Memorandum by Joseph P. Walshe on a meeting with Edouard Hempel (Dublin)
(Secret)

The German Minister called to see me this morning. He was with me only for a quarter of an hour, as I had to sandwich his suddenly announced visit between two other appointments. His main purpose was to hand me a letter which he had received from an anonymous person in Belfast and which had all the appearance of being a trap laid for him.

I have since given this letter to the Chief of Military Intelligence.¹

As the blitzkrieg was very much in the papers and on the radio, I remarked to Dr. Hempel that, as things were now beginning to look really lively, I hoped that our country would not suffer any serious inconvenience. He assured me that he felt the most absolute confidence in the assurances he had received from his Government, and which he had given to me on more than one occasion, to the effect that the German Government had no intention whatever of invading this country. Moreover, he could say that the instructions conveyed to him concerning this matter had come from Herr von Ribbentrop himself.