Letter from Joseph P. Walshe to Peadar MacMahon (Dublin)
(105/82) (Secret)

I enclose copy of a Memorandum¹ received from the Dominions Office, through the High Commissioner, setting out the desire of the British Air Council to establish a range for bombing and firing from the air on the North Eastern shore of Lough Foyle.

Sir Harry Batterbee called on the High Commissioner yesterday and communicated the contents of the Memorandum, unofficially, to him. 'The British Government,' he said, 'would not have chosen this site in normal circumstances and they had only selected the Lough Foyle site on account of the rapid expansion of the Air Force and the difficulty of finding sites for practice grounds.' Sir Harry Batterbee approached the High Commissioner, informally, because on this matter the British Government were most anxious to avoid doing anything near our Border which might embarrass our Government. The High Commissioner told Sir Harry Batterbee that it would be unfortunate if there appeared to be any further consolidation of British Forces in the Six-County area and he felt that the proposal would not be agreeable to our Government. Sir Harry Batterbee declared that the matter was urgent and added that it would be a matter of serious disappointment to the Air Council if they could not proceed with this proposal.

I am directed by the Minister for External Affairs to enquire whether there are any circumstances from the military point of view which might constitute a factor, one way or the other, in coming to a decision as to what reply should be given to the British communication. Owing to the urgency of the matter, the Minister for External Affairs would be glad to hear the views of the Minister for Defence as early as possible.