Letter from Seán Nunan to Seán MacBride (Dublin)

Dear Minister,
Thank you for your letter of the 30th July.¹ It was most kind of you to write me at such length and particularly so because I know how busy you are with all the problems confronting you, which makes me all the more appreciative of your writing in such detail.

I am glad to learn of the favourable reports you have received on our Information Bulletin. We, too, have received a number of favourable comments, some through the mail and some by word of mouth to me and to other members of the staff here, as well as to our Consuls, but most, if not all, of these are from our own friends who agree with our views anyhow. I met Secretary of Labour Tobin² the other night and he told me that he reads the Bulletin regularly and that it is having some effect here. We have received just three requests to be taken off the mailing list and these were from Protestant clergymen - including the Episcopal Bishop of Albany who, in the course of his letter, quoted from a newspaper article some adverse comments about the treatment protestants could expect to receive in a Catholic country. Of course, the answer to this was obvious and the Bishop was put right on that point.

On the whole I am inclined to believe that the Bulletin is being read, and if I am right in that belief, there are two or three thousand people here who are at least being given the opportunity of being made aware of our case even if they do not agree with it - and that is all to the good.

I saw that the News Agency Bill had been postponed, which is a pity, if only for the selfish reason that I had hoped we would get some material for our Bulletin which might give a new angle of approach here. Meanwhile we would appreciate receiving any material and suggestions from the Information Division of the Department as our arguments on Partition might become less interesting if reiterated too often.

Joe Brennan has taken hold of his new duties enthusiastically and has already made several contacts with newspaper men, but please don't expect miraculous results immediately. It is, as you know, a difficult job to get them to feature our problem which, compared to the problems which impinge directly on the American people and their economy is, to the Americans anyhow, a very small one. I have written to Congressman Fogarty³ and conveyed your thanks and appreciation of his statement. The resolution which he introduced in the House was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs where it will stay so far as the Committee is concerned, as it is most unlikely that they will report it out. The plan is to circulate a petition among the House members which, if signed by 218 members will bring the resolution out of the Committee to the House for discussion. John Costello thinks that the required number of signatures to the petition can be obtained, as Fogarty is very popular with his colleagues but in any case it is not intended to start the petition this session. They will probably start working on it early in the New Year, which is the time suggested by you. Meanwhile they will canvas for the necessary support. We will, of course do all we can to interest our friends, but, please don't build your hopes too high as to the outcome, as when the chips are down some of those whom we think we can rely on are apt to get cold feet, or at least are not too inclined to take a lead on a question which many of their constituents are opposed to. As an instance of what happens, Congressman Lane⁴ of Massachusetts told me when I 'phoned to congratulate him on his speech on Monday last concerning the Arms Bill that every time he speak on Irish affairs he gets shoals of letters from his congressional district objecting to his action and enquiring whether he is elected to represent all the people of the district or Irish Catholics, and in districts where a congressman's majority is not too strong, these objections have their effect.

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As you will have seen from McCann's reports to the Secretary, your proposals regarding the future operation of O.E.E.C. were well received by E.C.A. here, and it seemed to me from the reports I read of Mr. Hoffman's comments concerning you personally and regarding what he expected and had not got from the Marshall Plan countries, that he liked your proposals.

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