George Gavan Duffy to Michael Collins

A Chara,

Foreign Appointments

1. It is becoming urgently necessary to have available several more persons to represent us abroad as soon as the Irish Government becomes recognised and it is very desirable that people so appointed should have had some experience with the Foreign Office or with some Foreign Delegations before being entrusted with responsible positions.
2. With this object in view I have been making out a list of suitable candidates and I should like to send two or three people abroad immediately to one or other of our foreign delegations by way of giving them experience.
3. In view of the congestion of Cabinet business, I would suggest that such temporary appointments, at salaries not exceeding in any case £400 a year, should be placed in the hands of a 'Committee on Foreign Appointments' consisting of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Blythe, Professor Michael Hayes and Dr Patrick MacCartan, and that the President¹ should also join that committee if he is so disposed.
4. Please let me know if you consent to this suggestion.
5. In cases where any more important appointment was to be made, I would propose to continue to obtain Cabinet sanction, as heretofore.