At¹ his request I saw Sir Warren Fisher today. He began by saying that since our last conversation on 4th November² he had been compelled to take some leave, and that since he returned he had been working at unusually high pressure.

Since his new Government had got back, the principal Ministers of the Cabinet have been much occupied in getting into proper relations with the new House of Commons, and he had, thus far, had no opportunity of speaking to the Prime Minister and certain other Ministers whom he was anxious to see before he made the proposed visit. He had, however, had a short conversation with his own Minister, Mr. Chamberlain. He told the Chancellor that he was very anxious to see whether, apart entirely from the coal-cattle pact, something could not be done to improve the relations between the two countries. He was not unmindful of the difficulties and he thought even under favourable conditions the progress would necessarily be gradual and slow. It would be fatal for either side to attempt 'to rush the fences'. Mr. Chamberlain replied that he thought there could be few finer things for the Government to achieve than a settlement with Mr. de Valera and his Government. So far as his own Department - the Treasury - was concerned, he, as the Minister responsible, would be very anxious to do all that he could to assist in finding some way out of the difficult and wholly unsatisfactory situation.

Sir Warren Fisher said that Sir Horace Wilson who acted as a close personal Assistant to the Prime Minister had said that he was already finding it difficult to get Mr. Baldwin to move on certain questions, an immediate solution of which was imperative. Sir Warren Fisher had therefore thought it wiser to let the Cabinet get over the difficulties inseparable from the starting of a new Government and to speak to Mr. Baldwin a little later. His visit he felt sure would be more likely to be fruitful if he deferred it until he had had these conversations over here.

As far as he could see at present he thought it would be about the middle of January before he could get away. Repeatedly he asked me to assure the President that this delay was not in the slightest particular due to any reluctance of his to cross over but due entirely to other problems in no way touching Ireland, which he had not foreseen but which had arisen since our last conversation.

I said to Sir Warren Fisher that, speaking for no one else but myself, I felt it was a pity that the circumstances which he stated had prevented his making the journey had not been foreseen. The proposed visit was as he knew entirely his own suggestion. It would have been, obviously, more satisfactory if when my Government had accepted his suggestion of 4th November that suggestion had been acted on instead of being deferred in this somewhat indefinite manner. I emphasised, however, that that was merely my own personal view.

I would of course acquaint the President with the substance of what Sir Warren Fisher had now told me.

As I was leaving he mentioned that he thought he would have in about a week's time certain proposals to discus with me about the Coal Cattle position. It would therefore be helpful if I could have the brief referred to in the last paragraph of the Department's Secret minute to me dated 22nd November.³