Sean Lester to William T. Cosgrave and Joseph P. Walshe

Secretary,

President.

The Irish State's participation in the League of Nations Assembly will again offer some scope for propaganda. The opportunities will not be as good as last year but several factors make it desirable that Irish participation this year should be emphasised, especially at home. The Irish newspapers are diffident about the necessary expenditure and I submit that anything we can do to make it possible for the Irish Press to obtain reports and photographs would be of considerable importance. This is particularly the case in view of impending bye-elections when the Treaty position will again be challenged, the fact that de Valera is free to embark on a campaign in various centres and while the Boundary situation is indefinite.

There are several ways in which, if considered desirable from the Government's point of view, publicity could be assisted. One would be to attach someone to the Delegation for the purpose of supplying Irish newspapers with reports and photographs. Another way would be for the Delegates to bear the whole situation in mind and use an occasional hour of leisure in supplying the necessary material. This does not seem feasible as the Delegates will be very preoccupied with the work of the Assembly, on the social side as well as otherwise. The third way would be to give special instructions to Mr. MacWhite with authority to spend a certain amount of money in obtaining photographs and, if the Irish Press are not directly represented, in supplying reports.

The last named method may be considered the most convenient. If it is so decided it would help very much if each of the Delegates felt the importance of publicity at home. Perhaps it would not be too much to ask that in this event the President's views should be conveyed to them.