No. 209 NAI DFA/10/P126/1
Minute from Frederick H. Boland to Seán MacBride (Dublin)
(P.151)
Dublin, 10 December 1948
Minister
This time has come, I think, when we must make some form of reply to the Vatican in connection with the appointment of a successor to the late Nuncio Apostolic.
It seems to me better that, at this stage, we should not send the Vatican anything in the nature of a formal official Note. Strictly speaking, we are not, for the present, replying to the request for an agrément contained in Monsignor Paro's Note of the 6th September.1 What we want to do now is to put before the minds of the Holy Father and the Secretariat of State a number of considerations of great importance from our point of view bearing on the general question of the appointment of a successor to Dr. Robinson. That being so, the next step would seem to be the addressing of a formal letter of instruction to the Ambassador, telling him to submit the points we have in mind for the consideration of the Holy See. It may be as well to give the Ambassador some discretion as to the precise form and manner in which he does this, but, prima facie I should think that the more he does it orally, without official correspondence, the better.
With this general idea in mind, Mr. McCauley has prepared a draft letter of instruction to the Ambassador, which is filed opposite.2 We submit this for your consideration. Apart from the text of the draft itself, two points of procedure arise at this stage:-
- whether, before the letter is issued to the Ambassador, you would wish to see the Archbishop and tell him both of the course you propose to adopt and the line you intend the Ambassador to take in his representations; and
- whether, at the same time, you would wish to see Monsignor Paro and tell him of the instructions you are giving to the Ambassador.
F.B.
Secretary
Minister agrees with terms of letter. He would like to show it to the Archbishop before it issues.
V.I.
10/12/48
P.S.M.
The despatch to the Ambassador has now been typed for issue. Will you arrange with the Minister about fixing an appointment with the Archbishop?
F.B.
15/12/48
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