NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 113, 8 November 1940, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

BASES IN IRELAND

NEUTRALITY STAND

THE PREVIOUS TALKS

The handicap imposed by Irish neutrality on the British war drive against Germany, which is now being discussed, was the subject of talks between the three Governments involved . last July, but Mr. de Valera would not make any move to co-operate. Today he has firmly declared that his nation will not allow bases in Eire to be used by Britain. : Conference in London. -At the time of the July discussions the primary anxiety was that the Nazis might attempt a landing in Ireland and so establish a base for close-range operations against the west coast of Britain whither the vital trade arteries of the country lead. Lord Craigavon, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland* visited London and conferred with Mr. Winston Churchill on July 7, and a few days earlier Mr. Churchill told the House of Commons that the Irish situation was "receiving attention." The Government of Northern Ireland had been pushing a plan to have Mr. de Valera abandon his previous stand and associate his Government with the Empire in the anti-German drive. But the alternative scheme of the Iristi leader, according to a statement by Mr. J. M. Andrews, Minister of Finance in Northern Ireland, was that the whole island should be neutralised. On these terms he was 'willing to adopt a plan for the unity of Ireland. The Northern Offer. Mr. Andrews described this plan as "absurd," and .said that Northern Ireland had offered co-operation provided that the Dublin Government ousted the German and Italian Ministers and opened its ports and harbours to the British Navy. In this way, he said, Ireland could gain security against invasion: • The "Irish Press," the official newspaper of Mr. de Valera, declared on. July 2 that "the Irish people, in -the vast majority, are determined that Ireland shall be an independent, sovereign nation, with all the rights of a free community, including the right of the country's elected representatives, in Parliament assembled, to determine whether it shall or shall not be committed to war." Finally, on July 11, the Parliament of Northern Ireland learned from a speech by Lord Craigavon that his Offer of co-operation for the joint defence of the country had been rejected by Mr. de Valera. "Unthinkable" Plan. Lord Craigavon said that the Dublin demand for the^ subjection of the north would mean the substitution of Irish Republic neutral government for British citizenship and the removal of British troops from Northern Ireland, which would be "unthinkable." He said that any such scheme would merely encourage invaders in any plan they might make for the use of Irish territory as a base against Britain. Defence, he < said, could only be assured by the co-operation of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Britain. Apparently first beliefs that Mr. de Valera would be prepared to abandon neutrality in return for "constitutional changes" (that is, the absorption of Northern Ireland) were misplaced. Since these events took place the German Foreign Office informed the Irish Government that it was willing to make special arrangements for the passage of Irish ships through the German "blockade" of Britain, the zone of which was defined on August Safety for Americans. The action of the German Government in refusing to promise a safe passage to the vessel which the United States Government is sending to Britain to evacuate Americans there repeats.its former stand on the ques-' tion of the safety of the liner American Legion. _ This ship carried almost 900 Americans back from Petsamo (in northern Finland) and followed a cdurse which apparently took it close to the northwest coast of Scotland. The German attitude showed a curious duality of purpose. At first the Nazis said that as a ship of a neutral country the American Legion would not be molested. Then "total blockade" of the British Isles by Germany was formally proclaimed, and on August 17 the German Government, washed its hands of responsibility for the ship. after declaring that the United States had declined to heed a warning to keep her out of British waters which were being mined under the "blockade." At Its Own Risk. The American Legion could'follow this course only at its own risk, the Germans said. The United States Government, which hadfc notified its intention of sending the liner to rescue stranded Americans as early as August 9, announced that it intended to hold Germany to the prior assurance that the ship would not be attacked. Germany alone had tried to modify assurances given by the belligerents, it was pointed out, and Washington declined to accept these because no other safe course existed. The liner reached port safely. It is perhaps noteworthy that since the torpedoing of the Athenia, on which Americans were travelling and the report of the investigation of which has even yet not b*«n published in the United State!/ there has been no case of an attack oh any American ship by a German warship. Even though American traffic has been kept out of some European waters it was for a considerable time operating into the Mediterranean. Eager to Go Home. In mid-September, when the severe air attacks on London began, about 200 Americans, who were still resident in the capital, despite earlier advice to go home, began to clamour to the Embassy for transportation to be arranged for them. Some demanded nothing less than a warship. All were told' the same thing: that .they had been given several chances of returning home and that there was no plan to bring a ship to Britain. One American declared that he would not be kept in Britain by Germany, Britain, or his own country's State Department. He bought a boat, a strong, sea-going yacht, and applied at the Embassy for the necessary documents. He was told that he could not sail the vessel under the Stars and Stripes in belligerent waters, because of the Neutrality Act, but he planned to sail and take his chance. Up to September 15 none of the 3500 Americans still in Britain had been killed, though many had stories of narrow escapes. Four bombs had fallen near the house of the Ambassador, Mr. J. P. Kennedy, and the Embassy's femal* staff was put on a three-day week to atone for lack of sleep.