Peace conference continues despite furore over de Valera telegram to Vatican
London, 25 October 1921 – The peace negotiations are continuing in London, despite tension in recent days over communications from King George V and Éamon de Valera to Pope Benedict XV.
Mr de Valera had taken issue with language used by the king in his message to the pope and responded by sending a telegram of his own to the Vatican to clarify the nature of the relationship between Britain and Ireland and the source of the troubles between the two.
Mr de Valera’s telegram expressed a confidence that the pope would not be misled by King George into believing that the people of Ireland owed allegiance to the British crown. ‘The independence of Ireland has been formally proclaimed by the regularly elected representatives of the people of Ireland, and ratified by subsequent plebiscites,’ he continued, adding: ‘The trouble is between Ireland and Britain, and its source that the rulers of Britain have sought to impose their will upon Ireland, and by brutal force have endeavoured to rob her people of the liberty which is their natural right and their ancient heritage.’
Speaking in the House of Commons, the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, claimed that Mr de Valera’s letter constituted a grave challenge. He also noted that the recent deadlock in the conference had arisen on the issue of allegiance, and the matter had not yet been fully dealt with.
Mr de Valera’s comments have been widely criticised in the British press, as well as in unionist newspapers in Ireland. The Irish Times described Mr de Valera’s ‘outburst’ as ‘almost fatal’ and warned of the damning ‘verdict of posterity’ if the ‘greatest opportunity in Irish history is lost’. The newspaper also noted that the ‘hitch in the conference’ had placed a fresh strain on the truce, which, owing to the circumstances of its origin, was ‘not so much a formal agreement as an ‘honourable understanding’ between the military authorities in Ireland and the republican organisation.
The political correspondent in the Sunday News has claimed that Mr de Valera’s ‘outburst’ will have strengthened the unionist die-hard opposition in Britain and might secure more support for their position. ‘It may lead to the conference being broken up.’
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
