Memorandum from Joseph P. Walshe to Eamon de Valera
(Secret)

The British note handed to the High Commissioner by Sir Edward Harding of the Dominions Office on the 31st January was accompanied by a memorandum containing a summary of information regarding the recent acts of violence committed in Great Britain. The following is the exact text of the note:

'The attached memorandum¹ contains a summary of information regarding the recent outrages committed in this country. It will be seen that the grounds are given for supposing that these outrages are the result of activities organised by the Irish Republican Army in Dublin.

      It is hoped that, in the light of the information now supplied, the Government of Éire will be prepared to take such steps as may be practicable and necessary to prevent the organisation in Dublin of further criminal activities in the United Kingdom², and in particular, to authorise the Police authorities in Éire to communicate immediately to the Police authorities in the United Kingdom any information which may from time to time be available to them with the object of assisting the prevention of further outrages'³.

The note takes it for granted that the acts in question were organised in Dublin, and, in asking us to take such steps as may be practicable and necessary to prevent the organisation in Dublin of such activities in the United Kingdom and to authorise our police authorities to communicate to the British police authorities any information available with the object of assisting the prevention, the British Government have not departed from normal practice. Indeed, in all the circumstances, the note is very mild.

On the 3rd February, we instructed the High Commissioner as follows: 'With reference to the Dominions Office memorandum enclosed with your note of the 1st February, the Minister wishes you to inform the British Government as follows:

"With a view to helping to prevent the commission of acts of violence in the United Kingdom by persons living within their jurisdiction, the Irish Government have given instructions to their police authorities to communicate to the United Kingdom police authorities any information coming to their knowledge which might be useful for that purpose."'

Perhaps a general statement on the question could be made on the following lines:

'We were informed by the British that they had grounds for supposing that certain recent acts of violence were the result of activities organised by the Irish Republican Army in Dublin, and we were asked to take such steps as might be practicable and necessary to prevent the further organisation here of such activities in Great Britain. We were requested, moreover, to authorise our police authorities to communicate to the British police authorities any information available to them which would assist in the prevention of the activities mentioned.

We informed the British Government that we had instructed our police authorities to communicate to the United Kingdom police authorities any information which would help prevent the commission of acts of violence in Great Britain by persons living within the jurisdiction of the Irish Government. In so doing, we were following the principle of international law in virtue of which it is the duty of every State to refrain from any act designed to encourage terrorist activities directed against another State, and to prevent the acts in which such activities take shape.'