Memorandum from Joseph P. Walshe to Eamon de Valera
on relations with Northern Ireland

TAOISEACH

RELATIONS WITH THE NORTH

It has appeared from our discussions with the British leading to a parallelism of organisation for a time of emergency that the collaboration with the British imposed by our national interests will be seriously hampered unless we establish a closer collaboration with the Six County Government. Transport, food control, petrol storage, rationing, control of aliens (and no doubt to some extent censorship and counter-espionage) are of immediate importance. If you so direct me, I can obtain a full list from Mr. Leydon and Mr. Twomey of the matters requiring very early discussion. Mr. Scott, Secretary of the Belfast Department of Commerce, was in Dublin in June for the purpose of discussing with Mr. Leydon and Mr. Jenkins (British Board of Trade) certain matters relating to our Agreement with the British¹. Relations between our two Department of Agriculture are cordial. There seems therefore to be no reason why these discussions should not begin at once. It will probably be realised by the Government of Northern Ireland after these discussions that the community of interests between us is sufficiently great to warrant discussions of a wider scope.