Letter from Michael McDunphy to William T. Cosgrave (Dublin)

President:

O'Hegarty rang up from London at noon today and conveyed the following message to me:-

He was anxious that you should speak to Mr McGilligan on the phone but you had just left for the Nuncio's at the time.

With regard to the proposed letter to Lord Granard,¹ the feeling among the delegates is that it is not strong enough, but that it is not possible to amend it over the telephone. They are accordingly drafting a suggested alternative which will reach me on Monday morning.

With regard to the Archbishops' letter in yesterday's press, Campbell² thinks that his father might be persuaded to write a letter to the press repudiating it, and it is suggested that you should see Lord Glenavy³ for this purpose. A joint letter signed by him, Senators Sam Browne⁴ and Jameson⁵ is suggested, but failing this a letter from Lord Glenavy himself would be valuable. Campbell will phone his father this afternoon and speak to him on this matter.

If there is any record of the interview with you referred to in the Archbishops' letter yesterday, the delegates are anxious to have it. Mr. McGilligan remembers being at a meeting which received a deputation of this nature, at which the main point discussed, according to his recollection, was the enlargement of the Supreme Court. I am endeavouring to trace this and will send a copy if I can find it.

Mr McGilligan has asked me to look up and see if we have any written record of Griffith's⁶ pledges to Midleton⁷ regarding the Southern Unionists. I am endeavouring to get this as well.