Eire's Neutrality

Attempts to Persuade Eire to Entire the War.
1. April 1939- de Valera declared that Eire would stay neutral if war broke out between Britain and Germany.
  1. Eire was the only member of the British common wealth NOT to go to war with Germany.
  2. He knew most people where not pro-German but neither where they pro-British. Some people actually favoured helping Britain to fight Hitler.
  3. ONLY NEUTRALITY COULD HOLD THE BALANCE BETWEEN THESE GROUPS
  4. WHY WOULD IT BE HARD FOR EIRE TO STAY NEUTRAL?
    1. Geographically close to Britain.
    2. It had strong economic links with Britain e.g British merchant ships supplied Eire with coal and other essential materials.
2. British attempts to persuade Eire to join the war.
  1. June 1940- when the Germans defeated and occupied France, Britain and it's empire stood alone against Hitler.
  2. The Battle of the Atlantic- The British needed all the help they could get, especially as the USA was still neutral. Eire could provide so much needed air and naval bases for the British to use in this battle and to defend the British invasion.
3. Attempt Number 1- June 1940 After Germany defeated France and British troops withdrew from Dunkirk. The British tried to persuade Eire to join them in a defensive agreement
4. The British proposed that if Eire allowed British ships to access to ports in Eire, and British troops and planes to be stationed at certain places in Eire, they would provide equipment for the Irish Army and agree to unite Ireland 'at an early date'.
  1. When Craigavon heard of this he was outraged!
  2. De valera rejected the offer for two reasons;
    1. 1. At this stage in time it looked like Germany was going to win the war and if that happened then Eire would be granted unity anyway.
    2. 2. He felt that Eire would lose it's independence if they entered the war.
5. Attempt number 2- December 1941.
  1. When the Japanese attacked the Americans at Pearl Harbour on the 7th of December 1941, Germany also declared war on the USA
  2. Churchill tried again to get Eire to join the war now that Britian and the USA were fighting together. He said in a telegram- "NOW OR NEVER 'A NATION ONCE AGAIN."
    1. This meant that Churchill was again offering a united Ireland if Eire joined the war against Germany.
      1. But again de Valera DECLINED.
6. Attempt number 3- 1942
  1. In mid 1942 the battle of the ATlantic was at it's peak and German U boats were sinking a lot of Allied merchant ships in the Atlantic.
    1. Churchil asked de Valera for the Treaty ports to be returned to Britain so that the Royal navy could use them as bases for their convoy escort ships. Again De Valera REFUSED.
BENEVOLENT NEUTRIALITY
1. 1. The Donegal Air Corridor
  1. In a secret deal with the British in 1941, de valera allowed the RAF and later the US forces to overfly part of the county of Donegal. This avioded 100 mile detour around the northern tip of County Donegal.
  2. It also allowed allied planes from Castle Archdale to patrol an extra 100 miles out into the Atlantic and provide air cover to the convoys for longer.
  3. These broke the rules of neutriality
2. 2. Help During the Belfast Blitz
  1. De Valera sent 71 firemen and 13 fire engines up North by request of McDermmot to help during the blitz of April-May 1941.
    1. Again this broke the rules of neutrality and risked a revenge attack from the Germans on Dublin itself.
      1. De valera expressed concern about the heavy loss of life during the blitz- people he saw as Irish.
3. 3. Allied Airmen Being Allowed to Escape
  1. Neutrality for Eire meant imprisoning any servicemen from countries invloved in the war who ended up on it's soil e.g shipwrecked sailors comeing ashore in Eire, pilots from planes that crashed in Eire or those who parachuted out of damaged ones onto Eire.
    1. Once again Eire broke the rules by allowing the crew of Allied planes or shipwrecked sailors to escape across the border while German pilots and shipwrecked sailors imprisoned.
4. 4. Secret RADAR bases
  1. In February 1945 when it was clear that Germany was about to lose the war de Valera gave the British Govt. permission to build secret RADAR bases in Eire.
5. 5. Irish men joining the British Armed Forces
  1. Despite neutrality, 43,000 people from Eire joined the British armed forces, including 5,000 who left the Irish Army to join the British one.
  2. Those who served won 8 Victoria Crosses. De Valera made no attempt to stop Eire citizens leaving to join the British forces.
STRICT NEUTRIALITY
1. 1. Dealing with the IRA
  1. The IRA was ine of the biggest dangers to Eire's neutrality. IRA attacks Britain into invading Eire and starting a war between the 2 countries (as the IRA hoped)
    1. Concern also about IRA attempts to get help from Germany.
      1. To prevent this, de Valera arrested and interned suspected IRA men.
  2. 6 IRA men were executed and 3 other allowed to die while on hunger strike.
  3. RESULT: IRA VIOLENCE STOPPED BY 1943
2. 2. Allies not ALLOWED to use ports and Air fields in Eire
  1. DE VALERA REJECTED ATTEMPTS BY THE BRITISH AND LATER THE AMERICANS TO PERSUADE HIM TO ALLOW THE ALLIES TO USE AIRFIELDS AND PORTS IN EIRE
    1. He also wouldn't let British troops on Eire soil.
3. 3. Refusal to close the offices of the German and Japanese Ambassadors in Dublin.
  1. The British and Americans demanded that De Valera close these offices in Dublin.
    1. The Allies argued that these offices were bases for spies. DE VALERA REFUSED.
4. 4. The sympathy visit.
  1. HITLER'S SUICIDE: APRIL 1945
    1. BRITS AND AMERICANS- OUTRAGED!
      1. They'd heard details about the concentration camps and the treatment of the Jews
  2. De Valera visited the German Embassy to offer his condolences to the German ambassador
5. 5. Censorship of the press
  1. TO STOP ANY PUBLIC EXPRESSION OF OPINION WHICH MIGHT FAVOR ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER
    1. Bishops letter to his parishioners was amended because he wrote some anti-German comments in it.
How Northern Ireland and the Allies responded to Eire's Neutrality.
1. 1. Northern Ireland's Attidude to Eire's Neutrility
  1. Sir basil Brooke and unionists were disgusted with Eire's decision to stay neutral. Drove the 2 parts of Ireland apart.
    1. The one thing that warmed relation ships was when De valera sent fire engines to help with the Belfast Blitz.
    2. REFUSAL TO CLOSE THE EMBASSIES IN DUBLIN MADE THEM VERY SUSPICIOUS AND SAW IT AS A BASE OF SPIES GAINING INFO FROM SOUTHERNERS WORKING IN THE NORTH
2. 2. The British Attidude Eire's Neutrality
  1. Winston Churchill annoyed along with many members of the British military.
  2. Many memebrs understood de Valera's position and saw them as still being part of the war effort due to benevolent neutrailty
3. What the USA thouught of Eire's Neutrality
  1. Put more pressue on Eire when they joined the war in 41
  2. President Roosevelt saw Eire's neutrality as a serious immediment to the war effort
  3. DAVID GRAY- VERY CRITICAL OF EIRE'S NEUTRALITY AND DE VALERA.

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Eire's Neutrality

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	Created by JESSICA BOGLE over 8 years ago