you know that, after further consideration and consultation with the Government of India, it has been decided to withdraw the general ban on the admission of members of the American Lutheran Missionary Societies into India. The Government of India will proceed forthwith to reconsider the applications of individual missionaries to whom visas have recently been refused, and hope very shortly to make known their decision in each case. The Government of India for their part have requested that missionaries selected for work in India will bear in mind that war conditions make the situation there delicate, and will therefore be very careful to avoid any speech or action that might be used by unfriendly elements to embarrass the Government of India. I should be most grateful if you could give the Societies an indication of the Government of India's feeling in this matter. Yours sincerely, 345.1163/82 HALIFAX The Secretary of State to the British Ambassador (Halifax) WASHINGTON, November 1, 1941. MY DEAR MR. AMBASSADOR: I have received your communication of October 30, 1941, stating that it has been decided to withdraw the general ban on the admission of members of American Lutheran missionary societies into India and that the Government of India will proceed forthwith to reconsider the applications of individual missionaries to whom visas have recently been refused. I am very grateful to you for the interest you have taken in the matter and appreciate being informed of the action which has been taken. In accordance with your request, the interested Lutheran missionary societies in the United States have been informed of the desire of the Government of India that missionaries in India bear in mind that war conditions make the situation there delicate and that they avoid any speech or action that might be used by unfriendly elements to embarrass the Government of India. Sincerely yours, 345.1163/93: Telegram CORDELL HULL The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State LONDON, November 4, 1941-1 p. m. [Received November 4-9 a. m.] 5231. Your 4815, October 29, 7 p. m. With reference to the admission to India of Lutheran missionaries an informal note has been re ceived from the Foreign Office dated yesterday stating that the ban recently imposed by the Government of India was due to the appearance in a publication issued in Philadelphia by the United Lutheran publication house of material constituting anti-British propaganda.5 The publication had been sent to the United Lutheran Church Mission in India and the Government of India felt that this confirmed suspicions they had already felt regarding the attitude of certain Lutheran missionary bodies in America. In consequence, however, of explanations received from His Majesty's Embassy at Washington, from which it would seem that the bulk of the Lutheran Church in the United States has no connection with the State Lutheran Church in Germany, the Government of India have now agreed to withdraw the general ban on the admission of members of American Lutheran Missionary Societies into India on the understanding that no grounds will be given for suspicion that the Societies are encouraging any antiBritish propaganda in connection with their activities in India. The Government of India will proceed forthwith to reconsider the applications of the individual missionaries to whom visas have recently been refused and it is hoped very soon to make known their decision in each case. WINANT 50 According to information furnished subsequently by the Ambassador in the United Kingdom and the Commissioner in India, the offending article was one which appeared in the October 24, 1940, issue of the Lutherischer Herald, entitled "England's Wars." IRELAND DISCUSSIONS WITH THE IRISH GOVERNMENT RELATING TO PURCHASES IN THE UNITED STATES AND IRELAND'S NEUTRALITY POLICY 740.0011 European War 1939/7522: Telegram The Minister in Ireland (Gray) to the Secretary of State DUBLIN, January 7, 1941-5 p. m. [Received January 8-8: 58 p. m.] 7. President's broadcast of January 61 prominently displayed in Dublin newspapers. No editorial comment except in pro-British Irish Times and that denatured. We get the impression that the speech is widely resented as a slap at Ireland. My I. R. A.2 friends denounce it and this extremist opinion generally colors moderate majority opinion in controversial matters relating to Great Britain. The Republicans are certain that British airplanes did the recent bombings and a general majority appear to think it probable. Will report later on reaction to speech in Government circles. One gets better information by not asking questions. 4 In interview with Prime Minister on Monday at his request he said that he was hoping to get 5 or 6 American ships of a lot which he had been informed were to be sold. I said that I had no knowledge of the matter but felt it might be helpful if I expressed my personal opinion frankly about his Christmas broadcast in which he asked his friends to get him arms and wheat; that it appeared to be an attempt to put the pressure of the Irish-American vote on the Government; that he knew that he would resent such an effort on our part to go over his head in Ireland. He disclaimed any such intention and said he would not have done it before election. I said that I viewed with personal regret and foreboding the diverging courses of American and Irish sympathies as regards aid for Great Britain. I said that it was not so much the fact of Irish neutrality as the attitude of Irish opinion reported by American newspaper correspondents which aroused regret in the United States. He said that this attitude was a natural consequence of the past. I said that while that was so he had capitalized on hatred of Great Britain for political reasons and so 1 Congressional Record, vol. 87, pt. 1, p. 44. 2 Irish Republican Army. 3 Eamon de Valera. ⚫ January 6. must take some responsibility for existing popular state of mind. I told him that I had never had any information direct or indirect suggesting that Great Britain would seize the ports but I asked him whether if a situation developed in which their use meant the [apparent omission] England's survival and of Ireland and all the Allied Nations now overrun he would consent to cede them. He said that he considered his duty to Ireland not to cede to be paramount. He would go down with the Allies rather than give them. I am not wholly sure that there is not some element of bluff in this stand as I have heard from the Belgian Minister that the Premier expressed the view that if we came in it might make a difference. Memorandum of conversation by pouch.5 GRAY 841D.51/345: Telegram The Minister in Ireland (Gray) to the Secretary of State DUBLIN, January 17, 1941-5 p. m. [Received 6: 32 p. m.] 11. For the Secretary and Under Secretary of State. The Vice Premier, who is also Minister of Finance, had lunch with me yesterday. He told me in confidence that England had told the Irish Government it could no longer supply allotments of various sea-borne goods by reason of lack of tonnage nor could they longer supply dollar exchange. Consequently it was necessary to make an American loan for purchase in America of ships, foodstuffs and he hoped, arms. He asked me confidentially if I would unofficially feel out the situation with National City Bank as he did not want to make proposals which would be turned down. In our opinion, if Great Britain is not defeated, Ireland is a good risk. National debt at present about £35,000,000 with 3,000,000 population. Politically, an American loan would increase our influence here as would procurement for them of ships and other supplies for I believe that the time is ripe for demanding as a condition precedent to granting Irish requests, definite undertaking that in no circumstances whatever would Irish Government take an anti-American attitude. The present situation is likely to educate Irish opinion as to its essential basic unity of economic and defensive interests with England. The amount of the loan would be under $50,000,000. William Burrill Hoffman, Vice President of the National City Bank, has been the officer in charge of previous Irish loans. I would suggest that he be "Not printed. Sean T. O'Kelly. sounded as to the proposals. It will strengthen our position here if we can get a prompt reply. The Finance Minister told me that the Premier was glad I had spoken so frankly of the American position in my conversation of January 6 reported in my telegram No. 7, January 7. He hinted that the Premier's position, as expressed to me, might be subject to change. It is evident that at last the significance of the President's policy is beginning to be felt in Government circles. GRAY 740.0011 European War 1939/7908: Telegram The Minister in Ireland (Gray) to the Secretary of State DUBLIN, January 25, 1941-5 p. m. [Received 7 p. m.] 14. For the Secretary and Under Secretary. Situation generally unchanged except for indications of undercurrent of bitter resentment against the President for his references to Ireland and for our attitude of aid to Great Britain." January 22 had a conversation with the Prime Minister at this [his] request. He told me he now was convinced that Germans would invade Ireland and he intended to tell his Cabinet that they must face this situation realistically. He thanked me for copy of memorandum of conversation of January 6, reference my telegram No. 7 January 8 [7], which I had sent him and explained that he had not communicated with me by mail about it. I stated that I understood that he was the responsible head of a state and his written word went on record whereas what I said or wrote if beyond my Government's instructions or tending to make mischief could and would be disavowed. He replied that I expressed my thoughts in the memorandum rather than his which he supposed was natural but that the purport was to make himself out wrong and me right. I answered "If you had recorded the conversation it would have made me wrong and you right". We both laughed. The only specific objection he made was to my making him say that he wished for the downfall of Hitlerism as much as I did. He denied that he ever used even in such "propaganda words" lest they should slip out and into public addresses. He repeated that they were going to need wheat and arms intimating that he would like to get them from us and declared that the British were very foolish not to arm them as it would make Britain's rear safe. I answered that I had never heard that the British withheld arms except because they needed them for themselves but I added that in view of my im 'Reference here is to address of President Roosevelt delivered December 29, 1940, Department of State Bulletin, January 4, 1941, p. 3. 409021-59-15 |