Extracts from a handwritten letter from Seán MacEntee to Margaret MacEntee (Dublin)

Thursday

My dearest Margaret,

[matter omitted]

De. V's conference with MacDonald did not finish until after 12.30 last night and the upshot of it is that now it is extremely unlikely that we shall be home for the week-end. I understand that the British are meeting Andrews today and are then meeting late to-night and that afterwards it is probable that the Trade Ministers may have a meeting some time after 10.00 pm. If the Trade portion of the agreement is settled or is on the way of settlement we may discuss Finance and other questions tomorrow and possibly again on Saturday in detail in the hope of being able to arrive at an agreement by Monday. A great deal at the moment depends on what happens tonight. Everybody here is terribly fed-up with the hanging [on] over the weekend. But it has been difficult to avoid the breakdown, which seemed so imminent last weekend, and to return home now would mean losing a lot of hard-fought ground. Jim Ryan and I went out for lunch to Simpson's in the Strand. It was very good and I think he enjoyed it. We had steak, kidney, mushroom and oyster pudding and I was just saying to him that it contained nearly everything you liked except chicken. [matter omitted]

[matter omitted]