Memorandum by Eamon de Valera

Mr. David Gray, the American Minister, called and informed me that they had learned that the American troops had overrun the area in which our representative in Germany was in residence. They have put a guard in the Castle in which he is staying and is under their protection.¹

He also gave me an Aide Mémoire for a Conversation which he handed to me, and I read it. I said that this was fundamentally a legal matter. There were I knew a number of precedents dealing with matters where a country had been conquered. We are a neutral nation and we wished to act correctly. He went on to press that it would be a friendly act. People got in accordance with what they gave. I said that we had many times argued the question and that there was no use in going over the ground again.

He said that a person who was rolling in the mud struggling with someone who was trying to kill him didn't appreciate the person who was standing aside saying I am friendly to you but I am friendly to the other fellow also, and was proceeding to argue further against our neutrality. Again I told him that we had argued this matter with each other many times and that there was no point in going over it again. He was clearly pressing in this direction in the hope of getting me to say something which he might use in reporting our conversation. I said I was very glad to know that the war was now coming to an end. He pressed for an early reply, which I said I would give him.