740.00116 EW/11–1444: Telegram
The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Gallman) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 14—10:12 p.m.]
9955. The Under-Secretary for the Dominions in reply to a question in the House of Commons this morning said that the Government [Page 1449] of Eire had informed the British Government that their attitude toward the harboring of war criminals was as follows:
“They state that in their view the right to grant asylum is now in question and they can give no assurances which will preclude them from exercising that right of justice, charity or honor which the interests of the nation so require. They also refer to the absence of a comprehensive international code applicable to the matter and to the lack of any recognized court or procedure for the judicial determination of individual cases. They go on to say on the other hand that it has been the uniform practice of Eire to deny admission to all aliens whose presence would be at variance with the policy of neutrality or detrimental to the interests of the Irish or to the interests of the desire of the Irish people to avoid injury to the interests of friendly states and that such aliens if they land would be deported to their countries of origin as soon as possible. The United Kingdom Government”, added Mr. Emrys-Evans, “wished to make it clear in the words used by the Eire Government that it would be detrimental to the interests of the Irish people were war criminals to be harbored in Ireland.”