Eire's Neutrality

Attempts to Persuade Eire to enter the War
1. British attempts to persuade Eire to join the war
  1. When the Germans defeated and occupied France in 1940, Britain aind its Empire stood alone against Hitler
  2. The British needed all the help they could get, especially as the USA was still neutral. Eire could provide much needed air and naval bases for the British to use in the Battle of the Atlantic.
  3. Attempt 1 (June 1940)
    1. The British tried to persuade Eire to join them in a defensive agreement
    2. The British proposed that if Eire allowed British ships access to ports in Eire, and British troops and planes to be stationed at certain laces in Eire, they would provide equipment for the Irish army and agree to a united Ireland 'at an early date.' When Craigavon heard of this offer he was outraged,
    3. De Valera rejected the offer anyway for two reason - 1. At this stage I looked like Germany was going to win the war anyway, If they did, they would grant a united Ireland even if Eire stayed neutral. 2. He felt that if Eire did enter the war, it would lose its independence
  4. Attempt 2 (December 1941)
    1. When the Japanese attacked the Amricans at Pearl Harbour on the 7th of December 1941, Germany also declared war on the USA
    2. Churchill tried again to persuade de Valera to join the war now that Britain and the ?USA were fighting together. He said in a telegram - 'Now or never "A Nation once Again"
    3. This meant that Churchill was again offering a united Ireland if Eire joined Britain in the war against Germany.
    4. Again de Valera declined.
  5. Attempt Number 3 (1942)
    1. In Mid - 1942 the Battle of the Atlantic was at its peak and German U-Boats were sinking a lot of Allied merchant ships in the Atlantic
    2. Churchill asked de Valera for the Treaty Ports to be returned to Britain that the Royal Navy could use them as bases for their convoy escort ships. Again de Valera refused
Benevolent Neutrality
1. Donegal air corridor
2. Help during the Belfast Blitz
3. Allied airmen being allowed to escape
4. Secret radar bases
5. Irish citizens joining the British Armed Forces
Strict Neutrality
1. Dealing with the IRA
2. Allies not allowed to use ports and airfields in Eire
3. Refusal to close the offices of the German and Japanese Ambassadors in Dublin
4. The sympathy visit
5. Censorship of the press
Allied response to Eire's neutrality
1. Sir Basil Brooke and Unionists were disgusted with Eire's decision to stay neutral
2. The British did their best to persuade Eire to join them in the war with Germany
3. Roosevelt saw Eire's neutrality 'as a serious impediment to the war effort'

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Eire's Neutrality

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