1. I feared from our 'phone conversation of Saturday that the American Minister had put us a truly formidable question. I accordingly prepared a rough note for my own use of which (although 80% irrelevant) I attach a copy hereto.¹

   The request contained in Mr. Gray's Memorandum of the 20th inst. obviously concerns only 'internable' Axis matériel ('aircraft' meaning on the basis of ejusdem generis only 'warplanes') and so should be easy to answer.

2. Our reply would be, roughly:
   • the Irish Government will continue to intern all belligerent warships and aircraft according to the rules of international law as long as the present war lasts, and
   • they will not release interned matériel until the war is legally at an end and all charges properly due to the State or to persons in Irish jurisdiction in respect of the said matériel have been paid off and a good discharge for the transferred matériel obtained.

[matter omitted]