Letter from Timothy A. Smiddy to Patrick McGilligan (Dublin)
(M.P. 1005-24-28) (Confidential) (Copy)

Sir,

I have the honour to inform you that Chief Justice¹ and Mrs. Kennedy were the guests of honour at a banquet given by Mr. Nichols, Mayor of Boston, on September 10th. The Chief Justice's visit to Boston was initiated by Mr. Joseph O'Connell, Lawyer - formerly U.S.A. representative - who invited him to meet the Bar of Boston. I sent you cuttings from the local newspapers which give extracts from his speech at the Mayor's banquet, and an account of his visit to the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, where for the first time an outsider was permitted to be present during the deliberations of the Supreme Court Judges - the final Court of Appeal in the State of Massachusetts. Judge Rugg - Head of the Supreme Court - made an effective speech on constitutional law, in which he referred to some important points discussed by Chief Justice Kennedy in his speech before the American Bar Association. The interesting point was that the Chief Justice stated 'there was English Common Law but no Irish Common Law. English Common Law had been made Statute Law in Ireland'. This was new knowledge to the Judges and Bar. Unfortunately, the papers carried no report of Judge Rugg's speech.

The Chief Justice also called on the Cardinal.

The Chief Justice's visit helped to raise the prestige of the Irish Free State in Boston; and following so soon after Colonel Fitzmaurice's visit has been beneficial.

Mayor Nichols gave me a warm invitation to be his guest on the occasion of the Chief Justice's visit, which I accepted in order to avail myself of the opportunity for further publicity for the Irish Free State. I spoke at the banquet, referring to the part the Irish Free State will play in maintaining world peace; to Mr. Kellogg's Anti-War Treaty and to the Irish Free State being one of the first countries to sign without reservations - quoting Mr. Kellogg's words on the occasion of his visit to Dublin. I also quoted Mr. Blythe's words uttered by him that same day - September 10th - at the Assembly of the League of Nations, an account of which had just appeared in the evening papers. The Mayor felicitously introduced me as a citizen of Boston, who had got the freedom of the City and had the right to vote at the 'Primaries'.

The Mayor had provided for me, as the representatives of his Government, a special committee of four distinguished citizens as on the last occasion of my visit - Mr. Charles Innes, eminent lawyer and U.S.A. Republican politician; Mr. Robert Bottomly, lawyer and political adviser of Mayor Nichols; Mr. Francis Lyons, Democratic Boss; and Mr. Long, Commissioner of Parks. On September 11th I was the guest of General and Mrs. Logan in their country house. General Logan is of an old Boston family - ancestors came from Galway - and of high standing in Boston and in the U.S.A. Army. He is at present active in the campaign for Governor Smith's candidacy for President. He and Mrs. Logan are intimate friends of John McCormack, who is inducing them to take a summer residence in County Kildare near Moore Park. While at General Logan's house I was interviewed by a representative of the Boston Post, in which I stressed the educational policy of the Irish Free State, which was to put education on a Gaelic basis. A cutting summarising this interview has been already sent to you.

I had an interview with Cardinal O'Connell² for three-quarters of an hour and presented to him the compliments of President Cosgrave, which he much appreciated. He asked many questions about the economic conditions of the country, in which he expressed genuine interest. I invited him officially, on behalf of President Cosgrave, to visit Dublin. He told me he intended visiting the old country in the near future as 'a simple pilgrim' - and he now exults in the feeling that it will coincide with an invitation from the Head of the Government of the Irish Free State. He accepted the invitation, which he hopes to make good next summer. He said it is, and will be, one of the joys of his life to know that the Government of the Irish Free State recognised in this manner his love for Ireland and what he has endeavoured to do for her in her fight for freedom - especially in 1919 when he addressed a meeting of twenty thousand Americans of Irish descent in Madison Square Garden to show the British that the agitation among those of the Irish race in America for an independent Ireland was not dead. This action on his part was prompted by the statement that was made in a speech about that time by Mr. F.E. Smith (now Lord Birkenhead).

He said it will be for him an unusual satisfaction to visit the Irish Free State as the guest of the President, but he would not be able to address meetings as he did in 1919 because he is now getting old! He would like his reception to be without undue display.

I had also a long interview with Mayor Nichols before leaving. Mayor Nichols is a Protestant and U.S.A. Republican; though Boston is normally Democratic, on account of differences among the Irish, he got elected. However, on account of his religious impartiality and of his sympathetic attitude towards Catholics, fair play and real regard and respect for the Irish, he is highly respected by the latter; in fact, it appears, loved by them. Mr. Joseph O'Connell, at the Mayor's banquet, said that on account of the love the Mayor has shown the Irish during his tenure of office 'the Irish of Boston will be beside Mayor Nichols in his hour of need'. As a Mayor cannot seek election twice in succession, Mayor Nichols will retire from office in November, 1929.

Actuated (as in the case of Cardinal O'Connell) by the desire to reciprocate the invitation tendered [by] the Mayor to President Cosgrave to visit Boston, and his hospitality to Colonel Fitzmaurice, Chief Justice Kennedy and myself to help to remove the opposition of many of Irish decent in Boston to the Irish Free State, and to compensate to some extent for the inability of the President to visit Boston, I took the liberty of officially inviting, on behalf of President Cosgrave, the Mayor to visit Dublin.³ The Mayor expressed his deep appreciation and said nothing would give him greater pleasure than to accept so signal an honour. But he could not avail himself of it until after November, 1929, on the expiration of his period of office. He would do so soon after that date.

I would suggest in this case also the desirability of the President inviting Mayor Nichols to Dublin. I need to emphasise the beneficial effect to the Irish Free State of the visit of those two distinguished men (the Cardinal and the Mayor) as guests of the President. We shall work up all the publicity at this end if my suggestions are acted upon.

I feel inclined to believe that as the result of the visit of Colonel Fitzmaurice, Chief Justice Kennedy and myself to Boston, there is being shed upon many of those who heretofore believed all that was related to them against the Irish Free State, new light as to the substantial work of our Government and the nature of the liberty we have achieved. This needs to be continually followed up so as to convince them of the real truth about the Irish Free State. However, it is important to note that all those of Irish descent who are really enthusiastic about Ireland are Republican in principle, 'the ultimate goal must be an Ireland free from any sort of enterprise with England'. These people are not necessarily anti-Free State, but they regard the Free State only as a stepping stone to a Republic. Such have been the nature of the utterances of former ex-Congressman Mr. Joseph O'Connell and ex-Mayor Curley in their speeches at the banquet given by the Mayor of Boston to Chief Justice Kennedy. However, our function is to make them realise that the Irish Free State is making good use of the freedom she has got and to seek their sympathy and moral support for it even as a 'regulative' institution.

On my return from Boston to New York, I made arrangements for the Chief Justice to visit Mayor Walker: an interview with Mr. Isaac Marcosson (whose article on 'Ireland Reborn' will appear in the Saturday Evening Post within three weeks). I asked Marcosson to discuss with Mr. Kennedy some points on the constitutional status of the Irish Free State in verification of what I had already told him. He had a two hours interview with the Chief Justice.

I arranged that our lawyers should give him a lunch. They did so, at which they invited many members of the Bar. Mr. John W. Davis presided. I also arranged a lunch for him at the New York Times.

On September 18th the Chief Justice and Mrs. Kennedy came to Washington. I presented them to the President on the 19th of September. President Coolidge asked a few questions about our country; how President Cosgrave was and said 'he produced an excellent impression in Washington and was liked by everybody'.

Colonel William Donovan, Assistant to the Attorney General, and who entertained President Cosgrave at breakfast, gave the Chief Justice and Mrs. Kennedy a lunch at which Mrs. Hoover, wife of Herbert Hoover,⁴ presided. There was also present the British Chargé d'Affaires - Mr. Chilton, who is leaving Washington to take up his post as British Minister to the Vatican.

I entertained the Chief Justice and Mrs. Kennedy at dinner, at which were present:

Mr. Kellogg spoke at length and with enthusiasm of his great time in Dublin and the wonderful reception he got there. He again said that the Irish Free State was one of the first countries to signify its willingness to sign his Treaty without reservations.

         Mrs. Williams, mother of Mrs. Sterling, was also my guest.

The Chief Justice and Mrs. Kennedy left New York for Cobh on September 22nd, having had an unusually interesting time in the U.S.A. and Canada and in the best circumstances. Mr. Kennedy told me he intends writing and publishing an account of his trip and his speeches before the American Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association in Regina. Both deal with our Constitution and Treaty and reveal for the first time some incidents of the Treaty.