Letter from Seán MacBride to Francis Thynne¹ (Paris)

Dear Mr. Thynne,
Thank you for your letter of the 24th April. I quite appreciate your suggestion that the rank of our representative in France should be raised from that of Minister to Ambassador, and I will certainly bear it in mind. The trouble is that there are so many considerations that we have to take into account in deciding these matters - questions of expenses, shortage of staff, and other details too numerous to mention here. I do think, however, that the time is opportune for a complete review of the status of many of our missions abroad, and I can assure you that I will certainly bear your observations in mind.

I was sorry to hear of your experience of Irish manufacturers. The trouble has been that for too long we have looked upon the British market as our main market and our manufacturers had come to rely upon that market for the disposal of their goods. They would give no thought to the possibility of alternative markets - markets which would, in many instances, be even more remunerative than the British one. We have had a great struggle over the last two years to direct their attentions to other countries and I am glad to say that our efforts have met with a good deal of success. We are continuing them, and I hope that Irish products will be seen far more frequently on the Continent and in America in the future. I think I can say that, were you to come to Ireland to-day with the same objective as in 1946, you would meet with a very different response indeed from our manufacturers.