Secretary. I'm so sorry.
Hello.
Paul Channon, Transport Secretary.
Dr. Jim Swire. This is my
wife, Jane. (CLEARS THROAT)
CHANNON: Mrs. Swire
Do I know you?
I was in the year below you at Eton.
Oh, yes, of course. Yes.
Swire, yes.
Who was it you lost?
Our daughter, Flora.
My sincere condolences to you both.
And let me assure you,
we are working around the clock
to bring the perpetrators
of this heinous act to justice.
They say in the press
it may have been Iran.
Is that true? A revenge attack?
I'm afraid I can't comment on that.
Although knowing their track record
Minister?
Our daughter's body
is still here in Lockerbie.
We were informed by letter a week
ago that we weren't allowed to see her,
but we don't know why.
I'm sorry,
I can't do anything about that.
It is the decision of the Lord
Advocate of Scotland.
Though if there's anything
I can do further down the line,
don't hesitate to get in touch
with my office.
- Murray Guthrie.
- Jim Swire.
Full disclosure, I'm a journalist.
But don't worry, I'm not here
to intrude on your grief.
'Course you are, if you're any
journalist worth his salt.
(MURRAY CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
My daughter's body is lying in
this town's ice rink right now.
Town this size, where else could
they have put the bodies?
They bring us here to sing hymns
and listen to sermons
and we're expected to leave
without even saying goodbye?
It's inhumane.
It was a psychiatrist's recommendation.
He advised the Lord Advocate against
letting any of you see the bodies.
He thought it would be too traumatic.
It should be our choice.
You're a doctor, Jim Swire?
I've seen doctors going in and
out of the ice rink constantly.
If you want to see your
daughter, I know what I'd do.
How do you think I got in here?
JANE: I'm so sorry to hear that.
I'm going to see Flora.
- They said we couldn't.
- I know. I don't care.
I can get us in. If you want to.
No. No, um, I can't.
Please, Jim. Don't go. Stay with us.
(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
What are you doing?
This building is closed
to the general public.
I'm Jim Swire. I'm a GP.
My family and I have driven up
from Bromsgrove. It took six hours.
I'm sorry. I'm under strict
orders not to let anyone in.
I want to see my daughter.
(SIGHS)
DR. GREGORY: Prepare yourself.
(GROANS)
Dr. Swire, as you're here now,
can you confirm for me
that this is your daughter?
Did Flora have any identifying marks?
(SNIFFLES)
It's her. It's Flora.
Thank you for your kindness.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
MURRAY: I was hoping to see you
at the town hall, Mr. Nelson.
Not my thing. I was at the
service. What is it you're wanting?
To know about the men who came
to your farm the night of the crash.
There's a few folk I've been
talking to who said they saw 'em.
They told me
they were crash investigators.
- You don't think they were?
- I don't know.
- Searching through people's luggage
- (SCOFFS) You're joking?
Cutting people's suitcases open,
pulling stuff out of
people's belongings
Some people are saying
they saw FBI caps.
Others were convinced they were CIA.
I don't know, there was a lot
going on that night.
All I do know is they were here
before anyone else.
In and out by first light.
(JANE BREATHING HEAVILY)
- (BREATHING QUICKENS)
- (WIND HOWLING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(CHATTER STOPS)
(TELEPHONE RINGING)
JIM: If you're here for an interview,
I'm afraid I'm gonna have to
- get moving on.
- MURRAY: Don't worry, the reason I'm here
is I've been looking into some
of the things that happened
the night of the crash.
I've read your articles
in the Dumfries Courier.
Ah, well, at least
somebody does. (CHUCKLES)
So, um, this anonymous phone call
to the US Embassy in Helsinki,
5th of December last year.
Yes, I know about that.
I saw the report on Newsnight.
The embassy dismissed it as a hoax.
- That doesn't strike you as odd?
- I didn't dwell on it too much, to be honest.
Well, the caller stated that
a Pan Am flight from Frankfurt
would be blown up over Christmas
by someone associated with
a Syrian-backed terror group.
- I'm sorry, I don't see
- Dumfries and Galloway police
are currently working on the theory
that the bomb originated in Frankfurt.
- Frankfurt?
- Aye.
So we've got Pan Am,
Christmas, and Frankfurt,
all mentioned
in this supposed hoax call.
Yet a memo pinned up in the US Embassy
advised all staff not
to fly Pan Am over Christmas.
The public never got that warning.
Flora's flight to New York
was four days before Christmas.
One of Pan Am's busiest times of
the year. One of their busiest routes.
259 people died on board that night.
Sixteen of them were crew. There
was 243 passengers on board.
So if my math is correct,
when Flight 103 left Heathrow,
there was 165 seats
empty.
I remember. She was surprised
how easy it was to buy a ticket.
Rumor has it some of those empty seats
had been booked by embassy staff
to fly home for the holidays.
Did they change their flights when
they heard about that phone call?
They can't have done.
That was a hoax call.
It doesn't end there.
October last year, the German
police conducted a raid
codenamed "Autumn Leaves"
on a Palestinian terror group,
the PFLP-GC.
JIM: "Autumn Leaves" PFLP-GC.
What does that stand for?
MURRAY: Yeah, I know.
It's a bit of a mouthful.
Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine, General Command.
Now
During the raid, the police
found explosive devices
built into Toshiba
radio-cassette recorders
which the PFLP-GC were planning
to put on commercial airliners.
The German police arrested
17 members of the organization,
and then contacted
the Department of Transport.
Who issued that alert to all UK
airports in November last year.
- It mentions explosive devices.
- It does.
Now, brace yourself, Jim.
I've got a source
in the Lockerbie investigation
who says that his forensic people
have found several blast-damaged pieces
of a radio cassette-recorder and
part of an instruction manual.
Let me guess. Toshiba?
You guess right.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
Jim, how are you?
Sorry you've been kept waiting.
Minister, I just wanted to ask you
about what your department knew
about the phone call warning to
the American Embassy in Helsinki.
Yes, I was briefed on that
some weeks after.
But it was a hoax, though, wasn't it.
Well, that's what they claimed,
but some things have come to
light since it was reported.
Forgive me, Jim, but this is
a US Embassy matter,
not one for the
Department of Transport.
Now, I'm afraid I've been
called to a cabinet meeting.
- I'm very sorry.
- What about this?
Well, this is restricted.
Where did you get it?
It's a telex sent to all UK airports'
heads of security by Mr. James Jack,
your Department's aviation
security advisor, warning
Yes, it was a general warning. So
it was not deemed serious enough
To let the general public know
about the possible dangers?
Let them decide whether to fly or not?
Listen
The decisions we make
are made on the best advice.
If we made public
every warning we received,
we would have to shut the airports down
and ground hundreds of flights daily.
There would be uproar.
Our country and the US receive
these threats on a weekly basis
because of who we are
and what we stand for.
I just want answers, Minister.
Yes, I do understand.
This is an incredibly difficult time.
Let me look into it.
See what I can find for you.
NEWSCASTER: Paul Channon, the Transport
Secretary, has today been sacked
by the Prime Minister as
part of her cabinet reshuffle.
In off-the-record comments
to journalists,
Channon let slip that investigators
were days away from making an arrest.
NEWSCASTER 2: No words about
Channon being the unnamed
NEWSCASTER 3: Authorities
say they have insufficient evidence
to charge a suspect.
THATCHER: The most important
thing is to track these people down,
so that they are brought to justice.
And punish those who did this
if you can ever find them.
NEWSCASTER 4: There is an
intelligence community consensus,
the destruction of Pan Am 103
was carried out by the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine General Command.
NEWSCASTER 5: Pointing the finger
of blame may prove difficult, however.
The group's leader, Ahmed Jibril,
acted on orders from Iran
with acquiescence
NEWSCASTER 6: President Hafez Assad
of Syria is believed by US Intelligence
to control the two Palestinian groups
which have planted bombs
on airliners in the past.
NEWSCASTER 7: Until the
United States firmly establishes
the responsibility for the bombing,
the administration
is able to avoid making
the very difficult choice
of what to do about it.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(DOOR CLOSES)
- You made it. Wonderful.
- Bit of a rush, but yes.
Um
- Jim and Jane Swire, everyone.
- Hello.
Welcome to UK Families Flight 103.
We should, first of all, thank Jim
for his initiative in approaching
Channon for a meeting.
- It wasn't me who got him sacked, I promise you.
- (ALL CHUCKLING)
ELIZABETH: Either way, a
question I'd like to start with
is if Channon knows, if the
detectives on the investigation know,
why don't they make the names public?
My guess is they're still gathering
evidence, and Channon spoke out of turn.
Could be he was grand-standing
to those journalists.
ELIZABETH: But why all so secretive?
Probably because it involves
Iran and Syria, Palestinian terrorists,
they need to tread carefully,
build their case.
Seven months since the crash, and we're
still all in the dark about why or how.
And these warnings you've
told us about, Jim, I mean,
why has no one explained them?
I've written several times to the new
Transport Secretary, Cecil Parkinson,
but so far, I've had nothing back.
Except "We will reply in due course."
- Maybe he's trying to keep his job.
- (ALL CHUCKLING)
I have had one idea.
Uh, please forgive the quality.
I'm not the most adept
with the photocopier.
And this is another plane crash?
Yeah. In June 1972,
BEA Flight 548 came down near Staines.
118 people died.
One day after it happened, the
conservative government ordered
an independent inquiry into the crash.
To find out how it happened
and to make sure
it never happened again.
So
the criminal investigation
will seek to find out
who planted that bomb.
But what we should be asking
is how it happened.
How did a bomb get through
airport security and onto Flight 103?
Were mistakes made?
Were threat warnings ignored?
Why is there
so much secrecy around this?
We have a right to know.
If the Staines crash merited an
inquiry, then so does Lockerbie.
Thank you, Jim. I think we're
all agreed on that.
Now next on the agenda, we were going
to appoint a spokesperson for the group.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
What?
I have to look smart.
(CHUCKLES) You're going
on the radio, Jim.
JONATHAN DOBSON ON RADIO:
With me I have Dr. Jim Swire,
spokesman for
the UK Families Flight 103.
Now you're currently lobbying
for an inquiry. Is that right?
That is correct, Jonathan. We're
calling for an across the board,
independent inquiry,
to look into the response
of the Department of Transport
and the British government
to the warning they received
from the German police.
We want to know
why it wasn't acted upon.
So who knew what and when.
NEWSCASTER 1: Many questions
are still being asked
about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
Was the official investigation
obstructed? Has there been a cover-up?
NEWSCASTER 2: Transport
Department says it can't confirm
a news report quoting it,
that baggage on Pan Am 103 from Frankfurt
was not screened again at London.
JIM: Whoever was behind this
surely cannot believe their luck
at how easy it was
for their bomb to be loaded onto
a commercial flight and blow it up,
causing hundreds of deaths.
That is why we're pushing
MICHAEL PORTILLO: They were
pushing very hard for a public inquiry.
I said to them that
we didn't rule that out,
but our main concern was
the criminal investigation
AIDE: Mr. Swire, I'm sorry to say that
Mr. Parkinson is sitting late
in Parliament tonight.
The inquiry that Dr. Swire is
asking for will be counterproductive
to Britain's international standing
and its fight against terrorism.
(DOOR CLOSES)
I am exhausted.
Sick of the sound of my own voice.
What's that?
I only just found it.
Dear Miss Swire, I'm pleased to
inform you that you have been accept
accepted to study
postgraduate medicine.
- Did you know she'd applied?
- No, I didn't.
We must celebrate.
(CORK POPS)
She used to love coming here
as a child to feed the ducks.
- Congratulations, Flora.
- Well done, darling.
She was following in your footsteps.
No, no. She'd have eclipsed me.
She'd have done something incredible.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Take a seat.
Some good news. Parkinson's finally
agreed to a meeting.
Jim Swire constantly snapping
at his heels finally worked.
A gift.
I'm too good to you.
My article about this should hopefully
be in the Glasgow Tribunenext week.
I wanted to give you a sneak preview.
I know.
(DOOR OPENS)
Good afternoon. Welcome.
- Um, have you been offered tea or coffee?
- No, thank you.
Straight down to business then.
Helsinki warning
not acted upon.
German police warning following
the discovery of Toshiba devices
in the "Autumn Leaves" raid,
not acted upon.
And now, this letter your department
sent to Heathrow Management,
seemingly dated December 19th,
two days before Flight 103 came down.
This time it included a German police
photo of the radio-cassette recorder
in which they had found
explosive devices.
Your department's advice to security
staff is that if they're suspicious
about anything contained
within a piece of luggage,
they should place it in the hold.
Which is exactly where the bomb
on Flight 103 went off.
- Dr. Swire
- Even if they think something is potentially dangerous,
they're still to allow it onto
the plane. It beggars belief.
This advice was given on the
basis that most terror attacks
on commercial airliners are hijackings.
Our reasoning for advising luggage
containing anything suspicious
was put in the hold was to separate
a potential hijacker from his weapon,
and thus alleviate their ability
to hijack a plane.
I'm sorry, that is not good enough.
This proves you had legitimate concerns.
Why else include a picture
of the radio-cassette recorder?
That's not even the worst of it.
I have it on good authority
that although this was dated
December the 19th, it was received late.
It only reached Heathrow
after the plane came down.
Because your department couldn't
get photocopies made in time.
It wasn't just ignored.
Like the Helsinki warning,
it was practically withheld.
You failed to alert your airports
to three legitimate threats.
You failed to keep your passengers
safe. You failed in your duty.
We have to weigh up
No, no. You withheld
information, Minister.
Your government knew,
your department knew,
Heathrow management,
the State Department,
the American Embassy staff,
they all knew.
The only people who didn't know?
The passengers on Flight 103.
With respect
No, you talk about respect,
but you're showing us none.
Your government
is not taking responsibility.
You are denying,
you are evading the truth.
- And I find it despicable.
- Jim, please.
(CLICKS TONGUE)
- Perhaps some tea after all.
- We'd rather have an inquiry.
JANE: I have nightmares.
Almost every night.
Was our daughter conscious
as she fell through the sky?
I've read about it. I shouldn't
have, really, but I had to.
The lack of oxygen at 33,000 feet
would have meant Flora lost
consciousness immediately.
But as she fell and the oxygen
in the atmosphere increased,
she would have come around.
An expert I talked to told me that
Flora might have been conscious
for as much as 15 seconds.
Fifteen seconds knowing she was
falling to certain death.
One
two
three
four
five
six
seven
eight
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen.
Of course.
I will take your request
to the Prime Minister tomorrow.
NEWSCASTER: After months of deliberation,
the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
has announced categorically today
that there will be no
independent inquiry
into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103,
which came down over Lockerbie
in December last year,
killing all 259 passengers
and 11 people on the
(TV TURNS OFF)
Are we ever going to know
what really happened?
We will, I promise you.
How it happened, why it happened.
Who did it.
I will never stop.
Not until we know
the answer to everything.
(KEYS JINGLING)
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
(DOOR CLOSES)
- (HANDCUFFS UNLOCKING)
- (DOOR CLOSES)
(DOOR LOCKING)
Did you kill my daughter?
Sub extracted from file & improved by
(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
- (BOLT SLIDES OPEN)
- (INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
- (KEYS JINGLING)
- (DOOR UNLOCKS)
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
(DOOR UNLOCKS)
ALISDAIR: All that blood on his hands.
How can you, of all people, bear
to be in the same room as him?
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
Will, you monster, give it back.
I'm going to be late.
- What do you look like?
- Stop being so annoying.
(LAUGHS) I haven't left yet
and you're stealing my clothes?
Oh, it's for the party tonight.
Can I? Please?
- Fine.
- JANE: Right.
Washed and ironed as commanded.
(CHUCKLES) - FLORA: Thank you, thank you.
Oh, gosh, Flora, look at this mess.
Imagine ditching your family at
Christmas for a new boyfriend.
Oh, shut up. (GRUNTS)
It's too full.
- (ZIPPER ZIPS)
- It's fine.
(ZIPPER CONTINUES ZIPPING)
Ta-da!
- Don't be sad.
- Oh, let me be sad.
First Christmas without you.
(CAR DOOR OPENS) - And
I'll deal with you when I get back.
Remember, a baseball bat
and a Yankees cap!
- Please drive carefully, Cathy!
- CATHY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Go and have the time of your life.
- Love you, Dad.
- I love you too.
JANE: Bye, darling.
(CAR DOOR CLOSES)
Bye!
- Bye, darling.
- See ya!
- (PA SYSTEM CHIMES)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENTS OVER PA)
Have fun tonight.
(VEHICLE BEEPING)
(WHIRRING)
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Whew! Just made it.
- Had to beg them to let me on.
- (FLORA CHUCKLES)
He's much, much better.
And he's not in any pain,
that's the main thing.
You have my permission to spoil him.
- Turkey and all the trimmings.
- Ah. Thank you, Dr. Swire.
I'll look in after Christmas. But
if anything comes up, call me,
- any time, day or night.
- Yes, I will.
(OVER PA SYSTEM) This is Captain MacQuarrie
speaking. We are currently cruising at
ARNAUD: It is a computer science
program that we are working on together.
Yes, it is very complicated.
I won't bore you. Um
So what is it that you do?
I'm a PhD student, doing research at
- The University College, London
- (PASSENGERS SINGING)
Rudolph the red-nosed
reindeer, had a very shiny nose ♪
- Come on, they must have this at home. Come on.
- No, I can't.
You may even say it glows
All of the other reindeers ♪
(MUSIC PLAYING OVER SPEAKERS)
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight
Then how the reindeer loved him ♪
Hi, Mrs. Walker!
Oh, hello. I hope
you've done your homework.
You'll go down in history ♪
Very good. Very good.
- (ARNAUD LAUGHS)
- Whoo!
Santa, you're early.
(ROLAND LAUGHS)
Ah. Puncture?
Mr. Edwards is going to show me
how to fix it.
Nice.
jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
in a one-horse open sleigh
Hey, jingle bells, jingle bells ♪
FLORA: Excuse me.
- (RUMBLING)
- (PASSENGERS SCREAMING)
(DISTANT EXPLOSION)
(INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER)
- You got the keys?
- Yeah.
(DISTANT EXPLOSION)
(SPOON CLATTERS)
- (CHRISTMAS MUSIC PLAYING)
- (RUMBLING)
(THUDDING)
(CONFUSED CHATTER)
(THUDDING CONTINUES)
(GRUNTING AND PANTING)
(EXCLAIMING)
(PANTING)
(GROANS)
(SCREAMS)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(SPUTTERS)
(WHOOSHING)
(PANTING)
- (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
- (WOMAN MOANING)
(EXPLOSION)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
ELLEN: Oh, God, that's Stephen
Where's my house gone?
Where's my mum and dad, Mrs. Walker?
Where did they go?
(SIREN WAILING)
(MUSIC PLAYING ON CAR STEREO)
DJ ON RADIO: we interrupt
this program for a newsflash.
There are reports coming in
of an air crash
near the town of Lockerbie
- in the Scottish borders
- (BRAKES SCREECH)
(TIRES SQUEALING)
- (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
- I bought a calendar this year,
so I'll know how many days
there are till Christmas.
(TV CONTINUES PLAYING)
(DOOR CLOSES)
(DOOR CLOSES)
All right, Will?
Yeah.
- (CHUCKLES) They suit you.
- What do?
When are we expecting Cathy back?
Oh, she shouldn't be much longer.
WILL: Dad, Mum, come here.
Why? What is it?
A newsflash, a plane's gone down.
NEWSCASTER: just north of
the Scottish border.
The plane disappeared off radar
screens at 19 minutes past 7:00.
Pan Am Flight 103 took off from
Heathrow at 6:25 this evening
Was that her flight number?
Jim, is that Flora's flight number?
I don't know.
NEWSCASTER 2: Pan Am have released
- emergency telephone numbers.
- A pen, quick.
NEWSCASTER 2: They are
It won't be her flight. It can't be.
(NEWSCASTER 2 CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)
(SIREN BLARING)
(FIREFIGHTER SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)
(ALL CLAMORING)
(MURRAY COUGHING)
(BUSY SIGNAL BEEPING)
- Still engaged.
- Keep trying.
(DOOR CLOSES)
GEOFFREY ARCHER ON TV: Investigators
will want to see if there's any evidence
of a sudden cabin depressurization
Uh, what's going on?
- JANE: Cathy, did Flora make her flight?
- Yeah, I think so.
JANE: Oh!
Are you sure?
ARCHER: This suggests that
whatever disaster befell the jumbo jet
- happened very quickly.
- What's happened?
Once the tragic task of dealing with
the dead and injured has been completed,
accident investigators
will search for
(SIREN BLARING)
Okay, so listen up. First priority
is gonna be to find survivors.
Sir, I just had a call
from a farmer up in Tundergarth.
There's bodies on his farm.
That's three miles away.
Who knows Tundergarth Farm?
I do. It's Grant Nelson's farm.
- FERRIE: What's your name?
- Ellen.
Okay, Ellen,
take this group with you now.
- Get there now. Hurry!
- Okay.
Come on, this way.
- (CLATTERING)
- (SIREN BLARING)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
(COUGHING)
(HELICOPTER HOVERING)
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING CONTINUES)
- (EXPLOSION)
- (WOMAN SCREAMS)
(PEOPLE EXCLAIMING)
(WHIMPERS)
(LINE RINGING)
Why is no one answering?
Other people will be trying to call.
JIM: Yes, but I've been trying
for two hours.
- (LINE RINGING)
- (CALL CONNECTS)
Hello? Hello?
WOMAN ON PHONE: Pan Am desk,
JFK Airport.
(PEOPLE CLAMORING) - BERT:
He's my brother, his name's Tom.
Thomas Joseph Ammerman.
Please. Just a moment, sir.
JIM: I'm calling about
my daughter, Flora Swire.
Sir, I'm afraid I have no news
at the moment.
Nothing?
So all your damn computers
and you can't say whether my
child is on that plane!
WOMAN: We're doing everything
we can to get more details.
That's all I can tell you
right now. I'm sorry.
(FLAMES CRACKLING)
NELSON: Hey, over here.
(GRUNTING)
NELSON: Watch where you're treading.
(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
Over here
(ELLEN WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY)
I couldn't leave him lying there.
God rest his soul.
There's more. All over.
I stopped counting after 50.
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
Who are they?
NELSON: I don't know.
They said they were crash
investigators or something.
RESCUE LEADER:
They got here awfully quick.
Spread out!
(TELEPHONE RINGING)
Hello? Jim Swire speaking.
WOMAN: Good evening, sir.
I'm calling from Pan Am.
- Finally.
- We have confirmation for you.
The passenger list
has been checked and verified.
Flora MacDonald Margaret Swire
was a passenger on Pan Am Flight 103.
I'm afraid there are no survivors.
JIM: (STAMMERS) Are you sure?
Are you completely sure?
- Who gave you this information?
- (CATHY SOBBING)
JIM: Can you recheck, please?
CATHY: No
(CATHY CONTINUES SOBBING)
Yes, I would like you to do that now.
CATHY: No, no, no.
(ALL SOBBING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
MURRAY: The small,
quiet town of Lockerbie
is waking up this morning to
the sheer
unmitigated horror of
Britain's worst-ever air crash.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
259 people were on board
Pan Am Flight 103
when it exploded over
the Scottish town.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
Hello?
Is anyone home?
The search for survivors
has so far proved unsuccessful.
(DIAL TONE)
Though we still do not know
how many people on the ground
have been killed,
the scale of this disaster
is unmatched.
What is not yet known
is whether this was
human or mechanical error,
or an act of terrorism.
One thing is for certain,
life will never be the same again.
(NEWS HELICOPTER HOVERING)
FEMALE RESIDENT:
It was like the world was on fire.
Thick smoke
MALE RESIDENT: I saw
the explosion of flames rise up.
FEMALE RESIDENT:
The sound of screaming.
FEMALE RESIDENT 2:
There were bodies everywhere.
(OVERLAPPING REPORTERS
SPEAKING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES)
REPORTER: In a matter of seconds,
the community was ripped
by explosions and fire.
An earthquake,
some residents thought
REPORTER 2: As the news
reached John F. Kennedy airport,
so did the stream of relatives
discovering the full horror
that awaited them.
REPORTER 3: Among the
passengers were 38 students
from Syracuse University in New York.
Christmas is a special time
for the young,
for those who carry the twin
promises of hopes and dreams
It's beyond anything
in one's experience.
REPORTER 4: The giant
aircraft with its holiday travelers
apparently crashed directly
into a gas station.
REPORTER 5: Fireball rose
hundreds of feet
four days after the disaster,
the area search has been
extended yet again.
JEFF KRIENDLER: No indication
that there were any problems.
There was no contact from the captain.
REPORTER 6: They'll
be looking at two theories,
one that the crash was caused
by a structural fault,
the other, that a terrorist bomb
had been planted onboard.
Intelligence sources believe it to
have been a revenge attack by Iran
for the American downing
of an Iranian Airbus in July,
in which 290 people lost their lives.
The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher,
will today attend a
memorial service in Lockerbie,
where she will later meet the
families of the victims of Flight 103.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I
lost my dear husband, Peter.
I'm so sorry.
MAN: Ladies and gentlemen,
the Prime Minister,
Mrs. Margaret Thatcher.
The Transport Secretary,
Mr. Paul Channon.
(PEOPLE MURMURING)
Paul Channon, Transport
Secretary. I'm so sorry.
Hello.
Paul Channon, Transport Secretary.
Dr. Jim Swire. This is my
wife, Jane. (CLEARS THROAT)
CHANNON: Mrs. Swire
Do I know you?
I was in the year below you at Eton.
Oh, yes, of course. Yes.
Swire, yes.
Who was it you lost?
Our daughter, Flora.
My sincere condolences to you both.
And let me assure you,
we are working around the clock
to bring the perpetrators
of this heinous act to justice.
They say in the press
it may have been Iran.
Is that true? A revenge attack?
I'm afraid I can't comment on that.
Although knowing their track record
Minister?
Our daughter's body
is still here in Lockerbie.
We were informed by letter a week
ago that we weren't allowed to see her,
but we don't know why.
I'm sorry,
I can't do anything about that.
It is the decision of the Lord
Advocate of Scotland.
Though if there's anything
I can do further down the line,
don't hesitate to get in touch
with my office.
- Murray Guthrie.
- Jim Swire.
Full disclosure, I'm a journalist.
But don't worry, I'm not here
to intrude on your grief.
'Course you are, if you're any
journalist worth his salt.
(MURRAY CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
My daughter's body is lying in
this town's ice rink right now.
Town this size, where else could
they have put the bodies?
They bring us here to sing hymns
and listen to sermons
and we're expected to leave
without even saying goodbye?
It's inhumane.
It was a psychiatrist's recommendation.
He advised the Lord Advocate against
letting any of you see the bodies.
He thought it would be too traumatic.
It should be our choice.
You're a doctor, Jim Swire?
I've seen doctors going in and
out of the ice rink constantly.
If you want to see your
daughter, I know what I'd do.
How do you think I got in here?
JANE: I'm so sorry to hear that.
I'm going to see Flora.
- They said we couldn't.
- I know. I don't care.
I can get us in. If you want to.
No. No, um, I can't.
Please, Jim. Don't go. Stay with us.
(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)
What are you doing?
This building is closed
to the general public.
I'm Jim Swire. I'm a GP.
My family and I have driven up
from Bromsgrove. It took six hours.
I'm sorry. I'm under strict
orders not to let anyone in.
I want to see my daughter.
(SIGHS)
DR. GREGORY: Prepare yourself.
(GROANS)
Dr. Swire, as you're here now,
can you confirm for me
that this is your daughter?
Did Flora have any identifying marks?
(SNIFFLES)
It's her. It's Flora.
Thank you for your kindness.
(KNOCKING AT DOOR)
MURRAY: I was hoping to see you
at the town hall, Mr. Nelson.
Not my thing. I was at the
service. What is it you're wanting?
To know about the men who came
to your farm the night of the crash.
There's a few folk I've been
talking to who said they saw 'em.
They told me
they were crash investigators.
- You don't think they were?
- I don't know.
- Searching through people's luggage
- (SCOFFS) You're joking?
Cutting people's suitcases open,
pulling stuff out of
people's belongings
Some people are saying
they saw FBI caps.
Others were convinced they were CIA.
I don't know, there was a lot
going on that night.
All I do know is they were here
before anyone else.
In and out by first light.
(JANE BREATHING HEAVILY)
- (BREATHING QUICKENS)
- (WIND HOWLING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(CHATTER STOPS)
(TELEPHONE RINGING)
JIM: If you're here for an interview,
I'm afraid I'm gonna have to
- get moving on.
- MURRAY: Don't worry, the reason I'm here
is I've been looking into some
of the things that happened
the night of the crash.
I've read your articles
in the Dumfries Courier.
Ah, well, at least
somebody does. (CHUCKLES)
So, um, this anonymous phone call
to the US Embassy in Helsinki,
5th of December last year.
Yes, I know about that.
I saw the report on Newsnight.
The embassy dismissed it as a hoax.
- That doesn't strike you as odd?
- I didn't dwell on it too much, to be honest.
Well, the caller stated that
a Pan Am flight from Frankfurt
would be blown up over Christmas
by someone associated with
a Syrian-backed terror group.
- I'm sorry, I don't see
- Dumfries and Galloway police
are currently working on the theory
that the bomb originated in Frankfurt.
- Frankfurt?
- Aye.
So we've got Pan Am,
Christmas, and Frankfurt,
all mentioned
in this supposed hoax call.
Yet a memo pinned up in the US Embassy
advised all staff not
to fly Pan Am over Christmas.
The public never got that warning.
Flora's flight to New York
was four days before Christmas.
One of Pan Am's busiest times of
the year. One of their busiest routes.
259 people died on board that night.
Sixteen of them were crew. There
was 243 passengers on board.
So if my math is correct,
when Flight 103 left Heathrow,
there was 165 seats
empty.
I remember. She was surprised
how easy it was to buy a ticket.
Rumor has it some of those empty seats
had been booked by embassy staff
to fly home for the holidays.
Did they change their flights when
they heard about that phone call?
They can't have done.
That was a hoax call.
It doesn't end there.
October last year, the German
police conducted a raid
codenamed "Autumn Leaves"
on a Palestinian terror group,
the PFLP-GC.
JIM: "Autumn Leaves" PFLP-GC.
What does that stand for?
MURRAY: Yeah, I know.
It's a bit of a mouthful.
Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine, General Command.
Now
During the raid, the police
found explosive devices
built into Toshiba
radio-cassette recorders
which the PFLP-GC were planning
to put on commercial airliners.
The German police arrested
17 members of the organization,
and then contacted
the Department of Transport.
Who issued that alert to all UK
airports in November last year.
- It mentions explosive devices.
- It does.
Now, brace yourself, Jim.
I've got a source
in the Lockerbie investigation
who says that his forensic people
have found several blast-damaged pieces
of a radio cassette-recorder and
part of an instruction manual.
Let me guess. Toshiba?
You guess right.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
Jim, how are you?
Sorry you've been kept waiting.
Minister, I just wanted to ask you
about what your department knew
about the phone call warning to
the American Embassy in Helsinki.
Yes, I was briefed on that
some weeks after.
But it was a hoax, though, wasn't it.
Well, that's what they claimed,
but some things have come to
light since it was reported.
Forgive me, Jim, but this is
a US Embassy matter,
not one for the
Department of Transport.
Now, I'm afraid I've been
called to a cabinet meeting.
- I'm very sorry.
- What about this?
Well, this is restricted.
Where did you get it?
It's a telex sent to all UK airports'
heads of security by Mr. James Jack,
your Department's aviation
security advisor, warning
Yes, it was a general warning. So
it was not deemed serious enough
To let the general public know
about the possible dangers?
Let them decide whether to fly or not?
Listen
The decisions we make
are made on the best advice.
If we made public
every warning we received,
we would have to shut the airports down
and ground hundreds of flights daily.
There would be uproar.
Our country and the US receive
these threats on a weekly basis
because of who we are
and what we stand for.
I just want answers, Minister.
Yes, I do understand.
This is an incredibly difficult time.
Let me look into it.
See what I can find for you.
NEWSCASTER: Paul Channon, the Transport
Secretary, has today been sacked
by the Prime Minister as
part of her cabinet reshuffle.
In off-the-record comments
to journalists,
Channon let slip that investigators
were days away from making an arrest.
NEWSCASTER 2: No words about
Channon being the unnamed
NEWSCASTER 3: Authorities
say they have insufficient evidence
to charge a suspect.
THATCHER: The most important
thing is to track these people down,
so that they are brought to justice.
And punish those who did this
if you can ever find them.
NEWSCASTER 4: There is an
intelligence community consensus,
the destruction of Pan Am 103
was carried out by the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine General Command.
NEWSCASTER 5: Pointing the finger
of blame may prove difficult, however.
The group's leader, Ahmed Jibril,
acted on orders from Iran
with acquiescence
NEWSCASTER 6: President Hafez Assad
of Syria is believed by US Intelligence
to control the two Palestinian groups
which have planted bombs
on airliners in the past.
NEWSCASTER 7: Until the
United States firmly establishes
the responsibility for the bombing,
the administration
is able to avoid making
the very difficult choice
of what to do about it.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(DOOR CLOSES)
- You made it. Wonderful.
- Bit of a rush, but yes.
Um
- Jim and Jane Swire, everyone.
- Hello.
Welcome to UK Families Flight 103.
We should, first of all, thank Jim
for his initiative in approaching
Channon for a meeting.
- It wasn't me who got him sacked, I promise you.
- (ALL CHUCKLING)
ELIZABETH: Either way, a
question I'd like to start with
is if Channon knows, if the
detectives on the investigation know,
why don't they make the names public?
My guess is they're still gathering
evidence, and Channon spoke out of turn.
Could be he was grand-standing
to those journalists.
ELIZABETH: But why all so secretive?
Probably because it involves
Iran and Syria, Palestinian terrorists,
they need to tread carefully,
build their case.
Seven months since the crash, and we're
still all in the dark about why or how.
And these warnings you've
told us about, Jim, I mean,
why has no one explained them?
I've written several times to the new
Transport Secretary, Cecil Parkinson,
but so far, I've had nothing back.
Except "We will reply in due course."
- Maybe he's trying to keep his job.
- (ALL CHUCKLING)
I have had one idea.
Uh, please forgive the quality.
I'm not the most adept
with the photocopier.
And this is another plane crash?
Yeah. In June 1972,
BEA Flight 548 came down near Staines.
118 people died.
One day after it happened, the
conservative government ordered
an independent inquiry into the crash.
To find out how it happened
and to make sure
it never happened again.
So
the criminal investigation
will seek to find out
who planted that bomb.
But what we should be asking
is how it happened.
How did a bomb get through
airport security and onto Flight 103?
Were mistakes made?
Were threat warnings ignored?
Why is there
so much secrecy around this?
We have a right to know.
If the Staines crash merited an
inquiry, then so does Lockerbie.
Thank you, Jim. I think we're
all agreed on that.
Now next on the agenda, we were going
to appoint a spokesperson for the group.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
What?
I have to look smart.
(CHUCKLES) You're going
on the radio, Jim.
JONATHAN DOBSON ON RADIO:
With me I have Dr. Jim Swire,
spokesman for
the UK Families Flight 103.
Now you're currently lobbying
for an inquiry. Is that right?
That is correct, Jonathan. We're
calling for an across the board,
independent inquiry,
to look into the response
of the Department of Transport
and the British government
to the warning they received
from the German police.
We want to know
why it wasn't acted upon.
So who knew what and when.
NEWSCASTER 1: Many questions
are still being asked
about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
Was the official investigation
obstructed? Has there been a cover-up?
NEWSCASTER 2: Transport
Department says it can't confirm
a news report quoting it,
that baggage on Pan Am 103 from Frankfurt
was not screened again at London.
JIM: Whoever was behind this
surely cannot believe their luck
at how easy it was
for their bomb to be loaded onto
a commercial flight and blow it up,
causing hundreds of deaths.
That is why we're pushing
MICHAEL PORTILLO: They were
pushing very hard for a public inquiry.
I said to them that
we didn't rule that out,
but our main concern was
the criminal investigation
AIDE: Mr. Swire, I'm sorry to say that
Mr. Parkinson is sitting late
in Parliament tonight.
The inquiry that Dr. Swire is
asking for will be counterproductive
to Britain's international standing
and its fight against terrorism.
(DOOR CLOSES)
I am exhausted.
Sick of the sound of my own voice.
What's that?
I only just found it.
Dear Miss Swire, I'm pleased to
inform you that you have been accept
accepted to study
postgraduate medicine.
- Did you know she'd applied?
- No, I didn't.
We must celebrate.
(CORK POPS)
She used to love coming here
as a child to feed the ducks.
- Congratulations, Flora.
- Well done, darling.
She was following in your footsteps.
No, no. She'd have eclipsed me.
She'd have done something incredible.
- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Take a seat.
Some good news. Parkinson's finally
agreed to a meeting.
Jim Swire constantly snapping
at his heels finally worked.
A gift.
I'm too good to you.
My article about this should hopefully
be in the Glasgow Tribunenext week.
I wanted to give you a sneak preview.
I know.
(DOOR OPENS)
Good afternoon. Welcome.
- Um, have you been offered tea or coffee?
- No, thank you.
Straight down to business then.
Helsinki warning
not acted upon.
German police warning following
the discovery of Toshiba devices
in the "Autumn Leaves" raid,
not acted upon.
And now, this letter your department
sent to Heathrow Management,
seemingly dated December 19th,
two days before Flight 103 came down.
This time it included a German police
photo of the radio-cassette recorder
in which they had found
explosive devices.
Your department's advice to security
staff is that if they're suspicious
about anything contained
within a piece of luggage,
they should place it in the hold.
Which is exactly where the bomb
on Flight 103 went off.
- Dr. Swire
- Even if they think something is potentially dangerous,
they're still to allow it onto
the plane. It beggars belief.
This advice was given on the
basis that most terror attacks
on commercial airliners are hijackings.
Our reasoning for advising luggage
containing anything suspicious
was put in the hold was to separate
a potential hijacker from his weapon,
and thus alleviate their ability
to hijack a plane.
I'm sorry, that is not good enough.
This proves you had legitimate concerns.
Why else include a picture
of the radio-cassette recorder?
That's not even the worst of it.
I have it on good authority
that although this was dated
December the 19th, it was received late.
It only reached Heathrow
after the plane came down.
Because your department couldn't
get photocopies made in time.
It wasn't just ignored.
Like the Helsinki warning,
it was practically withheld.
You failed to alert your airports
to three legitimate threats.
You failed to keep your passengers
safe. You failed in your duty.
We have to weigh up
No, no. You withheld
information, Minister.
Your government knew,
your department knew,
Heathrow management,
the State Department,
the American Embassy staff,
they all knew.
The only people who didn't know?
The passengers on Flight 103.
With respect
No, you talk about respect,
but you're showing us none.
Your government
is not taking responsibility.
You are denying,
you are evading the truth.
- And I find it despicable.
- Jim, please.
(CLICKS TONGUE)
- Perhaps some tea after all.
- We'd rather have an inquiry.
JANE: I have nightmares.
Almost every night.
Was our daughter conscious
as she fell through the sky?
I've read about it. I shouldn't
have, really, but I had to.
The lack of oxygen at 33,000 feet
would have meant Flora lost
consciousness immediately.
But as she fell and the oxygen
in the atmosphere increased,
she would have come around.
An expert I talked to told me that
Flora might have been conscious
for as much as 15 seconds.
Fifteen seconds knowing she was
falling to certain death.
One
two
three
four
five
six
seven
eight
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen.
Of course.
I will take your request
to the Prime Minister tomorrow.
NEWSCASTER: After months of deliberation,
the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
has announced categorically today
that there will be no
independent inquiry
into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103,
which came down over Lockerbie
in December last year,
killing all 259 passengers
and 11 people on the
(TV TURNS OFF)
Are we ever going to know
what really happened?
We will, I promise you.
How it happened, why it happened.
Who did it.
I will never stop.
Not until we know
the answer to everything.
(KEYS JINGLING)
(DOOR UNLOCKING)
(DOOR CLOSES)
- (HANDCUFFS UNLOCKING)
- (DOOR CLOSES)
(DOOR LOCKING)
Did you kill my daughter?
Sub extracted from file & improved by
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