Taoiseach Éamon de Valera’s visit to the German legation on the death of Adolf Hitler caused shock and bewilderment in Irish America.
Nothing de Valera did in his long career attracted the same international opprobrium as his visit to the German minister in Ireland, Dr Eduard Hempel, to express condolences following Hitler’s death.
De Valera’s visit to Hempel on May 2nd, 1945 was controversial at the time and remains controversial to this day, with some commentators even suggesting erroneously that it demonstrated the Irish government was pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic during the second World War.
There was a great deal of hostility in the US media and political establishment towards Ireland’s neutrality during the war and Irish-Americans were forced on the defensive during that period.
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Many were aghast as the news filtered through of de Valera’s actions, according to newly released files from Ireland’s Washington legation covering the war years.
Many attached newspaper clippings of the coverage of de Valera’s actions, asking if it was really true that he had done such a thing.
“I respectfully ask you to close the Irish Legation. It is a standing insult to all of us. You stink, you are swine,” James O’Callaghan cabled, adding that he was from Donegal.
“Please give us full facts concerning de Valera’s actions on the death of Adolf Hitler. Local controversy makes immediate answer imperative,” cabled Jack O’Loan, the secretary of the Gaelic League in Detroit.
“Every man and woman of Irish blood regrets the stupid action of Prime Minister [sic] Éamon de Valera of Éire,” wrote Irish-American lawyer Frank Hogan.
“Éire had enough of the Sassenach (Saxon) brutality for 700 years occupation in the Emerald Isle, but you cannot blame all the Irish in the world for the stupidity of one man”.
On a similar theme Edger H Twamley from Chicago wrote: “A more stupid thing for Éire is hard to imagine; it’s just one more item on the wrong side of a ledger already crowded with debits of the last five years’ human struggles against tyranny – debits when Éire might have had many credit entries.”
Margaret Mary Turner, who claimed her views were shared by all Irish-American mothers, wrote: “We, my people, the Healys, Sullivans and Moynihans and my husband’s folks the Burneses would have denounced him [de Valera] with their last breath for daring to call on the German Legation in Ireland and express his sympathy on Hitler’s death.”
One Massachusetts congressman Henry Shattuck, who had endowed the chair of Celtic Studies at Harvard University, suggested that Ireland should be barred from joining the United Nations because of de Valera’s actions.
Files show the Washington legation was engaged for weeks in an attempt at damage limitation control, though many in the American public had already made up their mind about de Valera’s actions.
Sean Nunan, an official at the legation, said he had received a phone call suggesting there had been two days of mourning for Hitler in Ireland. The Chicago Tribune reported the Irish legation in Washington had put the Nazi flag at half-mast.
“I had three other telephone calls today, two of the people were very abusive and on the lines of those reported yesterday. They all claimed to have had relatives killed in this present war.”
One woman who called told the legation secretary to “go to hell and then hung up”; another, who said he had supported de Valera’s neutrality policy, said his actions at the legation were “disgraceful”.
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A pro-forma response was sent to many of those who contacted the legation stating that de Valera had acted strictly in accordance with diplomatic procedure.
The legation pointed out that Nazi representatives had attended President Franklin Roosevelt’s inauguration in January 1941 even after Germany had overrun the Low Countries and France.
They also recalled that both the Dáil and Seanad had adjourned as a mark of respect on the death of Roosevelt.
[ Hitler's death: Hyde also expressed condolencesOpens in new window ]
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