Handwritten minute from Nicholas G. Nolan to Rónán Ó Foghludha (Dublin)

Mr. Ó Foghludha,
The attached memorandum for the Government dated the 1st inst. prepared by the Department of External Affairs was circulated by their Minister at yesterday's meeting of the Government.¹

The circulation was, of course, a gross breach of the Cabinet Procedure Instructions: although this Department and the President's Office are vitally concerned in the proposals, we were not afforded any opportunity of furnishing our observations on the memorandum. The Secretary has today made strong representations to the Taoiseach about this irregularity. I might mention that I was consulted verbally by Mr. Belton, of the Department of External Affairs, some weeks ago about their suggested alterations in the President's seal - the only aspect of the proposals on which we were even informally consulted - and I expressed myself strongly against any of the alterations they had in mind as regards design, size and inscription; not alone is there no reference to this in the memorandum, but I believe the Minister for External Affairs intimated at the meeting of the Government yesterday that he understood that I had approved the memorandum as a whole!

There was a preliminary discussion on the memorandum at yesterday's meeting of the Government, at which, though the item was postponed, the following points were agreed on:

1. that pars 2 & 3 should be further examined (? By the Attorney General);
2. that the harp should remain the central theme of the President's seal; and
3. that the suggestion in the last par. (par 8.) should be adopted.

I should be glad if you would inform the Department of External Affairs by telephone on Monday morning that, following a preliminary discussion on the memorandum, the Government expressed themselves as being in agreement with the proposal in par 8. of the memorandum, that they understood that it would be necessary for them to make an Order to give effect to the decision and that, subject to the Department of External Affairs confirming from the Attorney-General's Office that such an Order is, in fact, necessary, we should be glad if they would (i) arrange with the Parliamentary Draftsman for the drafting of the necessary Order and (ii) submit the Order to the Government, for execution at the meeting of the Government to be held on Tuesday next, the 5th inst.

I should also be glad if you would ask the Department of External Affairs to send us, as a matter of urgency, say, three further copies of this memorandum of the 1st inst.