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Volume 9 1948~1951

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No. 324 NAI TSCH/3/S9092C

Memorandum for Government by the Department of External Affairs 'Establishment of Short-Wave Wireless Station'

Dublin, 16 May 1949

  1. The provision of facilities for direct communication with countries overseas is most important from the external affairs point of view. Without them, our political action abroad is liable to be brought to a standstill, particularly at moments of crisis.
  2. Our inability to rely on the established press agencies to get our point of view across abroad need not be stressed. At the present moment, as so often in the past, they 'play down' our official releases, or suppress them altogether, and send out only such material as suits the British and American interests who own them. The facilities afforded by the commercial cable companies are expensive, and often they, too, cannot be relied upon in all circumstances. In fact, the Department of External Affairs no longer gives business to the Western Union because, on one occasion, they held up an important official statement going from the Department to the Legation at Washington for as long as five days. As regards broadcasting, we can only reach overseas countries through the medium of British short-wave transmitters, and we know from recent experience that the B.B.C. reserves a right of censorship over material sent out in this way.
  3. The only satisfactory remedy for this state of affairs is a short-wave transmitter of our own. It is understood that satisfactory frequencies have now been secured. The possibility of meeting part of the cost of the new service by selling advertising time could be examined. But, of the need and value of long-distance wireless facilities, there can be no question. They are essential if we are to be sure of making our point of view known quickly, widely and fully abroad. Newspapers in Boston, Chicago and other American centres would certainly make use of news-casts from Ireland (which, for the purpose, could be repeated at dictation speed); the limited Irish press in the United States would be afforded means of increasing its effectiveness; and, particularly if the new station could be used for the operation of teleprinters in the Legation at Washington or the Consulate General at New York, an appreciable saving in cabling costs could probably be realised.
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