Letter from Éamon de Valera to Joseph P. Walshe (Holy See)
(Copy)

A Sheosaimh, a chara,
The Dáil has just adjourned for the Christmas recess and I have a moment to write to you the promised letter. I was delighted to receive yours, which I read with the greatest care and interest. I read also your several reports to the Secretary, which he duly transmitted to me. I am not going to attempt to reply to the various points in detail, and shall mention only the more important matters.

'Instrument': I think you were fully rewarded for all your pains with regard to the famous 'Instrument'. It was indeed a great achievement to get it to the form in which it was finally sent, and your view that it was better not to go back because of the change of the capital letter was I think based on very sound considerations.

You were very wise to avail to the full of the opportunity to impart so much information about our present status. I hope the translation of the Constitution by the Acadamia will put the finishing touches to the general education.

Appointment of Cardinal: The remarks re American influence on the question of the appointment of the Cardinal intrigued me, as it did you. I am inclined however to the view that it may have meant nothing more than that the Americans had pressed for an extra Cardinal for themselves and had suggested that as the person they were pressing to be appointed was of Irish origin, and as Armagh was vacant we could wait. This would fit in with the further remark that the Americans and ourselves were the same. I am glad you took occasion to make the difference clear.

Bobbio: The Bishop was very appreciative. I would certainly like to visit Bobbio again, and Rome too, but I think it will be a long time yet before conditions will warrant it.

Don Giosue Fagherazzi: I was delighted with 'Il Colosseo in fiamme'. It is an exquisite piece of work, and I am very glad to have it. I am sorry that I do not know Italian, and my time is so fully taken up that I cannot now hope to make good the deficiency. I do not think it would take very long to get up a reading knowledge. It is with me a question largely of the pronouns and prepositions. I send you herewith an acknowledgment for Don Giosue, which I would be glad you would give to him.

Fr. Hannon: What a support it is for you to have men such as Father Hannon, who knows the political situation here, close at hand. The Archbishop of Dublin is, I think, in favour of your view and fully alive to the importance of sending the best of our young clerical students to Rome.

Capt. Saul: I got his letter, with photographs and map. I am interested, but I haven't had time so far to examine them.

Archbishop Stepinac: I am glad that the Dáil Motion on Stepinac gave satisfaction. I regretted that the Opposition forced me to speak early in the debate. It would have been so much better if they had said all they wanted to, as Dillon said it, so that my amendment might appear at the end, as expressing in a very moderate way indeed the feelings of our people.

Spada: Any hope of your being in the Spada for Christmas? I know how you must chafe at all the delays, but being in Rome you are not likely to forget that it was not all built in a day. My own trouble is that I have so many irons to keep hot there is a danger of all getting somewhat cold.

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I do often wish that you were at the other end of the phone and that we had only to press a lever to get in immediate contact with one another. There is one thing I must ask you: never rely on any direct letter to me to get anything except something very special done. Make sure to duplicate it, as I think you do, in a formal letter to the Secretary, so that it may be immediately attended to.

We are going to have a very difficult time here piloting the ship through the post-war mine fields of demands for higher remuneration, strikes, etc, etc. We have had, as you are probably aware, a teacher's strike; now a sugar strike - later we may have to ration bread. Raw materials for housing, etc. are coming in very slowly. The M/Finance is grey from negotiating with the Civil Servants, etc. Then we will have to take on the Universities, and the whole will leave a very high permanent addition to our annual expenditure, with a corres-ponding increase in taxation. If we could get the necessary extra production everything would be all right, but this is precisely the difficulty. In our main industry, despite all our efforts, production has been static for a number of years.

And now I want to wish you a very happy Christmas. You were not I suppose thinking of coming home. In any case, Christmas is a very interesting time in Rome, unless you are tired by now of the ceremonies.

I suppose you are too busy with Italian to indulge in any other branches of your pet hobby - the learning of languages. I think you were wonderful to determine that you would know Italian sufficiently well to be able to use it in Audiences. If we had that spirit here it would not take us long to have our own language spoken throughout the land.

Once more - do not forget that although I may not write to you I read with interest every report you send, and I am consistently with you in spiritin the efforts you are making to secure for Ireland her rightful place in the Eternal City