841D.01/322: Telegram

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

2790. To the Secretary and for the President. Your 2591, April 3, midnight, received this morning. I personally delivered to the Prime Minister the President’s message at noon today.

I felt he was in complete accord with it.

[Page 250]

Last night I spent 2 hours with Lord Cranborne going over Walshe’s visit to England in connection with supplies and security. I have also received three messages from Gray.

The confidential memorandum I am attaching to this message was given me by the Dominions Office on Walshe’s arrival in England.

After contacting the British Walshe called the O.S.S. office by telephone and Russell Forgan, who was acting for David Bruce, and Hugh Wilson43 at once informed me. I in turn made contact for them with the British security authorities dealing with this problem, and all considerations in relation to military security have been reviewed jointly.

Walshe suggested to Forgan and Wilson that we have a tri-partite meeting with British and Irish authorities to determine what additional measures should be taken by the Irish to prevent possibility of leakage, and that we send an officer to Dublin to sit with the Irish on security work.

After consultation with the British we all agreed that the invitation should not be ignored and therefore we recommend the tripartite conference. We believe the Eire Government will not want to make this public because of their neutrality position but if they do it can be credited to our exchange of notes.

We feel that the stationing of officers in Dublin might imply a possible sharing of responsibility and that refusal on the other hand might excuse failures in Irish counter-espionage. My suggestion is that we tell them that in any particular emergency or incident we would send an officer to Dublin for consultation but we question the advisability of stationing an officer there on a permanent assignment.

Gray is very insistent that we get to the Irish the necessary material for the Irish Sugar Company. He also thinks that the reduction in coal shipments which has been explained to the Irish by the British as a necessary adjunct to the second front operations and has been amicably accepted by them on this basis should be further underlined by publicized statements from here emphasizing coal shortages due to the strike situation. I understand that some of the American reporters are pointing up the coal shortage apart from Irish needs.

The Prime Minister told me this noon that he was willing to have the shipments to North America continued because if necessary we could delay turn-around shipments from American ports as D–day44 approached.

Walshe himself agreed to the discontinuance of trade with the Iberian Peninsula.

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In the conversations that have already taken place we have limited the area of operations for fishing boats and got agreement of freeing airmen who come down in Eire on forced landings.

Your message 2622, April 4, 7 [£] p.m.,45 suggesting your sending a new note to Prime Minister de Valera has been received but the text of the accompanying note has not yet reached us. I think you might wish to reconsider the advisability of sending this note on receipt of this cable. If the above program is accepted we are in a position at a later date to make public the fact that our previous exchange of notes prompted the Eire Government to extend to us these additional facilities to ensure security, and if Mr. Gray’s recommendation is followed to carry through our agreement to supply the Eire Government with the necessary material for the Irish Sugar Company we cannot be charged with applying economic sanctions.

Following is text of confidential memorandum mentioned above given me by the Dominions Office on Walshe’s arrival in England:

“Informal memorandum.

1.
A complete survey has been undertaken of all possible means of strengthening the existing arrangements to ensure that information about military activities does not reach the enemy. A number of measures with this object in view have been approved, and some, e.g., the restrictions on travel between Great Britain and Ireland, have already been put into effect. Others, such as the ban on travel to coastal districts in England and the suspension of certain air mail services, which have been announced, and a stricter general censorship control over mails, telegrams (including press telegrams) and the export of newspapers, do not specially concern Eire. The following sets out all the measures at present in contemplation which directly affect Eire.
(a)
Telephone services. The public telephone service between Great Britain and Ireland to be suspended subject only to exception for authorized calls. (This means, in the case of Eire, Governmental and diplomatic calls and calls for operation civil air lines and in the case of Northern Ireland to certain firms engaged on urgent war contracts which necessitate close liaison with associated firms in Great Britain).
(b)
Air services. The civil air services operated between Eire and Great Britain by Aer Lingus Teoranta to be suspended as from a given date. It is desired to discuss with the Eire authorities what steps can be taken to ensure that Eire aircraft cannot be used for journeys outside Ireland during the period of suspension.
(c)
Shipping services. It is desired to discontinue direct sailings to the Iberian Peninsula. This has been put into effect so far as sailings from the United Kingdom are concerned. It is desired to arrange with the Eire authorities the suspension of the sailing of Eire ships to the Iberian Peninsula and West Africa, and to discuss with them the possible employment of such ships during the period of [Page 252] suspension and the means for providing Eire with any essential cargoes from that area which would otherwise have been carried by these ships. (It is not suggested that any change should be made as regards sailings between Eire and North America.)
(d)
Diversion of shipping. Only a very limited number of ports on the west coast of England and Scotland will be available for traffic between Great Britain and Ireland. Notification of the necessary changes will be made separately.
(e)
Diplomatic communications. The representatives of Allied and neutral governments in London will shortly be requested to take every precaution to prevent the leakage of information, and in regard to the use of the telephone service between Great Britain and Ireland they will shortly be informed that calls in English only will be permitted. It is requested that the Eire authorities should themselves observe these precautions in regard to communications with their representatives outside Eire.
2.
Apart from the above measures, which derive from security requirements, it has been found necessary to take up for military purposes a considerable quantity of coastal shipping. One result of this and of the increasing strain on railway facilities will be that the amount of coal which can be made available weekly for delivery to Eire will be seriously reduced. It is desired to discuss the resulting position with the Eire authorities.
3.
The foregoing measures are based on military grounds of a temporary character and not on any other grounds.
4.
It is suggested that a representative be sent to London this week to discuss on the official level the best means of giving effect to the various arrangements and their timing.”

Winant
  1. Both of the Office of Strategic Services.
  2. Day for Allied landing on the Continent.
  3. Not printed.