841D.01/249: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom ( Winant ) to the Secretary of State

1625. For the Acting Secretary. Today Lord Cranborne came in to see me to bring me up to date on recent developments in connection with the presentation of the American and British notes to the Government [Page 229] of Eire. He gave me the memorandum quoted below which I am forwarding simply for information. It was his opinion that de Valera’s answer would be “no” and that the matter would probably end there.

He understood that there was to be no publicity of this incident at this time but that at a later time if we were to make it public the British would be given advance notice and an opportunity to see any statement before it was released. He asked that this same procedure be followed if de Valera should give any publicity to the matter, or in the event that the information should leak out, and we cared to issue a statement. Cranborne felt that de Valera would not want any publicity about the notes now.

The text of the memorandum is as follows:

“Sir John Maffey reported on February 24 that after the presentation of the United Kingdom note supporting the earlier United States note, Mr. de Valera sent for the Canadian High Commissioner in Dublin and formally asked him as the representative of a friendly power not involved in the démarche to ask the Canadian Government to intervene with the suggestion that the note should be withheld. Mr. Kearney discussed the matter with Sir John Maffey and the United States Minister in Dublin and it is understood from Sir John Maffey that as a result the United States Minister has reported to the United States Government on the position.

It has now been learned from the United Kingdom High Commissioner in Canada that the Canadian Prime Minister on February 26 authorized the despatch of instructions to the Canadian High Commissioner in Dublin in the following sense:

The Canadian Government had learned of the matter only on February 23 after the notes had been presented and had had no opportunity of commenting in advance of the event. They might have suggested the adoption of less direct and formal methods if they had been consulted in advance.

The Canadian Government had, as Mr. de Valera knows, for a long time earnestly hoped that the Eire Government would come to share their conviction that the permanent interests of the Irish people were identified with the victory of the United Nations. The Canadian Government had welcomed each indication of Irish sympathy and support and still hoped that Eire would feel able to make some more direct contribution to winning the war. They would be very glad to see the Axis Missions removed from Dublin and are thus in full sympathy with the object of the approach which the United States and the United Kingdom Governments had made.

The Canadian Government could not intervene in the question which Mr. de Valera had raised. In their view Mr. de Valera would be well advised to comply with the request of the United States and the United Kingdom Governments.

It is understood that the telegram from the Canadian Government to the Canadian High Commissioner in Dublin went on to say, presumably for his own guidance, that the Canadian Government would be glad to intervene if there were any assurance that the withdrawal of the notes would make it easier for Eire to expel the Axis Missions and range herself definitely on the side of the United Nations. As, however, Mr. de Valera had informed the Canadian High Commissioner that he was not prepared to do this, the Canadian Government did not feel justified in making an issue of the manner in which the views of the United States and United Kingdom Governments had been brought to the notice of Mr. de Valera.

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The United Kingdom High Commissioner in Ottawa learns that a further message is being sent by the Canadian Government to their High Commissioner in Dublin stating that they see no advantage from any point of view in giving publicity to the question and expressing the hope that each of the parties directly concerned will take the same view.”

Winant