No. 122 NAI DFA/5/317/32
Memorandum by Seán Nunan
'Instructions for the Guidance of Officers serving abroad in their Relations
with the Representatives of Countries with Communist Governments'
(D.C. Circular No. 4/52) (Confidential) (414/14/6) (Copy)
Dublin, 24 June 1952
- Instructions have been sought by the missions abroad from time to time as to the line of conduct they should pursue in their relations with the local diplomatic missions of Soviet Russia and countries with Communist Governments. The present Circular is issued as a general instruction covering this matter.
- Broadly speaking, the attitude of officers serving abroad, in their dealings with the missions of Communist countries and their staffs, should be reserved and ‘cautious’; but there is no reason why it should not be ‘correct’. Unnecessary advances should not be made, but, on the other hand, direct rebuffs or anything in the nature of positive discourtesy should be avoided. As it is impossible to cover all conceivable contingencies in a general instruction, the application of these principles to concrete cases must, to a large extent, be left to the judgment and discretion of Heads of Missions, to whom it is open, of course, to consult the Department in cases of serious doubt. It is probable, however, that the following indications will be found to cover most of the cases likely to arise in practice.
- As regards ‘arrival’ calls, the local protocol should be followed so far as possible. If it requires an incoming Head of Mission to write to, or seek an interview with, his diplomatic colleagues, the Head of Mission concerned should follow the same course as regards Heads of Missions of Communist countries as in regard to other Heads of Missions. Similarly, if, in accordance with the local protocol, the Irish Head of Mission receives a letter or request for an interview from an incoming Head of Mission of a Communist country, he should treat it in the same way as he would a similar letter or request addressed to him by the representative of any other country. In writing or replying to all such letters, however, care should be taken to avoid the use of obviously insincere phrases such as ‘the close and friendly relations existing between our two countries’, even if they are customary or are actually used in the letter under reply. In practice, therefore, Heads of Mission should confine letters of this kind, whether original or reply, to a bare statement or acknowledgment of the fact of the presentation of credentials, omitting all reference to relations between the Missions or the countries concerned.
- There is no objection in principle to the acceptance of social invitations from members of the staffs of missions of Communist countries. Such invitations should not be systematically refused, but, on the other hand, careful account should be taken in accepting them of the political circumstances existing at the time. For example it would obviously be unseemly for an Irish diplomatic representative to figure prominently at a social function at an Hungarian mission at the time, say, of the trial of Cardinal Mindszenty.1 Similarly, it would be inappropriate for Irish representatives to attend a Soviet function held to celebrate a specifically political event such as the formation of the Cominform. Careful discretion should be used to ensure that public criticism is not occasioned locally or in this country by attendance at Soviet functions on obviously inappropriate occasions.
- When Irish officials attend functions given by missions or officials of Communist countries, they should make their stay as brief as possible consistent with ordinary courtesy, and should avoid anything in the nature of undue familiarity or ‘fraternisation’. Where attendance at such a function appears appropriate, the Head of Mission should consider whether all the members of the mission who receive invitations should attend or whether it would be sufficient that only one of them should do so.
- Representatives of Communist countries may be invited to Irish functions to which the Heads of all local diplomatic missions are invited, or to functions held in connection with international conferences at which Communist countries are represented and to which all delegations, or representatives thereof, are invited. Otherwise, careful discretion should be used in extending invitations to members of the staffs of the missions of Communist countries, and in no case should such invitations be issued without careful advertence to the circumstances of the moment, as indicated in paragraph 3 above.
- It will probably be found that relatively few social invitations are received by officers abroad from their Soviet or other Communist colleagues and that their direct social contacts with them will tend to be confined to the protocolary visits made on first arrival. The Department will be glad to have from each mission reports indicating what other social or official contacts are apt to arise in practice in the capital to which it is accredited. The Department will also be glad to have from representatives abroad any suggestions which in the light of their experience they may wish to make in connection with the subject matter of the present Circular.
Purchase Volumes Online
ebooks
The Royal Irish Academy's Documents on Irish Foreign Policy series has published an eBook of confidential correspondence on the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations.
International Counterparts
The international network of Editors of Diplomatic Documents was founded in 1988. Delegations from different parts of the world met for the first time in London in 1989.
Read more ....