Volume 8 1945~1948


Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 373 NAI DFA 434/6

Letter from Leo T. McCauley to Frank Gallagher (Dublin)

Dublin, 30 July 1947

Some days ago, Mr. L.H. Kerney handed me the following telegram which he had received from Mr. Osgar Hynes in Buenos Aires:-

'Suggest wife Argentine President who recently visited Spain Vatican and presently in Paris for few days more invited Irelandward visit including Admiral Browns1 birthplace Henry agreeable.'

Mr. Kerney suggested that it would be inappropriate for him to reply and he suggested that the reply might be sent by you if the proposal made by Mr. Hynes were not being acted upon. Mr. Kerney made this suggestion because he understood that you were in correspondence with Mr. Hynes in connection with publicity matters. The person named Henry mentioned in the telegram is a Dr. Henry, who is one of the senior members of the Irish group in the Argentine.

I consulted the Taoiseach and he decided against issuing an invitation to Senora Peron.2 He thought that it would perhaps be best if, in writing to Mr. Hynes, you said that Mr. Kerney had mentioned his proposal, but that we did not like to take any initiative in the matter at this stage, as the lady might not desire it.

If you decide to write on these lines, I think that the Taoiseach would like to see the letter before it issues.

1 Admiral William Brown (1777-1857), Irish-born founder of the Argentine Navy.

2 Maria 'Eva' Perón (1919-52), second wife of President Juan Perón, First Lady of Argentina (1946-52), Head of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in Argentina (1946-52), Head of the Ministry of Health of Argentina (1946-52).