Letter from Diarmuid O'Hegarty to William T. Cosgrave (Dublin)

Dear President,¹

The Minister for External Affairs has not taken very kindly to the proposal that I should return within the course of a week.

The position here is difficult. The other Dominions, with the exception of South Africa, are all out on the economic end and likely to meet with little success. This does not improve the temper of their representatives, nor does it make for a favourable atmosphere for the constitutional discussions. These latter are regarded by the other Dominions, with the exception above mentioned, as of very secondary importance. Australia is friendly, but they do not see eye to eye with us on many points and are not much interested. Canada is not helpful, and it seems as if we shall have our work cut out to hold what we got in 1929.

I have no great belief in the value of my contribution, but, if it has any value, it does not arise from any special knowledge of mine, and comes in only when we are trying to deal with the usual attempts to slip in words and phrases into reports and resolutions to make them mean something different from what they seem. On this type of job, there is some value in having a number of different critics.

Mr. Hogan² is going back within the next day or two, and will explain the position generally. It may be that the whole proceedings here will terminate speedily on the basis of an economic failure. If there is any definite indication of this, and we shall have a better idea by the beginning of next week, I shall go home at once. In any event, when you have seen Hogan, you will be in a good position to decide what I should do.