At one meeting, an opinionated Irish American benefactor informed Hughes that the Provos were going about the war all wrong. What you should really be doing, the man told him, is widening your range of targets. Start shooting anyone who is in any way associated with the British regime – anyone who wears the crown on his uniform. ‘Postmen?’ Hughes interjected. ‘Shoot postmen?’ Of course you should be shooting postmen, the man replied. ‘Right,’ Hughes said. ‘I’m going back to Belfast in a couple of weeks … We’ll get another ticket and you come back with me and you shoot the fucking postmen.’
