Letter from John J. Hearne to Frederick H. Boland (Dublin)

I have the honour to report that I presented my Letter of Credence to President Truman at the White House at 12.30 p.m. on Monday the 17th April. I also presented the Letter of Recall of Mr. Nunan. I enclose a copy of the speech which I handed to Mr. Truman and the original of the text of the President's gracious reply.¹

The presentation of Letters of Credence at the White House is a function so simple as to scarcely justify the use of the word 'ceremony' as a description of it. The Department of State informed the Embassy before the day of presentation that the occasion would be of the most informal. There would be no formal dress or spoken address. I could come in a dark lounge suit or a short black coat. I chose the latter. Mr. Truman was in a lightish blue double breasted lounge suit. He wore a lighter blue tie. He was dressed exactly as I had seen the late President Roosevelt dressed in the same room (the Oval Room) eleven years ago when I accompanied President O Ceallaigh (then Tánaiste) and Mr. Brennan on an informal visit to the White House.

The President of the United States received me graciously and greeted me warmly. Our conversation was pleasant and easy. Mr. Truman said that he was very happy to welcome me to the United States as the first Ambassador of Ireland and expressed the hope that, as he knew I would find life interesting in Washington, I would also find it agreeable. I referred to the special honour it was to be chosen as the representative of Ireland in the United States and spoke generally along the lines of the text of the undelivered speech. I said that President O Ceallaigh had particularly desired me to give his warm good wishes to President Truman for his health, happiness and prosperity and for the blessing of God on his work at home and abroad as the head of the States and the chosen national leader of the American people. The President was greatly taken by this. He leaned towards me and asked me to convey to President O Ceallaigh his very best of wishes and his sincere thanks for his greetings and so very kind personal message.

I then recalled that I had had the honour of meeting the President in Canada two years ago. 'You will remember the Canada Club luncheon in your honour, Mr. President, at which everyone sang "Alouette"?' 'I shall never forget it', he replied. Then turning to Mr. Muir² of the State Department who had brought me to the President said: 'Muir, that was the most wonderful welcome I ever received in my life, I said so at the time. The way those French Canadian members of Parliament sang! A memorable day for me, Mr. Ambassador.' 'And for us all, Mr. President.'

'M. St. Laurent profited greatly, Sir,' I added, 'by your election campaign. He ran his campaign last year on the same lines as yours of November 1948. He told me, if you will forgive me, that he would "out-trek Truman?.' The President laughed heartily, that photogenic laugh which had been greeting one every day in the American newspapers during his recent Key West vacation and the visit to Washington last week of President Gonzalez-Videla³ of Chile. 'He did out-trek me. He made a better job of the journey than I did, and he rolled up a bigger majority.' Mr. Truman then spoke a little about his great campaign, the welcomes he received across the continent, the fun and the fatigue of old style electioneering.

In Washington, he said, the strain of official life was now so great that one had to limit one's social engagements to as few as possible. One dinner a week, he said, was his own limit. I said that it was hard to choose which invitations to accept and which to decline: people were so kind. 'That's it.' President Truman went on 'people are so kind. But more people are killed by kindness in the United States than anywhere else.' 'We have just left Canada' I continued 'it took us three weeks to complete our farewells. I think, Mr. President, it would be more merciful to be beaten than it is to be eaten out of a country.'

Mr. Truman then enquired about the family, the ages of the children, whether we had a house, and so on. He said that he wished us all every happiness in Washington and graciously added that he was sure my mission would be a great success.

'I shall do the best I can, Sir,' I said and bowed to President Truman. He rose, took me very warmly by the hand and said: 'Mr. Ambassador, we are very happy indeed to have an Ambassador from Ireland in Washington.'

I bent over the President's hand and withdrew. I turned at the door and bowed. Mr. Truman smiled and waved to me.