Michael MacWhite to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)
(N.S. 01/7)

A Chara,

I have been asked by several persons here as to how and when they may be able to get Irish passports. There are a number of persons employed by the League of Nations who are classified as citizens of the Irish Free State. I happen to know that one at least of those could not justify such a claim but, in order to demonstrate that the English Members of the staff are not too numerous, some of the latter are marked down as Irish or Indians, etc. Another reason also for this is that, in case we should ask for some Free State citizens to be appointed to the staff of the League Secretariat, we would be informed that the number of our nationals is already more than could proportionately be justified. It is only when they apply for Irish passports and justify their claims to citizenship that we can rightly say how many of our people are on the League staff. In the meantime, four or five members of the Secretariat and three from the Labour Office have repeatedly asked me when they can have an Irish passport issued to them.

As for myself, my passport expired last September and, even if I wished to, I could not get it renewed here as I have not been registered at the British Consulate. Until such time as I get a new one it is impossible for me to go outside of Switzerland.