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740.0011 European War 1939/9530

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State [WASHINGTON,] March 20, 1941.

The Irish Minister brought in the Irish Minister of Defense, Mr. Aiken, to see me tonight.

The purpose of Mr. Aiken's visit was to communicate to me orally the desire of the Irish Government to purchase arms and munitions in this country, as well as to obtain ships to be transferred to the Irish flag.

Mr. Aiken started the conversation by complaining that the steamer Oklahoma, which the Irish Government desired to purchase, had not, as yet, been transferred to the Irish Government and that no reply had been received to the request of the Irish Government for the sale of the steamer Scot.

I replied that I was unfamiliar with these questions but that I would look into them and discuss the matter further with Mr. Aiken and Mr. Brennan next week.

I said that I should be glad to receive in writing any requests for arms and munitions and other matériel which Mr. Brennan or Mr. Aiken cared to give me and that they could be assured that these requests would receive every consideration. I said, however, that I must make it emphatically clear that assistance to Great Britain came first and foremost in our program, in complete harmony with our own efforts at rearmament, and that a request of this character received from other governments could only be considered in the light of the policy which I had made clear to them. I agreed to have a further conversation with Mr. Aiken and Mr. Brennan early next week. S[UMNER] W[ELLES]

841D.24/44

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State

(Acheson)

[WASHINGTON,] April 2, 1941.

Participants: Mr. Aiken, the Irish Minister of Defense;

Mr. Devlin, the Secretary of the Irish Legation;

Mr. Acheson;

Mr. Curtis.17

Mr. Aiken called upon me at the request of the Under Secretary to discuss the request recently made by the Irish Government to purchase arms and munitions in this country. Mr. Aiken said that as a result of talks which he had had since his arrival here, he would wish

" Presumably Charles P. Curtis, Jr., Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State.

to amend his application in the event that this Government found it possible to sell the Irish Government arms and munitions. The amendment would chiefly relate to a different type of anti-tank gun which could also be used for anti-aircraft purposes.

Mr. Aiken then reviewed the Irish situation and the need of his Government for munitions in a manner similar to his discussions with the Under Secretary.

In effect he stated that the continuance of Irish neutrality was a fixed factor in the situation which must be accepted by governments dealing with the Irish Government. He stated that the Irish people were united upon this policy; that even if he so wished, Mr. De Valera could not change it and that any attempt to do so would produce disunity and possibly civil strife in Ireland. He referred to this policy as "the crown and symbol of Irish independence." He said that the Irish had 50,000 men under arms and with additional equipment could put a quarter of a million men in the field in the event of attack upon Ireland by Germany. These men would be worth in their determined resistance three or four times that number of foreign troops.

When I pressed him as to the efficacy of selling arms to Ireland, in the event that it should be found possible, without close and prior arrangements with the British for the defense of Ireland, he stated that in his opinion any invasion of Ireland would not occur as a part of an invasion of England, but as independent action designed to cut British communications. He believed it would occur first by air and submarine transportation, later supported by troops coming on surface craft. He thought that the Germans might be able to land in the neighborhood of 100,000 men by air and submarine. He thought that the first objective would be the Shannon estuary. Although he conceded that the critical period would be the first four or five days, he insisted that armed Ireland could deal with the situation until British help arrived. He insisted that if British troops were admitted into Ireland before attack it would produce civil disturbance in Ireland. He also insisted that the British had greatly exaggerated the utility of Irish ports, since the convoy routes were around the north of Ireland instead of the south of Ireland as had been the case in the last war.

I told Mr. Aiken that, as he knew, the policy of this Government was to furnish as extensively as possible aid to the nations which were fighting aggression; that the Government was engaged in a vast program of production which was being further extended in view of the recent legislation; that we had requests from other nations to whom the war had not yet come and that these requests were being reviewed by the military authorities to determine to what extent

they could be integrated with the production program without delaying or defeating the first objective. I said that his request was being and would be carefully considered in the same way. Mr. Aiken said that he was most anxious to return home because of the critical conditions; that he earnestly hoped that we could arrive as soon as possible at a decision one way or the other.

841D.24/40: Telegram

D[EAN] A[CHESON]

The Minister in Ireland (Gray) to the Secretary of State

DUBLIN, April 8, 1941-2 p. m. [Received 3: 50 p. m.]

36. For Secretary and the Under Secretary. The Irish Government is exploiting Aiken's mission as American approval of its policy at the same time making political capital out of inciting anti-British sentiment. Unless Aiken has made undertakings of cooperation of which we are ignorant I believe the time has come for a firmer attitude and the demand that de Valera clarify definitely his position. If you instruct me to do it I would tell him that I must report to you the significance of his statements in his American broadcast which charges Great Britain with blockading Ireland equally with Germany and of the implied charge that Great Britain was engaged in an imperial adventure rather than a defense of democratic liberties.

Also, the meaning of the Minister of Supplies' 18 statement that he was not satisfied with the explanation of the British Government regarding the reduction of the tea allotment. This is generally understood as charging Britain with responsibility for supply shortages. The facts of course are that all imports which are still considerable come from England; Ireland makes no contribution to the safety of Allied shipping and has stopped the export of butter and some other foods.

I would further tell the Prime Minister that in as much as he is anxious to get supplies from America it is desirable that we be informed whether he is prepared to adopt a policy of sympathetic cooperation in our stand against dictatorships. I would point out to the Premier the economic difficulties which lie ahead of him according to his own statements and the opportunity that hunger and unemployment will create for German agents, that he will then need our help and that unless he makes it impossible for us to extend it to him we shall do what we can but that we must help those who help us. If he is allowed to go on playing both ends against the middle I fear he will get into a position from which he cannot withdraw.

18 Sean Lemass.

GRAY

841D.24/40: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Ireland (Gray)

WASHINGTON, April 10, 1941-5 p. m. 17. The Department approves the first paragraph of your 36, April 8, 2 p. m. and instructs you in the sense of this first paragraph.

You should lose no opportunity generally to impress upon your Irish contacts the scope and determination with which this Government is pursuing its policy against the forces of aggression and you may emphasize the profound belief of the President, backed by public opinion in this country, that the democratic forces of the world will win through to final victory.

HULL

740.0011 European War 1939/10391a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Ireland (Gray)

WASHINGTON, April 25, 1941-6 p. m. 18. Please call as soon as possible upon the Prime Minister and make to him a statement along the following lines:

The Government of the United States regards with very real sympathy the situation in which the Irish people find themselves as a result of the curtailment of shipping which has resulted in a material scarcity of normal food supplies for the population. In the early weeks of this year before the shipping question had reached its present acute stage, in discussing the developing Irish situation with Mr. Brennan, he was advised to bring all phases of the problem to the immediate attention of the appropriate United States authorities. Mr. de Valera of course understands fully the need of the United States for the utmost volume of shipping, not only for its own requirements, but also in order to make it possible for it to furnish additional shipping facilities for the British Government. Nevertheless, because of its full realization of the situation in Ireland, and because of the very close and traditional friendship between the Irish and American peoples, the Government of the United States is willing now to negotiate with the Irish Government for the acquisition by the latter, either through purchase or through charter-preferably the latter-of two freight vessels which could be utilized in the transportation of food supplies from the United States to Ireland.

At this point you should make it very clear that this offer is being made by instruction of your Government directly to the Prime Minister. You should say that your Government has seen with regret, as a result of the conversations which various officials of your Government have had with General Aiken, that the point of view of the latter .. would appear to be utterly lacking in any appreciation of the

fact, which seems to your Government completely clear, that the future safety and security of Eire depends inevitably upon the triumph of the British cause. As Mr. de Valera fully realizes, the Government of the United States believes that the future security of democracy and liberty in the world depends upon the ultimate victory of the British Government and of the other nations which are defending themselves against the aggression of the Axis powers, and the Government of the United States is pledged to do everything practicable, in accordance with its announced policy, to assist those nations in achieving success in their present struggle. Any policy on the part of Ireland which was opposed to this objective on the part of the United States would naturally offer no ground for helpful and fruitful cooperation between our two countries. It is for that reason that your Government has instructed you to make this offer directly to Mr. de Valera.

You may further state very definitely that under the existing policy of the American Government, all military and naval matériel now produced in the United States which is not required by the national rearmament program will continue to be made available to the British Empire and to the other nations resisting aggression. It cannot therefore be made available to the Irish Government as requested by General Aiken unless and until the Irish Government is prepared to adopt a more cooperative attitude in the war endeavor of those nations. The Government of the United States does not question the right or the determination of the Irish people to preserve their neutrality but there is a clear distinction between such a policy and a policy which at least potentially provides real encouragement to the German Government.

HULL

740.0011 European War 1939/10391a

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)

[WASHINGTON,] April 26, 1941.

Sir Gerald Campbell,19 in the absence of Lord Halifax,20 came to see me this morning at my request.

I told Sir Gerald that this Government wished the British Government to know of the step which had been taken relating to Ireland. I gave him to read the Department's instruction of April 25, 6 p. m. to the American Minister in Dublin.

Sir Gerald expressed his appreciation of the information given and said he believed that this Government was doing everything that was

19 British Minister.

20 British Ambassador.

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