Extract from the minutes of a meeting of the Cabinet
'Emergency Planning: Technical discussions suggested by British authorities'
(G.C. 7/28) (Item 9) (S11445C)

Following consideration of a report made by the Minister for External Affairs relative to a Note of the 10th August, 1954,¹ received from the British Embassy in Dublin requesting that permission be given for discussions between Irish and British experts upon the control in war-time of aeronautical radio beacons and other non-broadcasting transmitters, it was decided, on the recommendation of the Minister, that the Minister should reply to the Note to the following effect:-

1. that the Government are prepared to grant their permission for the holding of the proposed discussions between experts from the Departments of Defence and Industry and Commerce and British technical experts; and
2. that it must be understood that the arrangement referred to in sub-paragraph (1) above is without any military commitment on the part of the Government and that the arrangement must be subject to whatever decisions of policy may be taken by the Government in the event of an emergency.

It was agreed that, in the implementation of the above-mentioned arrangement, the utmost care should be taken, at all stages, to preserve carefully Irish independence of action and sovereignty.