Confidential report from Michael MacWhite to Joseph P. Walshe
(Dublin) (Copy)

I took advantage of the opportunity offered by the invitation from the Royal Dublin Society to the Italian Government to call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Ciano, yesterday evening. After complimenting him on all the Duce and he had recently accomplished in the cause of world peace and the appeasement of peoples (at which he seemed to be very pleased) I told him that the Irish people were deeply interested in the rectification of the Czecho-Slovak frontier for we, too, had a boundary problem which had international repercussions, due to the fact that an integral part of the Irish nation consisting of six of its thirty-two counties were cut off politically from the rest of the country by an Act of the British Parliament for which no Irish member, either from the North or the South, voted.

The Minister did not let me proceed further but sitting up in his chair he spoke as follows:- Well, another great step in the appeasement of peoples will be consummated to-morrow when the Anglo-Italian Agreement will be signed. The effect of this act will, in all probability, have far reaching consequences and benefit not only the countries directly concerned but other disturbed centres in Europe, Asia and Africa. The Spanish question was rapidly approaching a satisfactory solution and France had already commenced to repair the errors made by the Popular Front. He continued

in this vein for a couple of minutes. Then, turning to the table he took the envelope I handed to him on my arrival and after glancing at it said he would pass it on to the Minister of War and let me have the reply in as brief a delay as possible.

The Minister ignored my remarks on the Boundary altogether but judging by the serious expression that came over his face as I spoke of it they did not make any particular appeal to him. His reference immediately afterwards to the Anglo-Italian Agreement showed what was uppermost in his mind.