OMINOUS ACTIVITIES ON PARTS OF THE NORTH-EASTERN BORDER
1. Belfast Government Police Circulars - Some time ago we received information
from an authentic source that two confidential circulars from the Office of the
Inspector General of the Ulster Constabulary had been despatched on the 31st
May and the 1st June respectively to the various Border-County headquarters
of that Force.
The earlier of these circulars declared that the 'Northern Government was
determined to resist the Boundary Commission, if supported properly by the
Imperial Government', and requested its officials to have the opinions of
prominent local Nationalists forwarded to P.R. Gilfinnane, a D.[istrict]
I.[nspector] of the 'C' Specials on the G.H.Q. Staff of the Force in Belfast 'in the
event of a plebiscite being decided on by the Commission'.
It is necessary to explain that 'Nationalist' in the vernacular of the Orangeman
has now come to mean exclusively one who holds the view of the A.O.H.
section. It was generally hoped a few months ago that the retainers of this
Order might be prevailed upon to cast in their lot with the Northern
Secessionists, as relationship was rather strained between them and the Sinn
Féin element. That phase has now happily passed, and these people can be
now relied upon to stand by us for the Treaty.
The second circular requested the County Inspector of the Police to furnish
the Head Office 'without delay' with a list of the stations situated on the Border
that he considered it necessary 'to have Vickers Guns planted, also the names
of men in the County suitable to man same'.
2. Provocative Actions by Specials - Shortly after this move a recrudescence of
extremely provocative conduct, reminiscent of the Border disturbances of a
year ago, manifested itself amongst particular groups of Specials along the
Southern Fermanagh Border.
I have already submitted some instances of this conduct for the consideration
of the Executive Council, notably the instance of the wanton, wilful and most
unnecessary destruction of the bridge on the Swanlinbar-Enniskillen road, and
the treatment meted out to the local people who endeavoured to mend it. This
has been all very clearly set out in the Memo. of Mr. Johnston of the Bureau,
circulated about a week ago, who paid a special visit to the locality for
investigation purposes.
The Defence Department quite lately provided further evidence of this
growing 'war atmosphere' on the part of the Specials in a statement circulated
recently setting forth the extraordinary treatment of a number of Co. Waterford
pilgrims (men and women) on their way to Lough Derg. This occurrence took
place at Garrison and Belleek, if I remember right.
3. Treatment of Our Chief Customs Officer at Clones - I am able to supply a still
further and very bad instance in the copy attached letter of Mr. P. McCartan,
our Chief Customs Officer at Clones, to his brother Mr. Hugh A. McCartan,
our publicity agent in the Bureau.1
Ministers may remember that recently at my request Mr. H.A. McCartan
paid a visit to Clones in order to enable me to supply Ministers with an accurate
account of the Twelfth celebrations in the Free State. The man Robinson
complained of, Mr. McCartan tells me, watched both his and his brother's
movements all that day. Mr. McCartan in a covering note to me comments
aptly as follows:-
'You will see that the letter more than confirms all that I have said in my
reports regarding the offensive and provocative conduct of the Specials on the
Border. It seems to me that these people are deliberately trying to stir up trouble.
If one of our people in the Six Counties had acted as Mr. Robinson did he
would be promptly arrested and placed on the Argenta. The press has been
silent on this episode so far, but it might be considered whether the facts should
be conveyed to it. The contrast between the Free State attitude towards the
Orange procession and the Specials treatment of a Free State official and
clergyman is very marked. Sir James Craig may not be aware that the conduct
of the Border Specials is the only real danger to peace'.
4. Object of all this - I think we can no longer shut our eyes to the fact that the
Specials, acting very obviously on instructions from some superior quarter,
are now deliberately endeavouring once again to stir up trouble along the
delicate and dangerous Border regions. With commendable 'restraint' they have
remained quiet and inoffensive for months past, and now for no apparent reason
(for the Border was never freer from trouble than it is to-day) their whole
attitude undergoes an immediate and sudden change.
The object of all this is obviously to create a position of actual warfare along
the Border so that they will be able to assert, as they did last year under similar
circumstances with considerable success (see the 'Times' 'Daily Mail' of the
period) that they are being attacked from the South, who are trying to indulge
in Korfanty2 tactics, and so prejudice the Commission's findings in their favour.
Instances have recently re-occurred of continued firings at night into the
Free State by gangs of armed Specials.
All this is very sinister and I am strongly of the view that representation
should be made to the Duke.3 For, if this dangerous humour continues there is
bound to be a conflagration on the Border in a short time, and then Craig may
get the entire ear of the Duke. It would be well, therefore, for us to make some
representation now, so that we could get, as it were, our say in first. And we
could not choose a better moment for this, with such excellent evidence now
quite fresh.
5. Troops Along the Border - May I suggest that it would be a very good thing if,
from this on, our side of the Border was guarded by our best, most reliable and
most seasoned troops, as it is more than likely that our men there will be
submitted to a great test of patience and endurance before the Boundary
negotiations are over.
It would be well that no troops (or as few as possible) who are natives of the
Province of Ulster should be stationed along Frontier Posts, as human nature
being as it is their naturally strong Irredentist sentiments may at an awkward
moment get the better of them with disastrous consequences.
