841D.01/318: Telegram
The British Prime Minister (Churchill) to President Roosevelt
[London,] 19 March, 1944.
628. Refer to message of 14 March from State Department through Winant.36
- 1.
- Gray’s lead in Ireland has been followed by us and it is too soon to begin reassuring De Valera. A doctor telling his patient that medicine prescribed for his nerve trouble is only colored water is senseless. To keep them guessing for a while would be much better in my opinion.
- 2.
- My proposal is not to prevent anything going into Ireland or to stop the necessary trade between Britain and Ireland. Until Overlord37 is launched I do propose to stop ships from going to Spain, Portugal and other foreign ports from Ireland. It must be remembered that a ship can start in one direction and turn in another. We have no trouble stopping ships. Outward bound airplanes are also included in the above which we shall do our utmost to stop. Spite against the Irish is not the intention of these measures but rather provision against our plans being betrayed by emissaries sent by sea or air from the German Minister in Dublin and preservation of British and American soldiers’ lives. The evil is not very great. Since the beginning of 1943 only 19 Irish ships, some several times, have left Irish ports. Also we are stopping the Anglo-Irish Air Line from running, cutting off telephones and restricting all communications to the utmost. I reiterate that motives of self-preservation and not spite dictate our actions.
- 3.
- I would feel free to stop their cross channel trade if the Irish should retaliate by doing something which would not help them but only annoy us, such as stopping the Foynes Airport facilities. Economic measures of retaliation would be considered since they would have opened a new chapter. Before we did any of this I would inform you.
- 4.
- I think that we should let fear work its healthy process rather than to allay alarm in De Valera’s circles. In that way we shall get a continued stiffening up of the Irish measures behind the scenes. At the moment these are not so bad to prevent a leakage.
- 5.
- I don’t think the State Department will disagree with the
above since Mr. Hull says in part in the message mentioned
above:
“I am inclined to believe however that for the time being at least we should not make any statement to press or commit ourselves to the [Page 244] Irish Government that we have no intention of instituting economic sanctions.”
It is my hope that this is your view also.