Our Aliens Branch has been filled with alarm and despondency by the decision to allow the Yugoslav Ambassador¹ and his wife to come over here for a holiday partly because this decision was taken without prior consultation with us thus presenting us with a fait accompli, but chiefly I think because one of the morning papers carries a story that three members of the Czech Embassy in London are planning to do the same, viz., to come over here for a holiday, and that it has been the policy of successive Ministers for Justice with the tacit (and sometimes explicit) approval of the Taoiseach or the Government for the time being not to grant visas to the civil or military officials of the so-called Iron Curtain countries, or even to private persons (other than refugees) from these countries.

The exception that was made in the case of the Yugoslav football team some time ago² is more apparent than real since our hands were forced to some extent by the fact that we did not become aware of the impending visit of the team until a few days before the event when the arrangements were so far advanced that the fixture could not have been called off without great inconvenience to all concerned. And it was made very plain to us at the time that some members of the Government, and perhaps the majority, were very much opposed to the idea of granting visas even to football teams from behind the Iron Curtain who were going to stay in the country for no longer than 72 hours because, amongst other things, of the supposed quasi-official status of the sport in Communist countries. You will recall too that when the present Government had been in office for no more than a couple of weeks the Assistant Military Attaché at the Soviet Embassy in London and his Clerk were refused a visa to attend the Dublin Horse Show,³ and a couple of weeks ago we refused to allow a Czech archaeologist to visit Professor O’Riordan in Dublin.⁴

I am not aware that the policy with respect to the admission of aliens from the Iron Curtain countries (other than refugees) has ever been the subject of a formal Government decision except in relation to the question of trading with countries under Communist control, which is governed by the decision taken on the 18th September and 20th October, 1953, which it was sought (jointly by your Department and the Department of Industry and Commerce) without success to have modified in September, 1954.⁵ However, there is no doubt at all as to what the policy has been and we have always acted on the principle that the admission of aliens from Communist-controlled countries (other than refugees), and in particular the admission of official persons from these countries, was highly inexpedient because of the public hostility it was likely to occasion. And of course this policy was in line with Government policy with respect to the admission of such aliens for the purpose of trade, with regard to which it would have been plainly in our economic interests to pursue a more liberal policy.

This being so, the misgivings of our Aliens Branch about the case of the Yugoslav Ambassador appear to me to be well-founded since his arrival here may well provoke an outcry in some section of the press and lead to questions being asked with respect to Government policy. I suggest, therefore, that the time has come to ask the Government to settle the policy and as I gather from what you said to me in the course of our telephone conversation that your Department feels that there may be a case for giving more favourable treatment to some of the Iron Curtain countries (e.g., Yugoslavia) than others and something to be said for relaxing the rigours of the existing rule, it occurs to me that the Minister for External Affairs may wish to submit his view in a memorandum to the Government. If you would prefer that the matter should be raised by our Department we will be willing to submit a memorandum and incorporate your views.

I am sending a copy of this letter to Ó Muimhneacháin for the Taoiseach’s information.⁶