740.00116 EW/12–444: Telegram
The Minister in Ireland (Gray) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:48 p.m.]
214. Reurtel 231, December l.79 Appreciate your cable. Now that the record has been established, whether war criminals come here or not, we think your line of handling the matter the best that could be taken. Releasing Irish aide-mémoire reply to American press without further comment than expressing the wish that the assurances had gone farther was most effective here. More than anything External [Page 1452] Affairs is apprehensive of unfavorable American press. Eventual possible publication of further representations made to continental neutrals will, we think, have more weight here than direct representations to Eire Government which might be susceptible of interpretation as threats and exploited for local political ends. Whatever Brennan may be instructed to tell you, we place no confidence in any verbal assurances as to De Valera’s intentions. We believe that if he felt it to be his immediate political advantage he would make a point of emphasizing his independence by granting asylum and stand pat on his unequivocal reply.
- See footnote 78, supra. ↩