Letter from Eamon de Valera to James McNeill (Dublin)

Dear Governor General,

I have submitted your letter of July 7th¹ to the Executive Council for consideration.

The Executive Council is surprised that the Governor General should propose to publish letters which have passed between him and the President of the Executive Council. Communications between the President of the Executive Council and the Governor General are confidential State documents.

The Executive Council is not prepared to create the precedent of permitting the Governor General to publish such documents, and I hereby convey to your Excellency the formal advice and direction of the Executive Council not to publish the letters in question.