Letter from Diarmuid O'Hegarty to Michael McDunphy (Dublin)
(Copy)

Dear McDunphy,

Thanks for your letter of 8th inst¹ enclosing copies of letters which passed between Mr. Griffith, Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. de Valera and for the summary of the proceedings at the deputation which the President received on the 10th December last.

The attitude taken by the United Kingdom Government is that the removal of the appeal would be regarded in certain circles as a breach of the Treaty, and they are not prepared to express an opinion on this matter. An endeavour is being made to secure some form of report which will let us out, but it is not possible, at the time of writing, to say whether there is any prospect of success. The constitutional work of the Conference is practically concluded, with the exception of this matter and the question of the inter se applicability of treaties.

On the question of a letter from the President in reply to the Archbishops' letter, we have some difficulty here. For the purposes of the present Conference, we doubt if anything that could be said would have any effect upon the attitude of the British Government which I indicated in my previous report.² The President may, however, have in view the desirability of such a letter from the home point of view, but this is a matter in which it is impossible for us to form any useful judgment.

Your second letter enclosing copy of the President's communication to Lord Granard has also been received.³