No. 571 NAI DFA Secretary's Files A69
Memorandum by Frederick H. Boland on the termination of the German
Legation in Ireland
DUBLIN, 1 May 1945
The suggested arrangements are:-
- Immediately the official announcement of Germany's unconditional sur render is made, the German Minister would inform us that he regarded his mission here as terminated.
- We would at once issue an official statement in the following terms:-
- In view of the termination of his mission, the German Minister would vacate the Legation premises at 58 Northumberland Road at once and turn them over to the custody of the Irish authorities. He would do this simply by giving us the keys. Herr Hempel thoroughly understands that Germany's unconditional surrender would give the new de facto authority in Germany a right to claim property in this country owned by the former German Government and that we would therefore be bound to hand over custody of the premises to the new de facto authority in Germany, if called upon to do so. Our part in the transfer would be limited to taking charge of the keys and handing them over to the new occupants.
- Herr Hempel promised to inform us later whether he would leave a junior member of his staff at the Legation to complete the formal handing over of the premises to the representatives of the new de facto authority. His present inclination is to leave one of the most junior members of his staff (Herr Mueller)1 in the premises for this purpose.
'Immediately after the announcement of Germany's unconditional surrender, the German Minister called on the Minister for External Affairs and informed him that, in view of the events which had occurred, he regarded his mission as terminated. Herr Hempel and his family will reside privately in Ireland for the present.'
[initialled] F.H.B.
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