Erskine Childers-Renegade Englishman

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 53, 25 November 1922, Page 11

Erskine Childers- Renegade Englishman

Collins’s “Exposure” of De Valera Intrigue In recent cablegrams relating to events in, Ireland, the name of Erskine Childers has been frequently mentioned. The following has, therefore, a topical as well as a personal, interest.

P 0 R SOME WEEKS BEFORE HIS DEATH Michael Collins, it seems, was dictating to Mr. Hayden Talbot, the Anglo-American journalist, the story of his career. A fortnight ago (states the “Belfast Weekly News”), he decided to expose Erskine Childers, but stipulated that the statement should not be published until the rebellion -Was broken. The embargo is now held to be raised, and the "exposure” appears in the "Sunday Express.” It contains the following passages, dictated, according to Mr. Talbot, on the Free State leader’s return to Dublin from a flying visit to Limerick:—“Ten years ago Childers—then in th§ English Civil Service, and with more or less influence among a certain coterie in the House ot Commons—was urging in evgry way at his command that the British Government should grant the Irish people a measure of freedom that was as unthinkable from an English view as it was greater and more radical than the most advanced Irishman dreamed of getting. Then, as at all times since, this Englishman was damning any chance Ireland might have had of winning reasonable concessions from England—by advocating an extreme course of action which must inevitably heighten English hostility against us. Down through the years Childers’s record shows he never--once deviated from his set purpose always to be more extreme than the most extreme of the Irish Radicals. Twenty years ago Childers wrote a book, in which he made out a perfect case for an astounding kind of super-spy—the agent provocateur. His ingenious scheme was,nothing less than having the spy join the extreme faction in an enemy country, and lead them to excesses that would eventually bring about ne desired war. . “'That was the Childers of twenty years ago. Let us look into his activities as a champion of the cause of Irish freedom, keeping in mind this scheme he sponsored. ' “Darrell Figgis went to Belgium in June, 1914, and bought 2000 rifles and ammunition at Liege. A Belgian sea-going tug transhipped the purchase to an agreed rendezvous in the North Sea, where the cargo was transhipped to Childers’s yacht. Eventually we got possession of the guns and ammunition t—and the whole world presently learned of the gun-running at Howth. Would 'anyone suggest that Childers’s part in this exploit is inconsistent with his. professed belief in the efficacy of hs super-spy system? What practical good could be realised from our getting possession of a relative handful of weapons _ On the other hand, the widespread publicity given to the exploit iunnsh.6 England with a new' and substantial ground for dealing sternly with tne ‘impossible Irish malcontents.’” „ "But even more than this Childers may have had in his mind. At that time Caron’s armed forces in Ulster were drilling and preparing to wage war upon us-at least that is what many Irishmen honestly believed. What could suit England’s wishes better than such a war? How could it be precipitated more surely than by furnishing arms in discreetly inadequate quantities te the side which, unarmed, had no choice except passive acceptance of the Ulster men ace? Fortunately, for once, we avoided making the error of doing what reland’s enemies fully expected. It was for Easter week those guns were intended, and it was in Easter week, only, that they were used. THE GUILELESS DE VALERA. “Within less than a month after the Howth gun-running Childers was enlisting in the English Secret Service in the world war, repeating the services he had rendered his Empire .in the South African War.

“Then in 1917 Childers met De Valera. It was an unhappy moment tor Ireland when this illogical, incompetent, inexperienced school teacher came under the spell of Childers-a genius as brilliant as De Valera is guile ess- It was Childers who wrote the famous Document dumber Iwo. It is ChH who has guided practically every action of De Valera the past hve was strongly opposed to Childers’s presence in the delegation of Treaty plenipotentiaries even as a secretary, but De Valera would not listen my o j - tions. There was no room for doubt that De Valera firmly believed that Childers was the only man upon whom he could depend. “And what did Childers do in London? He had told Do Valera, Burgha (Burgess), Stack, and others in Dublin that he had a great scheme by which he could argue the British Government into recognising that there was mo danger in her granting Ireland’s demand for a Republic. Griffith and ie rest of the plenipotentiaries had no such scheme. Wherefore in due course it was decided that Childers should have a chance of putting his scheme into execution. Ho had been most secretive about it all along, and 1 had no idea what it was when we went together by appointment to the Colonial Office one day last November, and thgre met Winston Churchill and Lord Beatty, lhe latter had a huge map brought over from the Admiralty at Childers s reques . It showed Britain, Ireland, and the European coast. Z “ ‘Now, gentlemen,’ began Childers, ‘I mean to demonstrate that Ireland is not only no source of danger to England, but, from a military standpoint, is virtually useless.’ - , “This announcement staggered me probably more than it did the other two. It was such ridiculous balderdash, I felt like wanting to get out of the room, but I naturally realised that I must make a pretence of standing by my colleague. “Churchill and Beatty exchanged glances,and then gave Childers their attention again. . . ‘Take the matter of Irish bases for/English submarine chasers,’’ Childers continued. ‘From the viewpoint of naval expediency Plymouth is a far better base than any port on the Irish coast.’ “ ‘You really think so?’ asked Beatty. “Childers insisted he did, adding: ‘For instance, supposing Ireland were not there at all ' • “ ‘Ah!’ said Beatty, with a smile, 'but Ireland is there.’ “ ‘And how many times,’ interjected Churchill, ‘have w& wished she. were not?’ 5 t “And that was Childers’s great idea, and it was all of it. The argument with which he was going to persuade the British Government to recognise the Irish Republic got no further. I never felt more a fool in my whole life, and yet to tins' day De Valera and .pthers believe fhat Childers's scheme failed only because we of the delegation did not back him whole-heartedly. “Was this merely another instance of Childers doing Ireland grievous damage unwittingly ' For my part I find it difficult to believe that Childers ever did one unwittjng act in his life; but, having said this, I repeat that it makes little difference. The only important fact that the,lrish people must fully appreciate is that Erskine Childers—wittingly or unwittingly—has already done and is now doing has utmost to effect Ireland’s ruin.’’