Minute by Cornelius C. Cremin to Leo T. McCauley (Dublin)

Assistant Secretary,
You may wish to see the minute of the 7th inst.¹ with enclosures from the Department of Justice concerning the three Breton nationalists who arrived here last week. You will observe that one of them, (de Quelen) is included in the list of 'French Leaders of the Breton Autonomist Movement' furnished by the French Minister on the 8th December, 1945, and of which a copy was transmitted to the Department of Justice on the 21st December, 1945. The French Minister in his covering letter said that he had been informed that some of the men in question had tried during the preceding years to come to Ireland. The Department of Justice replied in a minute of the 2nd January that they had no record of the arrival in the country of any of the persons and added that 'the Gárda Síochána in maritime districts have special instructions to be on the look-out for foreigners attempting to land here, who may be escaping from their own countries'.

The recent arrival in this country of the three Bretons concerned raises two points to which it may be just as well for this Department to advert at this stage. It is possible in the first place that these Bretons may advise compatriots in France who are similarly situated that they succeeded in landing in Ireland and will be allowed to stay here; and the result may be that we will have a number of further attempts on the part of Breton nationalists to come to Ireland. Our normal reaction would almost certainly be to receive Breton nationalists who, as such, are subject to persecution in France. We must bear in mind, however, the possible repercussions of the admission of a large number of Bretons here on our relations with France. My recollection is that in pre-war years, while undoubtedly sympathetic to Breton aspirations, the Government was careful to refrain from being open to the charge of in any way encouraging them. To admit Bretons here should not, of course, be capable of being construed as a positive encouragement. If, however, it should be felt that the influx of a large number of Bretons might complicate our relations with France, we might perhaps explain to the Department of Justice that, while we agree with the attitude they have taken up towards the Breton refugees who have arrived here, we would like it to be made clear that Breton fugitives cannot assume that they will find in all circumstances a ready asylum in Ireland.

The second point which occurs to me is that the Gárda control on aliens entering the country by unauthorised methods is not very effective. The three Bretons in question presumably entered without bearing passports or visas and were able to disembark and travel to Dublin without being subjected, as far as we know, to any control whatsoever. It might be well to call the attention of the Department of Justice to this aspect of the case in the general context of their minute of the 2nd January last.²