Extracts from a letter from Frederick H. Boland to Joseph P. Walshe (Holy See)

My Dear Ambassador,
I was very glad to see when I got back from holidays your telegram saying that you had been able to get a respite in Cannes. Everyone who has had the experience tells me that it is even dangerous for people who are not fully accustomed to the climate in Rome to try to spend July and August in the city. September, too, is said to be very bad, and I hope you will be able to get away during the next few weeks if you find the atmosphere in Rome too trying again.

[matter omitted]

The Taoiseach gave a farewell dinner last night to Rivière, who is leaving us to become French Ambassador to The Hague. We part with him without regret. His false manner and supercilious approach will not be missed. We have not heard who his successor is to be, but we asked Seán to do his best to secure that he will be a Catholic, and not a divorcé or a 'socialite'.

I spent the time during the dinner listening to the Security Council debate on our application for membership of UNO. Such a poor opinion of UNO is held here - and I suppose in most other countries as well - that there is very little public disappointment at the rejection of our application.¹ From the official point of view, however, it is perhaps to be slightly regretted, not because of UNO itself, but because of the opportunities for contacts, and perhaps a visit to the United States by the Taoiseach, which membership would have afforded. Poland's support of our application was curious, and the French observer broadcasting from the Council Chamber for the Columbia Broadcasting System said that it created 'une veritable sensation'. Although Poland probably had her own reasons - she is still putting out feelers for recognition and the establishment of diplomatic relations with us - the fact that Russia was isolated in her opposition is satisfactory.

You will have seen that Herbert Morrison has arrived for his holidays here. He will be coming to see the Taoiseach on the 12th and 13th September. For your confidential information, there are indications that he has something he wants to talk about and it has something to do with the Partition situation. What precisely the suggestion is to be we don't know. There is a lot of feeling here about the latest gerrymander in Armagh. I am sure you will have seen particulars of it in the Irish papers. It is a glaring instance of the lengths to which that crowd in Belfast are prepared to go to maintain their own position, and it makes one's blood boil to think they should be able to get away with it.

Kiernan left for Australia three weeks ago, and we expect the arrival of Dignam on Sunday. Kiernan's official title has not yet been fixed. Evatt rather kyboshed matters by saying, in reply to a Parliamentary Question in the Australian House, that their representative here would be a High Commissioner. We propose to do everything we can, however, to prevent Kiernan from being saddled with that title in Australia. We hope that, by keeping things 'dans l'equivoque' and taking advantage of Kiernan's personal rank of Minister Plenipotentiary, it may be possible by degrees to secure local acceptance of the title of Minister.

We have been sounded by the British as to whether we would like to be represented at two Commonwealth economic meetings, one to be held early in October and the second early in the new year. As the agendas include matters such as the dollar pool, the question of sterling balances and preferential tariff policies in which we have immediate practical interest, we are likely to go to the meetings.

Mrs. Feehan died last week and I went down with Bill Quirke to the funeral. She was buried in Killenaule graveyard just a few yards up the slope from your father's grave. The death was not unexpected. The blood-clot had led to gangrene and, if she had lived, she would have had to lose one of her legs by amputation. The business is to be sold up.

Although the rejection of our UNO application is a relief in many ways, it will be a disappointment to Sheila who had done great work in preparation for the Assembly. Now that the prospect of a Delegation to New York is out of the way, we will have more time to look around us here, where the pressure of work still continues to be very heavy.

I am glad that the stay in Cannes did you so much good, but you should really try to get out of Rome at once if you feel that the climate is starting to get you down again.