Memorandum by Seán Murphy to Liam Cosgrave (Dublin)

I saw Sir Alec Clutterbuck at 3.30 yesterday. I expressed your regrets at not being able to receive him at 12.30 p.m. as previously arranged. I explained that you had been detained all day at a Cabinet meeting which was still in session and which was giving active consideration to the situation on the Border.² I explained to Sir Alec that the situation was a difficult and delicate one, because if the Government were to decide to take repressive measures against the IRA and other similar organisations, that action might possibly increase public sympathy for these organisations. Any such restrictive measures would probably involve notification to the Council of Europe that we were derogating from the Human Rights Convention to which we were a party. Any increase in public sympathy would, of course, be an encouragement to these organisations to continue their activity. Everyone, of course, deplored the loss of life and the damage to property but it was hoped that the protective measures being taken by the Six County authorities would succeed in reducing incidents to the minimum. I had no idea what decisions the Government might come to and I was merely expressing my own views but I thought he could feel assured that the question was having the active and earnest consideration of the Government and I felt that he would probably like to inform his Government in that sense. I said that in a time like the present, too frequent visits from him to the Department were not too helpful and that as soon as I was in a position to communicate any further information to him I would do so.