The Northern Advocate "NORTHLAND FIRST." Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper. TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1944. EIRE’S NEUTRALITY.

Northern Advocate, 14 March 1944, Page 2

The Northern Advocate "NORTHLAND FIRST." Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper. TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1944. EIRE’S NEUTRALITY.

IT may be taken as indicative of the imminence of an invasion of Europe that the neutrality of Eire has been seriously challenged by the United States, with the backing of Britain. As in the first World War, southern Ireland’s geographical position has made Eire a valuable asset to Germany during the present conflict. This has been due mainly to the decision of the British Government, shortly before the outbreak of the war, to surrender to Eire control of harbours on the west coast of Ireland which would have been of inestimable value as naval bases. The handing over of these harbours, which was done as a gesture of friendship, was strongly opposed by Mr. Churchill, who, looking ahead to a war he was certain would occur in the not distant future, realised that if Britain did not possess the harbours as naval bases she would be seriously handicapped and the enemy advantaged. However, the harbours were handed over, and as Eire declared neutrality when war between Britain and Germany broke out, Mr. de Valera refused to allow Britain to use the west coast harbours. In this attitude was technically correct. Britain had no option, short of making war on Eire, but to acquiesce in Mr. de Valera’s decision. It must have been heartbreaking to Irishmen throughout the Empire whose sons and other relatives engaged in naval and mercantile marine were being slaughtered by U-boats which could not have operated so successfully if the British Navy and Air Force had had bases on the west coast of Ireland. However, there it was. It was the British way to honour neutrality, a moral principle the cost of which cannot be estimated. But the battle of the Atlantic has been got in hand by the United Nations despite Eire’s lack of assistance. There is, however, another momentous battle in the offing. Britain and the United States have assembled in Britain a tremendous striking force. There is expected an invasion of Europe at any moment. Such a movement requires the exercise of the strictest secrecy, otherwise the enemy might be put on guard. It has therefore seemed to the United States military leaders that secrecy cannot be expected if there is allowed to continue the movement of people from Britain to Eire and from Eire to Britain. According to reports, some 4000 people make the journey daily. Many of these must be aware of the military preparations in Britain, and as German and Japanese embassies are established in Dublin, it is not uncharitable to suspect that, despite the endeavours of Mr. de Valera to prevent it. spies among the daily travellers, may communicate with the Germans and Japanese. As requests that the enemy embassies should be closed have been refused, the United States authorities have taken the lead in action which has led to the banning of all travel between Britain and Eire. This, it is believed, is only the first step to be taken to preserve the lives of British and American servicemen and to prevent the leakage of information of use to the enemy. Other secret measures, it is said, are to be taken to' ensure the highest degree of military security. There will be none in the United Nations to disagree, with what has been done. We feel that a large number of people in Eire, knowing what Germany v f ould have done if she had been in the Allies’ place, will be of opinion that action should have been taken long ago. It is clearly impossible for the United Nations to acquiesce longer in a system by which enemy agents might conceivably carry to the German embassy in Dublin vital information regarding plans for the forthcoming invasion. Inconvenience to legitimate travellers will be regretted, but in a case where the success of a great operation depends in large measure upon the secrecy with which its preparations are made, it is better that ten just men should be inconvenienced rather than that the lives of thousands should be jeopardised by the liberty granted to one unjust man.