Memorandum by Con Cremin for Frank Aiken (Dublin) of a meeting with Douglas MacArthur with covering letter from Cremin to Seán Nunan (Dublin)
(11) (Secret)

Dear Secretary:

I enclose herewith four copies of a note on a conversation I had with Mr. Douglas MacArthur on the 6th instant.

À propos of the question raised by General Eisenhower, it seems to me that one obvious answer is that the supply of equipment and arms to Ireland is in the nature of an insurance to provide against a risk which may not of course eventuate.

An idea which has come into my mind in thinking over this question is that there might be something to be said for a declaration in relation to the USA somewhat on the lines of that made by the Taoiseach in 1935 in relation to Britain. I do not know whether there would not be objections at home to a declaration of this kind, or whether it would serve any real purpose. This latter point could, however, presumably be clarified as the talks on the supply of American equipment and arms develop.

Minister

1. Mr. Douglas MacArthur, political adviser to General Eisenhower, told me yesterday when he came to lunch here that he had submitted to General Eisenhower a full statement on his conversation with the Minister last week. General Eisenhower heard this statement with great sympathy. He remarked, however, that the matter is not one which comes directly within his province and that he would hardly take the initiative in raising it with Washington, although Washington might of course raise it with him. He fully appreciated the various points made by the Minister and thought they should be given real weight. He felt at the same time that there is one aspect of the question which might well be raised in a consideration of the Minister’s request, viz. how would the arms which could profitably be given to NATO countries but were given to Ireland aid the purposes of NATO in case the eventuality against which those arms were given to Ireland did not occur, i.e. Ireland was not invaded and an attack was directed exclusively elsewhere, perhaps far away from the Atlantic theatre. In reporting this point Mr. MacArthur again referred to Ireland’s being intrinsically a part of the Atlantic community. He did not imply that General Eisenhower had raised this point as an objection which he would himself urge but rather as one which he thought might be raised.

2. Mr. MacArthur told me that he had been very impressed by the sincerity of the way in which the Minister had spoken to him and that he had thought it right to stress this fact in the report he had prepared for Washington. He had also, he told me, mentioned the possibility of some kind of an exchange of views between the American and Irish military staffs.

3. Mr. MacArthur is going to Washington on Sunday and will then, he told me, speak to the top men in the State Department, including Mr. Rainer(?)¹ who is in charge of the British Commonwealth, Northern Europe and Ireland, as well as Mr. Perkins who is under Mr. Rainer on European affairs. Mr. MacArthur added that he would be entirely at the Minister’s disposal should he at any time care to see him again.