I have the honour to refer to telegram No. 21 from the Taoiseach and Minister¹ which was very much appreciated. With regard to the question of Partition, I have the honour to confirm what I have already reported, and that is that, in my experience, it is very difficult indeed to work up any interest in Canada on the partition question. Even amongst Canadians of Irish origin, there is very little interest. They all hope that it will soon be settled but they don’t feel that they can help in the solution of a problem that they consider mainly a religious one. They are sentimentally anti-partitionist but they feel they should not meddle in the question. This attitude is in the main even true amongst those who were active in the Self-Determination League days thirty years ago. The younger people are mainly third and fourth generation Irish. They have a sentimental attachment for the country of their forebears which most of them have never seen. This attachment manifests itself on St. Patrick’s Day and rarely at any other time. I got the impression that they were very embarrassed during the war by our neutrality and they don’t want to do or say anything which might revive that situation. They were very disappointed that we did not join the Atlantic Pact. We circulate the Bulletin to about 565 persons including newspapers, and we understand that it is very much appreciated by all. With the exception of one or two French-Canadian newspapers, I think it is fair to say that the Canadian Press is unsympathetic to our viewpoint on partition.

With regard to the official attitude, it is definitely neutral with a bias against us. I feel that Mr. St. Laurent and Mr. Pearson would both like to see the question settled and Ireland reunited, but neither will do anything to assist in bringing that about. Other members of the Cabinet like Claxton,² Minister for Defence, [are] definitely against us.

With regard to the declaration of the Republic of Ireland and our secession from the Commonwealth, the Government attitude is that it was a question for us entirely to decide but they regret our decision. They make every effort to treat us as if we were still members of the Commonwealth, and, when I point out that such is not the case, they reply, not unreasonably, that we are not quite out because we still deal with the CRO.

They were greatly disappointed that we did not join the Atlantic Pact which they regard as their child. They regard our reasons for not joining as special pleading. I personally have not the slightest doubt that, had we joined the Atlantic Pact, any feeling against us for our neutrality would have been removed and that a very definite interest in finding a solution of the Partition question would have been created.

I have always had this impression in conversations with Pearson although the only reference he ever made to it was when he said ‘I will always think you lost a great chance’. Pearson, as I have already reported, is the grandson of a North of Ireland Methodist Minister, so his background can hardly be regarded as sympathetic.

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