Clear telegram from Seán Murphy to the
Department of External Affairs (Dublin)
(No. 262)

Your telegram 635¹ and 645² request you consider repercussions of your suggested approach to Foreign Office. My view is that suggestion will be immediately rejected but will leave impression here that Dublin favours North Africa. Authorities here aware of difficulty in nominating successor but would probably seek to nominate (senior) member of Legation staff as Chargé d'Affaires. Where French representatives in other countries have gone over to North Africa they have been without exception immediately disowned by Vichy and in a number of cases deprived of French nationality. From the point of view of Ireland's representation in France at the moment consider that suggested approach would be disastrous. You will appreciate that Government here extremely sensitive on this question and that in any event German authorities would probably insist on Government's disavowal of Minister.