Letter from Daniel A. Binchy to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)

On Saturday the 27th at 12 noon I was received by the President von Hindenburg in official audience and presented to him my Letter of Credence.

I delivered my speech in German and the President made the very friendly reply of which I have already forwarded you text and translation.¹ After these formalities the President had about a quarter of an hour's private conversation with me. He was exceedingly cordial and even jovial at times. He expressed to me his great delight at receiving an Irish Minister, and said that he had always followed the fortunes of Ireland with a friendly interest and felt the greatest admiration for the leaders of the successful national struggle in Ireland. He was much affected to hear, he said, that in the new Irish State Germans were welcomed and treated by the population as friends. The two Germans who had made the Atlantic flight in company with my fellowcountryman, Fitzmaurice,² had frequently told him this. The fact that Germany had secured the contract for the Shannon scheme (about which he asked a few general questions) had given general satisfaction, and he hoped that it was but the prelude to closer co-operation. He asked further about the state of the horse-breeding industry in Ireland. He said that in all his career as a soldier his best horses were invariably Irish bred. Of some of these horses he told stories at considerable length. After a few personal questions, he terminated our interview with great cordiality. Graf von Tattenbach, the Director of the Protocol, who was of course present at the interview, and whom I have the good fortune to know privately also, told me that he was absolutely amazed at the President's loquacity; he had never known him to display such good humour with a foreign representative before.

2. To-day I had an interview by arrangement with the chancellor of the Reich, Herr Müller-Franken. He also was exceedingly cordial, but apparently knew very little about Ireland, or else was exclusively interested in German politics, of which we talked the whole time. He apparently thought it his duty to reassure me, as a foreign representative, that the present form of Government in Germany is now impregnably established and that there is no danger of its being upset, either by the extreme right or the extreme left. (Herr Möller is himself, as you know, a member of the socialist party.) The only thing which interested him in regard to Ireland was the history of the attempt to exercise the 'Initiative', which, you remember, I also found useful with Dr. Curtius.

3. I have had conversations with Baron von Wachendorf and with Herr von Dehn himself, who is at present in Berlin, on the question of reciprocity. They both think that unless there is danger of Dehn's being anticipated by the French colleague in Dublin, he will not be nominated Minister until the consent of the Reichstag has been obtained. On the other hand should this danger become imminent, Curtius will feel obliged to take the Reichstag's consent for granted and appoint him immediately. In view of the unofficial promises made to Dehn, I would suggest that it is exceedingly important that I should be kept continually informed of the steps which the French Government may take in the direction of setting up a Legation in Dublin. I would, therefore, ask you to be good enough to let me know by wire if necessary when you have any definite news about the appointment of the French Minister. In the meantime Dehn will be appointed Chargé d'Affaires, until the consent of the Reichstag has been obtained.