Letter from Michael Rynne to Seán Murphy (Dublin)
(Personal and Confidential) (Self-Typed)

Like yourselves, no doubt, – I have been sitting up all night, lately until 5 a.m. (Spanish Time) listening to the United Nations’ meetings. I am now wondering whether my fears (not shared by the Department’s Political Section!) of a fairly imminent World War 3 may not be somewhat nearer to fulfilment.

Of course, in this benighted country, one knows nothing and has no sound sources of information. Here, even more than in Ireland, the people generally are more interested in having a good time or in worrying about the cost of living than they are in world-affairs or even in the prospect of their own latter ends via the atom-bomb.

I hopefully assume, however, that the present emergency will blow over – possibly following a resounding defeat of Egypt this week – and that it may be possible for me to take home-leave in December!

Yet, even if the best happens, there can be no doubt but that the world situation (especially the Arab, Afro-Asiatic world situations) are bound to so deteriorate that the War may arrive quite early in 1957.

Should that be so, we, representatives abroad, could do with special instructions and other aids in good time. My own recollection is that the Department was trying to plan out something for a crisis some few years ago (on the initiative of Gallagher in Stockholm). We got no distance with it, although I think we eventually contributed to Dr. Nolan’s ‘War Book’ plans in the Taoiseach’s Department.

My own ideas now run to only such thoughts as financial provision (in our case, Lisbon?), codes (renewal of) and the orderly evacuation of nervous nationals.

This last point would possibly give little trouble for a start, unless, of course, the Madrid airbase (USA) got an early strafing. Most of my ‘colony’ consists of women in sheltered jobs and with, I should imagine, very little imagination. In the last war – when, however, Spain looked safer than Ireland – there was no fuss in the Colony. Let us hope this good tradition persists despite the vital change of circumstances in Spain.

I know you must be frightfully short-staffed owing to UNO, but feel that the subject matter of this letter may be worth following up in order to avoid a repetition of all the bother we had at the start of the last War, due to ‘wishful thinking’.

Heard Radio Éireann last night give the Minister’s views on Suez.