Letter from Joseph P. Walshe to David Gray (Dublin)
(Copy)

Dear David,

Thanks very much for your very helpful letter of July 25th …

I read your memorandum with great interest indeed. Perhaps it would be better to postpone any discussion of it until we meet next week. I should, however, like to say this much. There's not any question of American newspapers taking orders from any Government or in any way changing their attitude towards the world situation. We only ask those of them who have shown themselves particularly hostile to Ireland – such as the 'San Francisco Chronicle' – to remember that neutrality is of the very essence of Irish independence at this stage of our history. And, if we do not act as certain American papers wish us to act, it is not through any sense of perversity or any failure to see where our interests lie. It is simply because of our conviction, founded on a profound knowledge of our own people, that the action in question would put an end for ever to the existence of an ordered Irish State. It does happen to be the case, almost by a miracle of history, that our neutrality, though for very different reasons, suits both sides in the present conflict. The extent to which we blame the British for matter appearing in American papers is limited by our precise knowledge as to the source and to the failure of the Ministry of Information to keep a guiding hand on those journalists in London whose superficial knowledge of international affairs leads them into the grossest errors concerning this country. John Steele's parallel between Ireland and Long Island is a perfect example of 'intelligent journalism'. However, we can talk plenty next week.