Memorandum by Joseph P. Walshe

I saw the German Minister at 4.30 this afternoon. He had requested an interview. I had informed the Taoiseach of his request and he instructed me to use the opportunity to ask the German Minister to warn his Government once more of the fatal consequences of sending any further agents to this country, and generally to warn him of the difficulties of the present critical period which required the exercise of the very greatest care on his part.

The purpose of the German Minister's visit soon became apparent when he asked me if there was any basis for the rumours about an American ultimatum.

I told him the rumours were the natural consequence of the recent talk about parachutists, the talk itself having been occasioned by the arrival in December of the two agents concerning whom we had already protested. It was natural that such rumours should increase at a time when the whole world expected critical developments in the war. I had been instructed by my Minister to tell him once more how very uneasy we felt that it could still be possible for the German Government, notwithstanding his (the German Minister's) advice, to send agents to this country by air or otherwise. My Minister wished him to be informed that the Government would have no alternative, if another agent arrived in this country, but to regard such an act as a major incident. The incomprehensible folly of the German Government in sending the two parachutists in December left the Government here with very little confidence as to future possibilities. My Minister hoped that he (Dr. Hempel) would send a still stronger warning to his Government about the wickedness, the folly and the complete uselessness of such missions. He should again emphasise with his Government that even one more such incident might make the continuance of our relations impossible. It was, so far as we were concerned, a matter of the utmost gravity, and I begged him to take the protest in all seriousness and to be quite convinced that the present disturbing rumours were the direct result of the last incident.

The German Minister said that he did, in any case, intend to send his Government a further warning. He was completely frank in expressing his own opinion of his Government's folly in this matter of sending agents to Ireland. He felt, he said, that it was due to the absence from the Foreign Office of officials who understood the Irish situation. I would remember that one of them was now Ambassador to the Holy See and the other Ambassador in Nanking.

I then went on to speak of rumours which had reached me about the relations between a certain group of Italians and the German Legation. I thought that relations of any kind between the German Legation and Italians here were unnecessary and uncalled for. They could only lead to more rumours and more talk about spy plots. His Legation should, moreover, remember that the great majority of the Italians here were Irish citizens and that our Government was absolutely opposed to any political activity on their part. The new Bulletin being distributed by this group was being suppressed and measures were being taken to prevent the formation of any new organisation. I was quite aware that a lot of the trouble had been caused by the Italian Representative here who had organised Italians in this country without any reference to the allegiance which they owed to their adopted country.

The German Minister seized the opportunity to tell me that Berardis, at the beginning of the war, had made 'the most fantastic proposals' to him about the use which could be made of the Italians and the Germans residing in this country. Indeed, he said, he had saved us a great deal of anxiety by his successful efforts to restrain the anti-Irish activities of his former colleague.