Handwritten letter from Joseph P. Walshe to Éamon de Valera (Dublin)

Dhuine Uasail,
I am very grateful for your kind letter of the 8th August which I received on my return from France the night before last.¹

It gave me the consolation and encouragement which, I confess, I wanted very badly. For the first two months here I felt I was working without help from home, and sending my reports into a vacuum. I know how extremely busy and preoccupied you were with all your troubles, and I became convinced moreover that either Fred was reluctant to bother you with Roman affairs, or that you were too overwhelmed with work to read my reports. No doubt, also, the fact that I was no longer able to pick up the phone and report at once on national interests or my own troubles, was too sudden a change for me, and I allowed myself to become too worried about an 'iron curtain' between myself and my Superior which, in effect, did not exist, except in my imagination. The climate wasn't helpful in the circumstances. It has been the hottest summer for years and that means a lot for Rome. Your encouraging letter has put an end to all that, and I am T.G. fully recovered on the health side after a fortnight's intensive bathing at Cannes.

To begin with more immediate matters, I want to tell you at once that Monsignore Montini was extremely appreciative of your personal gift to the Bishop of Bobbio. He asked me to convey to you the most grateful thanks 'of the Holy See and he assured me that he would immediately make known your generosity to the Holy Father'. I cannot tell you how much such a gift is going to help the work here. Indeed Mgr. Montini's slight residue of reserve with me disappeared absolutely for the rest of the hour's interview yesterday. The personal character of the gift, of course, adds a very special value to it which Mgr. Montini, a man of fine susceptibility, fully appreciates. It will take some little time to get a direct reply from the Bishop owing to the wretched postal arrangements here, but the Secretariat of State was to send him the news at once and I may hear first through them.

I told Mgr. M. of your desire that there should be no publicity, and your wishes will be respected by all concerned as far as possible, but you must not be surprised if, within the next year or so, a little tablet appears in the Basilica asking for prayers for the donor whose identity (it would be too much to hope for) they will not take much pains to conceal. I sincerely trust that you won't object to that. Mgr. Montini knows it is inevitable and, in any case, being such a good priest, he is convinced that your gift is going to be a help in reviving the memory of, and devotion to, St. Columban in Italy - a project which he has very much at heart.

I am still in the argument stage about the reply to the 'Instrument' - a term, by the way, which appeals very much to the Latin mind, and it has helped no end in my constitutional talks with Mgr. Montini whom I found a completely virgin page in all matters concerning our status.

Naturally, being a ferociously monarchic institution in thought and action, the H.S. was shocked at my suggestion that a reply was quite unnecessary, but it was the only way to secure the necessary modifications in the form of the text to bring it into line with the credentials and, also, to secure that it would be sent through you. I think I have failed in the effort to stop the reply, but Mgr. Montini gave me an improved text which he asked me to examine and modify. I have done this in my best bog Latin and he seems to be satisfied. I am seeing him again on Friday and I hope to be able to report that the text will be accepted in a form which you will completely approve.

I have deliberately made quite a pother about that reply. It was essential to make our relations clear beyond doubt, and the reply was a heaven sent opportunity.

In the end, I believe it now, a reply from the Holy See containing the vital points of the credentials may be more useful to us than if they sent no reply. It had also the advantage - or rather the discussions concerning it - of exposing the profundity of their ignorance - and allowing me to suggest that I should give them an Italian translation of the constitution to be studied by their young diplomatic students. Indeed, I intend, on Friday, to ask Mgr. Montini to get the translation done in the academia (where these young men are trained). He will take a personal interest in the work, and, in the process, he will learn finally that, for instance, there is no longer a Governor General in Ireland (one sample of his innocence of our independent status). This little job may cost a few pounds more than the £20 sanctioned by Finance, but I am sure Mr. Aiken won't object to taking a further share in the enlightenment of what is clearly becoming, even politically, one of the most important institutions of the world.

I will, of course, press the position in regard to the Nuncio according to your instructions. Indeed I had already spoken to Mgr. Montini in the same sense immediately before I went on holidays and I found him very receptive.

They are also aware that they have been sending to Ireland an excessively miniature type of 'uditore'. Both Mgr. Montini and Cardinal Pizzardo are now convinced that they have not given sufficient consideration to the Dublin Nunciature. Of course I shall do my best to direct the choice. I was impressed by Dr. O'Hara's character and prudence, and I feel he is very proud of his Irish origins and he is a possible choice. I shall let you know, as soon as I discover what names they have in mind.

I mentioned several times to Mgr. Montini the need of having young Irishmen at Headquarters and, partly at least, in response to my appeal, he is bringing Mgr. Tim Ryan back from Cairo to the Secretariat of State. He said incidentally that Ryan would be a great help to him owing to his brilliant English style, and he added that he wasn't too happy about the English which the American Monsignors produced for him. He also wants another young Irishman immediately. He told Fr. McDaid about it, but like McDaid the response was passive. I think, with your permission, I'll ask His Grace to name a first class man when I am writing to him on Friday. In the end he is the one member of the Hierarchy we can really rely on for the big view, notwithstanding his minor peculiarities which P.G. will disappear rapidly. He sent a letter through me for transmission to the Hungarian Cardinal and I want to tell him for his own good that it made a very good impression on Mgr. Montini.

Indeed he has been very generous with the Hungarians, almost too much so, because they seem to be lacking in any real sense of gratitude. Though, no doubt, their appalling plight is a sufficient excuse for anything. I should mention that Mgr. Montini is sending a special note to all Vatican representatives on the continent asking them to make more widely known what the Irish Govt. have done for Europe. He has also requested that we should if possible use the Vatican direct for some distribution of relief here.

I told him what the situation was and that the organisation which was making the present distribution was really largely controlled by the Vatican through their representative Mgr. Carroll Abbing - a young man of Irish & English origin who has made himself a force here. Nevertheless perhaps His Grace could send some of the clothing he is collecting through the channel of the Vatican. I shall refer to this also in my letter.

And now to end this omnibus letter of which you must already be weary let me tell you the strangest news of all.

When writing my report about my reception by the Holy Father, I omitted the most important and most secret point of his statements, because I had hoped there would be an opportunity of going home during the summer or autumn and conveying it to you personally.² That hope has now faded, as I have too many tasks on hand, and they might suffer if I left Rome - at least until a few months have elapsed. When I said that you hoped the H.F. would give us a Cardinal very soon, the Pope replied that there was no question of doubt about our having a Cardinal at the next Consistory and then he said (I remember the words so well) 'I was going to make Dublin a Cardinal but the Americans were opposed to it. I yielded because, after all, they are the same as yourselves'. The information so staggered me that I let him run on to other matters about Ireland and her work without interruption, almost without listening to him. I also had the strong feeling that it was better to leave it alone at the moment. Later on, I could gather more information when I got to know the H. See and the American Monsignor better. At any rate I was determined to make it clear as soon and as often as possible that the Americans and ourselves were not the same, however closely related we might be. If ever I needed conviction in the matter I was now certain of the necessity of getting a few good Irishmen into the Secretariat of State.

Was it Spellman³ influenced by Gray, or was it Mgr. O'Connell the Fenian American Monsignor in the Secretariat acting on information from Spellman? It is all a mystery, but it is just as well the Holy Father was so charmingly frank. It is well to know early the influences and how to combat - rather by positive constructive actions than by frontal attack, which would lead nowhere. My own feelings are that we have to keep our counsels to ourselves about the whole matter and build up from the bottom. John McQ. will not be the next Cardinal, at any rate, as the H.F. told me positively it would be D'Alton. So unless you instruct me to the contrary I shall go on the general lines indicated.

In conclusion, as this is my first personal letter to you, I hope you will not mind my expressing my thanks - my heartfelt thanks - for having given me the very great honour of representing Ireland at the Holy See and also for your unfailing kindness to me during all the years in the Department. I beg to remain, my dear Sir, with great respect and esteem,