Letter from Frederick H. Boland to Michael MacWhite (Rome)
(Personal and Confidential)

Many thanks for your letter of the 2nd June.¹

The amount of publicity given to the Goertz funeral in the Continental Press was ridiculous but typical. The event attracted nothing like the same amount of attention here. The numbers present were much smaller than reported in the papers, and the mourners consisted of IRA sympathisers whom Goertz had met during his period of liberty rather than of Goertz's own compatriots in this country. In fact, the whole German colony - including the former German Minister - were conspicuous by their absence; I understand that they had got wind confidentially of the form which the funeral was intended to take and that decided them to stay away. Actually, even from the point of view of Goertz's friends, the political demonstration at his funeral was a mistake. It alienated a lot of people who might otherwise have been disposed to blame the Government for the fact of Goertz's suicide.