Letter from John W. Dulanty to Eamon de Valera

Dear President¹,
I enclose herewith four copies - numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 - of the Notes of the five Meetings with the British Government in London on the 15th, 16th, and 17th of this month.²

Mr. Walshe and myself are the only people on our side who have seen the Notes and I arranged with Mr. MacDonald that the British would not circulate them until we had agreed to such circulation.

In conversations with Mr. MacDonald I have followed closely the line indicated in your note to Mr. Walshe of 21^st January³.

I reminded Mr. MacDonald how at the first two meetings you had emphasised in terms no one could misunderstand the supreme importance of a United Ireland and I entreated him to try to find some way of doing something substantial and evident on the question of partition.

In reply he said in great confidence and for 'Mr. De Valera's ear only' he had already tried in discussion with Lord Craigavon⁴ to find some line which would help us and lead later to a United Ireland. He had unfortunately not been successful. Mr. MacDonald said several times that this was for your ear alone.

If his Prime Minister could go to Lord Craigavon and say that the British had reached an agreement with us and that the agreement was working he thought something might be done, but he was afraid any plans short of an agreement between ourselves and them would be of no avail. The way to begin a solution of the Partition riddle as he saw it was to show Lord Craigavon an agreement working satisfactorily - anything less he thought would not be seriously regarded in the Six Counties.

Mr. MacDonald suggested that February 14th, 15th and 16th, would be convenient dates for the British to resume the conversations.