841D.01/245: Telegram
The Minister in Ireland ( Gray ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:45 p.m.]
29. Reference my No. 28 dated February 21, 10 p.m. On the afternoon of February 22 the United Kingdom representative to Eire Sir John Maffey presented to the Irish Government the note given at end of this message in Brown code.
Maffey informed me this morning that De Valera, in contrast to the controlled attitude in which he received our note the day before, showed intense emotion. He deprecated the presentation of a note by Maffey with whom he said he had got on very well during the course of the war. He charged a conspiracy on the part of Britain and the United States to exert pressure upon weak neutrals. He repeated what he had said to me the day before that his Government had done everything possible to prevent espionage and neither could nor would do more. He spoke again of our expressed hope that as “minimum” there would be a complete break with the Axis as an ‘“ultimatum”.
Maffey told him that he was at a loss to understand De Valera’s agitated indignation. That he regarded the note as wholly reasonable and as conveying a request that our Government was bound to make in the interest of American lives and American military effort. He asked De Valera what he would have done had he been in General Eisenhower’s16 place. This question was evaded. Maffey said that the Eire Government had done everything to restrict espionage short of pulling up the roots that are the Axis Missions. He said that it was idle to believe that the German Minister was betraying his country by not fostering espionage.
Continue on in summing up De Valera’s attitude Maffey said that De Valera appeared to regard the retention of the Axis Missions as the symbol not only of neutrality but of sovereignty. He either could not or would not recognize that the war in any way concerned Ireland or that Eire’s future was bound up in the success of the United Nations. This bleak unconcern as to the war and its issues was characteristic also of his attitude when I gave him our note on Monday. The Irish Cabinet was in session all forenoon today presumably discussing a reply. Maffey received the same impression I did that the answer would be no.
[Page 224]As soon as the Dominion office apprises the Dominion Governments of the presentation of the two notes and indicates some forecast of their action I am arranging with Maffey to call on the Canadian High Commissioner to acquaint him with our action and explain that I had not wished to embarrass him with previous knowledge of our note in the absence of instructions from you to me to confer with him.
Maffey and I agree that in view of political conditions here, in the event of the answer being no, great care should be taken to avoid the appearance of retaliatory action on our part. De Valera will want to represent himself as a martyr. I shall shortly recommend to you a token release of strategic materials for the Irish Sugar Company to be accompanied with notable publicity. I believe it would be advisable to take special pains to forestall any possible denunciation of Eire by the British Prime Minister at this time. We might lose more than we have gained by such action.
“The Government of the United States of America recently consulted His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom on their proposal to address to the Government of Eire a request for the removal of Axis diplomatic and consular representatives in Eire. It was with the full concurrence of His Majesty’s Government that the United States Government made this approach to the Government of Eire in their note of 21st February 1944. The United Kingdom Government desire to make it clear to the Government of Eire that for their part they warmly welcome the initiative which has been taken by the United States Government and that they fully support the request for the removal from Eire of German and Japanese diplomatic and consular representatives.
The United Kingdom Government wish to emphasize the importance which they attach to this request. [”]
- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Western Europe.↩