Letter from Thomas V. Commins to Father Bernard Brogan¹ (Chicago)
(Copy)

I thank you for your letter of the 25th September on the subject of the adoption of Irish children in the United States of America which we discussed during your visit here last October. I must also apologise that circumstances did not permit me to reply to your letter earlier.

I should, first of all, like to take this opportunity to say, again, how valuable the assistance of the Catholic Charities is to the Department in dealing with applications for passports in respect of children being sent to the United States for adoption. We hope very much indeed that the advice and help of the Catholic Charities will continue to be available to us.

As you may recall from our discussion, the Department’s sole function in these adoption cases is concerned with the issue of the necessary passports to these children to enable them to travel to America. In considering the applications for these passports, we feel under obligation to be satisfied, as far as possible, in the interest of the children, that the adopting parents are suitable and that they are able and ready to provide adequately for the material and religious welfare of the children. There are many ways in which we endeavour to do this, but the very detailed and comprehensive reports which the Catholic Charities supply are of the greatest help to us in fulfilling this function. For that reason it has, for a considerable time past, been the practice of the Department to ask for the production of such reports in all cases in which applications for passports are made for the travel of children to areas in the United States covered by the Catholic Charities.

For this reason it is with some surprise that I learn from your letter that a number of Irish children have been coming into the Archdiocese of Chicago for adoption without any prior references to your Agency. Would it be possible for you to give me the names of the children in question and the names of the adopting parents? If you can, I shall have the matter examined to ascertain the circumstances in which Irish passports came to be issued in these cases.