Letter from Seán Nunan to Frederick H. Boland (Dublin)

Inquiry is now proceeding here in connection with the purchase and shipment of large quantities of TNT and other high explosives to Palestine, where presumably it was intended to be used by the Jewish organizations there in their fight against the Arabs. The transaction was discovered about a week ago, when a case said to contain 'machinery' accidentally broke open, when it was discovered that the contents of the case were TNT. This caused a search to be made by the authorities of the balance of the shipment, which was then on board a vessel at a Jersey pier.

In a statement made by a Mr. Weisman, who purchased the explosives on behalf of the Jewish agency, he said that he considered he had done nothing improper in legally placing in the hands of the official Jewish agency in Palestine the means of protecting the lives of Palestine Jews against Arabs armed with British weapons. He also said, 'Historically, no American condemns de Valera in his securing from the United States the means to free Ireland from British tyranny...'.

The parallel between this discovery and the unfortunate incident which happened in 1921, when through a similar mischance a consignment of Thompson machine guns which we were shipping home at that time was discovered, is quite marked. It will be remembered that the guns in question were stored aboard a ship in the Hudson River, but that unfortunately one burlap bale was left unstowed in an alley-way on the ship and was discovered by one of the crew who was not aware of the transaction, and that this incident led to discovery and the confiscation of all of the guns in question.