Circular from Frederick H. Boland to all heads of missions on the deportation of German agents interned in Ireland

The following are the relevant facts with regard to the seven German nationals against whom deportation orders were made by the Minister for Justice last week.

Six of the men concerned arrived here illicitly during the war - two by parachute, two by sea and two by means not yet definitely established. The purpose of these six men was either definitely shown or admitted by themselves to be espionage, sabotage, or similar activities. Their arrival and activity in this country was a violation of our neutrality and a breach of the Government's pledge that our territory would not be used by one belligerent against another. All these men were interned under Emergency Powers (No.20) Order, but were released on the expiry of the Emergency Powers Act last August.

The seventh man arrived here legally before the war, but, on the strength of information available to the police, he was arrested and interned in April, 1941, as a person likely to engage in activity dangerous to the national safety.

It is not correct, as has been suggested in the Press, that the deportation of these men is the result of Allied pressure. As was announced in the Press at the time, we, like other neutral countries, received representations from the Allied Governments asking us to give effect to the Allied Control Council's decision of September, 1945, that all former German officials and agents should be repatriated to Germany. We received formal representations to this effect in December, 1945, and March, 1946. While other neutral Governments acceded to these representations, we did not do so. Although the German military personnel interned in this country were repatriated to Germany in September, 1945, the Government felt that the repatriation of these former German agents should be postponed until the bitter feelings resulting from the war had subsided and people were prepared to take a calmer and more sensible view of incidents such as those in which these men had been concerned. It was never the intention, however, that men who had arrived here in violation of our laws and with intentions hostile to our neutrality and public safety should be allowed to become ordinary residents in this country. Accordingly, having regard to the fact that nearly two years have elapsed since the termination of hostilities in Europe, it was considered that the time had come to require these men to return to their own country. Every possible enquiry was made in advance to ensure that the men might do so without apprehension of danger to their lives or safety. We were satisfied, as a result of the enquiries made, that there is no ground for any such apprehension.

An eighth man who had also been interned here during the war as a German agent left of his own accord to return to Germany last January. Four of the men arrested last week were deported to Germany by air on the 16th April. Habeas corpus applications in respect of the other three men are at present before the High Court and are expected to be disposed of at an early date.

The foregoing is primarily for your own information, but you are at liberty to use the facts stated whenever you deem it necessary to do so to rebut misrepresentations and erroneous interpretations of the action taken. It is particularly desirable to refute the malicious suggestion that the action was taken in consequence of pressure by other Governments. The relevant facts are as stated above, but the falseness of any such suggestion should be obvious enough to anyone who considers the surrounding circumstances. No self-respecting country is prepared to grant the privilege of residence and membership of its community to people who break its laws and endanger its national safety. Furthermore, only very ill-disposed persons will believe that this Government - which during the war resisted outside pressure more steadily than any other neutral Government, when its doing so involved the risk of very serious consequences - would be prepared to yield to such pressure now when it could be resisted with relative impunity.