Confidential report from Robert Brennan to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)
(108/54/39) (Copy)

We are almost completely at a loss concerning information about current events in Ireland. We have to depend on very scanty reports in the American press. The Irish newspapers, which were usually necessarily seven to ten days late, are now received considerably later.

I have not been able to pick up the Irish short wave broadcast and neither has anybody here including the Consuls.

The Norwegians have adopted a very clever device. Every night the Norwegian Broadcasting Station sends out a short wave summary of the news of the day, and information which is intended for Norwegian vessels on the high seas. This message is picked up by a press agent in New York by arrangement. He translates the message and mimeographs same, sending it out to stated addresses by air mail the same night in Norwegian and English. This means that the Norwegian Consuls and certain personages who are interested in Norwegian events receive the news in most cases on the following morning. I do not know whether such a thing is possible considering the weakness of our short wave station.

I am constantly asked questions bearing on the Irish Government's policy and on Irish events and, unfortunately, I am not able to give any replies beyond such replies as would be based on the scanty news in the American press. For instance, several people including newspaper men asked me what changes had occurred

in the Irish Cabinet, and I was unable to reply because up to this morning, when a partial list was given in the New York Times, the only information was that Mr. de Valera had reshuffled his Cabinet.