Letter from Daniel A. Binchy to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)
(Copy)

This morning Mr. McCauley and myself called by arrangement at the Foreign Office and saw Baron von Ow-Wachendorf, who has just returned from Russia. He professed to be unaware of our arrival in Berlin, from which I infer that the Consulate-General had not sent word that we were en route. I told him that we were ready to present credentials any day that would suit the Foreign Office, and the sooner the better. He promised to speed the matter up and did not anticipate any delay, as the President of the Reich is in Berlin presently. I handed him a copy of the speech which I am to deliver, and he promised to prepare the President's reply immediately. As soon as I receive it I will forward you a translation for issue to the Press after the presentation of credentials. He welcomed most cordially my suggestion that I should deliver my speech in German, and undertook to have it properly translated for me.

2. From everything that Wachendorf said, I gather that there is no question of anyone but Herr von Dehn-Schmidt being appointed Minister in Dublin. He seemed to take Dehn's appointment as already settled, therefore we may assume that it will not be at all affected by the advent of a new Foreign Minister. I pressed Wachendorf to secure that Dehn would be in a position to hand over credentials as soon as possible after myself, pointing out the danger of his being forestalled by a French Minister. I told him that a house was already being procured for the latter, and noted that he was aware of it already. He seemed to attach serious importance to the point for he spoke on the telephone, in my presence, to two officials in the office, insisting on the necessity of getting in before the French. His own belief is that it is not necessary to secure the Reichstag's approval beforehand, as (this was an interesting piece of information to me) there will be no increase in Dehn's salary. As the Reichstag will not reassemble before the middle of November, it is to be hoped that he will be able to get his view adopted. At all events, he promised that he would do his utmost and report to me as soon as possible.

3) Incidentally, Wachendorf confirmed a suspicion of mine in regard to the British Embassy, of which I have already informed you verbally. You will remember that the original draft of the German letter of agrément used the words 'an Irish Minister'. The Counsellor of the Embassy afterwards informed me that the Foreign Office had sent round for the letter, in order to alter these words to 'Minister for the Irish Free State'. I took care at the time to let him see that I had a shrewd suspicion as to the source of this alteration. Today, Wachendorf admitted to me that one of the Secretaries of the Embassy (he did not say which of them, but I suspect it was the egregious Montgomery) had been sent round to him at once to request that the proposed alteration be made. I said nothing of Mr. Nicolson's¹ 'version'of the story, and merely remarked that while we would use the words 'Irish Free State Delegation' for official purposes, we intended to call it the 'Irish Delegation' (Irische Gesandtschaft) for all ordinary purposes. He assured me that the Foreign Office would do the same.

4) There is a possibility, according to Wachendorf, of a South African Minister being appointed to Germany later on. The South African Government, he says, are favourably disposed towards the idea, but are nervous of the expense involved. (This seems peculiar in view of the fact that the recent years have been prosperous ones for the Union.) When the Commercial Treaty was being negotiated at Pretoria, the German negotiator took care to impress on the Union Government that the arrangement whereby the Minister at the Hague would have a 'roving commission' for Germany would be unsatisfactory for both countries.

5) Having left Wachendorf, I went alone to the Embassy, where I had an appointment with the Ambassador, Sir Horace Rumbold, at 12 noon. I cannot describe my reception as anything like cordial, though he was perfectly polite. He seemed rather ill-at-ease, and kept the conversation on general topics. No allusion whatever was made to our future relations, nor did he suggest that I should come and see him again. But he spoke vaguely of giving a big dinner before he went on leave next month and hoped I would be able to come.

6) I feel you will be pleased to hear of a very useful piece of propaganda which has already been effected by the Secretary of the Legation. While travelling on one of Cook's tours through Berlin yesterday, he noticed the Conductor indicating a few of the more important Embassies. Having engaged him in conversation, Mr McCauley discovered that he had spent twenty years in America and had been associated almost entirely with Irish people there. Accordingly, Mr. McCauley pointed out to him our premises in the Tiergartenstrasse, and he most readily promised to mention the Irish Legation when passing it for the future. As he conducts the two daily tours, this means that thousands of foreigners and Germans from the provinces will become acquainted with our existence. We intend to avail of all such methods of publicity according as we learn of them.