Extract from a letter from Tadhg O'Sullivan to Seán Murphy (Dublin)
(224-376) (Secret) (Copy)

[matter omitted]

On the 15th September I represented the Minister at the Official Day of the Lausanne Fair. At an apéritif offered to the guests I sat down at a table by myself and was presently joined by Mr. Ahmed Ali, Counsellor of the Pakistan Embassy. Later the Chinese Minister, Feng Hsuan, accompanied by one of his two counsellors and by an attaché, sat down with us. The Minister, who is a charming man and very well informed, asked me about the recent IRA raid in Great Britain and about the Partition question generally. I said that the policy of our Government was to achieve the re-unification of Ireland by reasonable and peaceful means, and that much was being done to show how closer co-operation between the two sections of our country could benefit our people as a whole.

The Chinese Minister also enquired regarding our trade relations with Switzerland, and the remainder of our conversation concerned the floods in Pakistan and the Chinese Government’s flood control programme on the Yellow River.

Later in the day I was approached by the Chinese Counsellor mentioned above, who asked me whether I would like to attend the reception being given on the 20th September in connection with the visit of the Peking Opera Company. I replied that I had another engagement that evening. He then commented on the fact that we had no diplomatic relations with the Chinese People’s Republic and asked whether I thought that would debar me from attending the reception which would be given on the 1st October, their national day. He spoke with great friendliness and enthusiasm, as though the absence of diplomatic relations between our two countries was a regrettable oversight which should be attended to at once.

I endeavoured to escape from this embarrassing situation by pleading my junior rank and declaring myself unable to pronounce on the relations between our countries or how they would affect our social contacts. He seemed to accept this, but went on to ask with what European and Asiatic countries Ireland had diplomatic relations. I mentioned the countries in which we have missions, explaining that as far as I was aware these countries were chosen on the basis of the importance of our commercial relations with them and the number of Irish citizens living in them. I said we had no missions at all in Asia and that, being a poor country, we could not allow ourselves the luxury of a worldwide diplomatic representation.

During this conversation the Counsellor did not mention the fact that Ireland has not recognised the Chinese People’s Republic, a fact of which he may be unaware. When leaving me he said that if I felt free to attend their national day reception, he would have an invitation sent to me. I made no reply to this.

Yesterday morning I received an invitation for my wife and myself to attend the reception being given today to mark the Peking Opera visit. I replied at once saying we had a previous engagement and asking to be excused. It will be noted that this card was sent despite the fact that I had already given this explanation orally. It seems also that the invitation was sent as an afterthought, as though my meeting with the Chinese diplomats in Lausanne reminded them of our existence.

I should be glad to have your instructions as to what reply should be made to any invitation we receive to attend the reception on the 1st October. It seems to me that if Ireland does not recognise the existence of the Chinese People’s Republic, we cannot attend a function marking the anniversary of its establishment. If Chinese diplomatic missions in other countries are also pursuing the ‘goodwill policy’, a number of our missions are no doubt faced with the same question. It seems to me that a circular on our attitude to this policy might be appropriate.

I venture to suggest that we might also give some thought to the question of what advantages might lie in recognition by us of the Chinese People’s Republic. While we may have no material relations whatever with China, it is a traditional Irish Catholic Mission field. Our neighbour country, ever solicitous of her trade, was not slow to recognise the new régime. If there is a possibility that similar action by us might lead to a more tolerant attitude on the part of the Chinese towards our missionaries, perhaps the idea should not be lightly discarded.