Personal code telegram from Joseph P. Walshe to Robert Brennan (Washington)
(No. 281)

Your 377.¹ Outside Japanese Legation where there are a Consul and Viceconsul and the wife of the former, there is one stranded and impoverished Japanese sailor, that is a total of four Japanese in the entire twenty-six counties. This would seem to be a good opportunity to suggest to Hickerson² that America is grossly misinformed about Ireland, especially about alleged German agents, pro-Germanism and imagined attacks on American troops. It should be seriously considered whether the whole fabric of America's future relations with Ireland and the Irish generally does not require a complete overhaul of their present machinery of information from Dublin. It might be well to emphasise to Hickerson Ireland's extremely friendly attitude towards America and the need for an effort at better understanding on America's side to make us still more pro-American. Threats and misinterpretation might in the end wear down even our strong friendship. In view of the great importance of IrishAmerican friendship in the future world policy of America as it is now shaping, it would surely be worth while to send an independent witness to study ways and means of promoting friendship. A confidential talk with Hickerson on these lines might be productive of much good.