Letter from Frederick H. Boland to Joseph P. Walshe (Holy See)

My dear Ambassador,
I have not had an opportunity yet of speaking to the Minister about your letter of the 9th February¹ on the subject of Mrs. Woodruff's² proposed visit to this country. I will have a word with him as soon as possible and let you know at once.

In the meantime, however, I feel that you can safely write to Mrs. Woodruff in terms of the strongest discouragement. If she has any knowledge of this country, she must know that we have a heavy annual emigration and that the energies of the Government are constantly taxed to their utmost to provide employment outlets here for the thousands of people who leave the country every year for lack of opportunities at home. Not once, but tens of times since the war, this question of providing refuge in this country for European displaced persons has arisen. On each occasion, we have come up against the ineluctable fact that, as long as we are unable to provide livelihoods in this country for our own people, we cannot possibly be expected to do it for others.

This is not only the view of Departments here, but - from what we have been able to gather - that of the Irish Bishops also. They are plagued with enquiries and appeals from Catholic organisations, displaced Bishops and priests and others - all looking for help towards providing homes in Ireland for refugees and displaced persons. Apart from the few Polish students in the Universities - which are proving quite a problem in themselves - the Bishops here have not felt able to do anything.

For Mrs. Woodruff to come here in these circumstances would be a pure waste of her own time and of the funds of her organisation. If this knowledge does not deter her, she should at least have the sense of responsibility to write to this Department and the ecclesiastical authorities here - the Archbishop of Dublin, if she likes - to acquaint them with her proposals before undertaking the journey. I think you could safely urge this course on her and discourage her strongly from making the journey in the meantime. If, notwithstanding what you say, she decides to come, you may be sure that your warnings will be amply borne out by the event.