Arthur Griffith to Eamon de Valera (Dublin)

A E[amon], A Chara :
M[ichael] and myself met Lloyd George this evening.

The answer he sent Craig was not as he first arranged. It was that the British Government would not consent to setting up 'Ulster' as a Dominion, but that it was willing to meet the Ulstermen in Conference.

The second part of their reply they are keeping until after Thursday's meeting. To put it up then as an ultimatum to 'Ulster'.

Lloyd George proposes to hand us a draft Treaty to-morrow, and leave it to us for our consideration for a couple of days.¹ If agreement is reached on the Treaty it is to be signed by us and by them _ Parliament to be called together and a ratifying Act adopted.

The Treaty draft will, of course, raise probably critical questions. But its consideration will have to be deferred until after Thursday.

I shall have the draft sent on to you to-morrow evening.

The Southern Unionists here have asked me to see them. I shall do so to-morrow. I said I would only meet them informally and for a conversation, not in Conference. To this they agreed.