I spoke to Mr. Malcolm MacDonald on the telephone at Lossiemouth yesterday and asked him to let me have this evening instead of to-morrow morning the advance copy of the statement which he had told me the British Government would issue in the press of the 30th December on our Constitution. Mr. MacDonald promised to let me know later in the day. He telephoned to me last evening and said that he had instructed Sir Edward Harding to meet Mr. Walshe and myself this evening at 5 o'clock and hand to us the statement in question.

Accordingly Sir Edward Harding saw Mr. Walshe and myself at this Office this evening and handed to me the accompanying statement dated 29th December¹.

He explained that the typed inset portion of the statement only would be handed to the Pres, that is to say, without the first and final paragraphs.

Sir Edward Harding said the Secretary of State had asked him to supplement the statement in the following sense:

First, Mr. MacDonald did not wish the third paragraph of the statement to be regarded as in any sense provocative. It represented the considered view of the United Kingdom Government on a matter affecting a part of the United Kingdom, and it would be necessary for any United Kingdom Government to define its attitude on such a matter. Secondly, he did not wish the statement as a whole to be regarded as a prelude to any rigidity of attitude on the part of the Ministers who would represent the United Kingdom at the January meetings. On the contrary he hoped, as he knew Mr. de Valera hoped, that these meetings would be the beginning of a real improvement in the relations between the two countries.