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Volume 9 1948~1951

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No. 398 NAI TSCH/3/S10959C

Memorandum for Government by the Department of External Affairs
'Appointment to the Post of Public Relations Officer in London'

Dublin, 30 November 1949

  1. At its meeting on the 31st May last, the Government authorised the Minister for External Affairs to make certain additions to the staff of his Department. These included the post of Public Relations Officer on the staff of the High Commissioner in London. The Minister for External Affairs has given specially careful consideration to the filling of this post.
  2. The importance of the post of Public Relations Officer in London will be obvious. His primary task will, of course, be to secure a better presentation of Irish news in the British Press - a major national interest, particularly in relation to the problem of Partition. For this, he will require to establish and maintain personal contacts, not merely with the ordinary Press representatives and staff-writers, but with proprietors, editors and others who determine newspaper policy. His functions will not be limited, however, to the British Press. As is well known, most Irish news reaches the outside world through London. For their news about this country, foreign and overseas agencies and newspapers rely for the most part, on their correspondents in London, who, as a rule, are people of high standing in their profession. The Public Relations Officer must be able to establish close relations with these people also. In short, the Public Relations Officer in London should be someone able - by reason of his general background, personality and experience - to 'contact' newspaper proprietors, editors, and important foreign correspondents and get from them a proper degree of attention for what he has to say.
  3. Having carefully considered the matter in all its aspects, the Minister for External Affairs has reached the conclusion that the best qualified person he can recommend to the Government for appointment to the post is Lord Killanin.1 Lord Killanin, who is an M.A. of Cambridge University, is a professional journalist. After several years' experience on various London newspapers, he acted for two years as War Correspondent in the Sino-Japanese conflict. Having travelled extensively in the Far East and the United States after that assignment, he returned to London and resumed diplomatic and political journalism. Lord Killanin, who is the author of several books, spent a year studying at the Sorbonne and is a fluent French speaker - a point of considerable importance from the point of view of relations with foreign correspondents in London. Lord Killanin is an Irish citizen and, since 1939, has resided in this country and played a prominent role in various fields of national activity - the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, the Connemara Pony Breeding Association, the Galway Show Society, the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society, the Galway Board of Fishery Conservators, etc. He is President of the Irish Club in London and a Vice-President of the Paddington Branch of the Anti-Partition League.
  4. The Minister for External Affairs is satisfied that Lord Killanin possesses qualifications for the London post which are not ordinarily to be found in the Civil Service and which it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find outside it. He believes that Lord Killanin would accept the appointment, if it were offered to him on suitable terms. The Minister would propose to offer him the salary scale and allowances appropriate to an officer of the rank of Counsellor serving in London. It would, however, be necessary to increase the normal allowances by an amount sufficient to cover the extra income tax to which Lord Killanin (who has a private income) would become subject by reason of acquiring a residence in England. Lord Killanin is a director of Irish Shell, Ltd., and of a private company (Chippenham Park Estate Company),2 but the Minister has no reason to think that these interests would interfere with the satisfactory performance of his duties.
  5. Accordingly, having regard to the provisions of Section 3 of the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Act, 1926, the Minister for External Affairs recommends the Government to decide, in accordance with Section 6(2) of the Act of 1924, that it would be in the public interest that Lord Killanin should be appointed to the post of Public Relations Officer in London. The Civil Service Commissioners would, accordingly, be invited to dispense with the provisions of the Civil Service Regulation Act, 1924, in respect of the appointment and to issue a Certificate of Qualification to Lord Killanin.

1 Lord Killanin (Michael Morris) (1914-99), President of the International Olympic Committee (1972-80).

2 Company established by Lieutenant-Colonel Gerald Tharp, step-father of Lord Killanin, to manage the Tharp family estate of Chippenham near Cambridge.

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