Letter from William P. Fay to Charles K. Murphy (Cork)
(Copy)

I very much regret the delay which has occurred in letting you have a reply to your letter of the 8th April.¹ Unfortunately I was very busy when it arrived and referred it to our Consular Section for their remarks. As you know, the Easter holiday intervened and these things take some little time to digest officially.

So far as we are concerned in this Department, we know of no statement of policy by the Government concerning the sending of children out of the country for adoption in the United States. The policy of the Adoption Act is, of course, to provide for adoption within the State and there are restrictions on sending children outside the State for adoption (See section 40.). Subject to that restriction, if a suitable case arises, the State would not intervene to prevent the adoption of children by foreign adopters.

In carrying out this policy, however, we make a careful scrutiny of applications for passports when submitted on behalf of children who are being adopted outside this country. Before issuing such a passport our regulations require that the passport issuing authorities must be satisfied, as far as possible, that the adopting parents are suitable from the point of view of character and that they are able and willing to provide adequately for the material and religious welfare of the children. In cases where we are not satisfied – and they sometimes occur – passport facilities are withheld. In general, therefore, it may be said that, so far as this Department is concerned, applications for passports in connection with the adoption of children by persons living abroad are considered entirely on their individual merits.