I have just seen Lord Wigram on the question of the procedure to be followed in sending replies to the Letters and Addresses of sympathy received in the past few weeks by the King from An Saorstát.

Lord Wigram was much disappointed that we could not see our way to accept his proposal that the letters and addresses should be dealt with as he suggested.

There was a lengthy discussion at the end of which he agreed to our dealing with the letters in the same way that we dealt with the telegrams, on condition that I should bring him a note from the President which he could show to the King.

The King, I gathered, was uneasy lest it might look as though he were being discourteous in not sending replies from Buckingham Palace since some of the senders of the letters and addresses were personal friends. Lord Wigram said he could satisfy the King if he could show him a letter signed by the President in which it was stated that Mr. de Valera foresaw certain difficulties in dealing with the letters differently from the telegrams and that in these circumstances he thought the telegram procedure should be continued.

I am therefore sending herewith the letters in question.¹ The attached list gives particulars of the senders.

In view of the length of time which has elapsed since some of the letters were written it will be obvious that our acknowledgment of these letters should be made as quickly as possible.