841D.01/239: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 10—12:30 p.m.]
1140. For the Secretary and Under Secretary.10 Following on my 1052 of February 7,111 have received today the letter quoted below from the Foreign Minister12 dated February 9, 1944.
“My Dear Ambassador: The Cabinet have now considered the proposal which you put to Lord Cranborne orally the other day with regard to a suggested American approach to Eire. Lord Cranborne has since received from you in the form of a draft note an indication [Page 220] of the line which the United States Government think should be taken with the Eire Government.
You asked Lord Cranborne what was likely to be the attitude of His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom to this proposal, and outlined three alternative methods of approach on which your Government would be glad of our views. There were (1) a note from the United States Government alone; (2) a joint Anglo-American note; and (3) separate simultaneous notes from His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and the United States Government.
I am now able to let you know the views of the United Kingdom Government in the matter. They are as follows:
We are in agreement in principle with the proposed approach by the United States Government to Eire on the lines indicated above and concur in the terms of the draft which you have furnished including a certain amendment which, you explained to Lord Cranborne, it was proposed to make in it. (Department’s 949, February 8).13
As regards the question of United Kingdom participation in the approach, we feel that the best course would be that we should, a day or two after the United States note is delivered, send a separate note to the Eire Government to the effect that we had been consulted by the United States Government before their approach was made, and that we warmly welcome their initiative and support their request. We assume that there would be no question of publishing the approach when it was made, and consider, subject to any views which the United States Government may wish to express, that the question of publication at a later stage should be a matter for further consultation between the United States Government and ourselves. We should, in any case, hope that the United States Government would consult with us again with regard to any further steps when the Eire Government’s reply is received.
On the assumption that the above is satisfactory to the United States Government, I should be grateful if you would give me a few days’ notice of the date on which the United States note will be delivered, so that we may time our note accordingly.
Yours sincerely (signed) Anthony Eden.”