Memorandum from Frederick H. Boland to Éamon de Valera (Dublin)

Mr. Dulanty was recently approached by a representative of the Polish Government in Warsaw named Mr. Bartyra,¹ who told him that the Warsaw Government were anxious to send over to Dublin an 'informal diplomatic mission', headed by Prince Christopher Radziwill,² to have discussions with us on trade and other matters. Mr. Bartyra told Mr. Dulanty that the mission would propose an arrangement under which Poland would supply us with coal and we would supply Poland with cattle in return.

When Mr. Dulanty reminded Mr. Bartyra that we had not recognised the Polish Government in Warsaw, Mr. Bartyra said that the proposed mission need not necessarily be called a 'diplomatic' mission at all - it could simply be termed an 'exploratory' mission. There seems little doubt that the purpose of the mission would be to discuss political as well as economic matters.

During his recent visit here, Dr. David Matthew told me that Prince Christopher Radziwill came from a distinguished Catholic family and recently visited the Holy Father, presumably, Dr. Matthew thought, to discuss a concordat between Warsaw and the Holy See. We asked the Embassy at the Holy See to make enquiries about this, and they tell us that the Holy Father has at present no intention of making any agreement or concordat with Warsaw, but that, on the other hand, the attitude of the Vatican towards the Polish Government in London is growing cooler because the great majority of Poles regard it as composed of the class of politicians who brought Poland to disaster. The Holy Father told Mr. Walshe that He sees everybody and that no importance should be attached to Prince Radziwill's visit to Him.

We have been in touch with the Department of Industry and Commerce, and they tell us they would be very interested in any possibility of getting coal from Poland. On the other hand, under our European relief scheme for the current year, we are proposing to give Poland 2,000 head of cattle as a gift.

I asked Mr. Dulanty to temporise with Mr. Bartyra pending our consultations with the Embassy at the Holy See and with the Department of Industry and Commerce. He can hardly hold them off without a definite reply much longer. Bearing in mind that we may need at least a neutral attitude on their part if we are seeking membership of UNO or other international organisations, it is perhaps better to avoid antagonising the Warsaw Government more than is necessary. In view of this, I wonder whether the best course would not be to let them come over to Dublin and to try to confine the visit, so far as possible, to trade matters, making it clear that we were dealing with the visitors on a purely de facto basis. If any question of recognition were raised, we could adopt an attitude of complete but polite reserve. I should be glad to have your directions as to what to tell Mr. Dulanty.

A factor to be borne in mind is that recognition of the Warsaw Government would almost certainly mean the establishment of a diplomatic or consular mission by that Government here and such a mission might conceivably be the focus of foreign Communist activity.