IRA Part 1 of 7 · 61-7606 sect 1-5 · p.176
Back to search
·
About this set
·
Irish Republican Army Part 1 of 7 61-7606 Sect 1-5.pdf
·
All files
61-7606 is the FBI’s old main file on the Irish Republican Army. 61 is the classification (treason / internal security in that era). 7606 is the case number. When the paper got too thick they bound it into sections. Joshua Smith’s 2015 release is seven PDFs covering sections 1–32, from 1939 into the early 1990s. A serial is one document inside a section (a letter, teletype, or clipping). The file list follows those PDFs, not the serial numbers.
The 2015 drop includes a second PDF with an embedded text layer for some parts (_text). Same pages as the scan; that copy is omitted from the file list. Word-level OCR differs and search may still hit both.
Transcript
13
12
prisoners, and that peace was at hand.As I walked down Whitworth
The machinery of theBritish Governmentwas completely disorganised
Roadat'thebackofMountjoyfourBlack-and-Tanlorriescamesweeping
in Ireland by this time, and the Black-and-Tans and kindred murder gangs
up. Despite the weather the third stopped to scrutinise me,and the fourth；
TomasMacCurtain,
were the onlyinstruments remaining toEnglish tyranny..
but seeing, no doubt, that I was a harmless old man, they soon proceeded
Commandant of the Cork Brigade and Mayor of the City, was assassinated
on theirway.
on thenight of March 19th,1920.A Cork jurybrought inaverdict ofwilful
I presided at the Cabinet meeting:but,so little did·we heed such
murder against LloydGeorge, Lord French, Ian MacPherson and three
Inspectors of the Royal Irish Constabulary for his assassination.His dual
rumours at the time that I didn't even mention what I had heard from
Mountjoy.The Secretaryproduced aletterbroughtfrom theprison by
of Ireland Act,1920, came up for Second Reading at Westminster,but no
Arthur ‘Griffith's solicitor. In it the imprisoned Substitute-President
nominated Cathal Brugha to fill his place:in the event of Cathal being
Irish representative identified himself with it. It is noteworthy, however,
that on May 18th, Sir Edward Carson intimated that his Carrion Crows
unable to act,he nominated Austin Stack;and,should Austin Stack not
consent, then Michael Collins. Cathal would not act:his army.work
wanted to get six of the nine counties of Ulster because, as he clumsily said :
engaged all his thoughts and all his energy; and, as he pointed out, he had
Ifwewere saddledwith these otherthree counties,you would bring infromthese three
alreadybeen President.Austin could notact:he waspulling down the
citadeis of alien law; setting upRepublican Courts,and organising
on:the inclusionofthesixcountiesonlywouldbringunderthe jurisdictionoftheNorthof Ireland
Parliament 820000Protestants out of890,000 in the wholeProvince.On the other hand,while
countiesintotheNortherm Province anadditional260,000Roman Catholicsandtheymight
swampthe ProtestantParliament foraProtestantpeople.So the Carrion Crowsabandoned tbe
70,000Loyalists to the tender mercies of SouthernIreland.
On July 17th, the Dail Loan was closed in Ireland, having been over-
suggested in Irish.“If I do not pass them on suffrance,he replied, in
subscribedby40,000.At that session of the Dail, it was decided to send
n Aem Au yyy o Apen sheme ue I , 'rensn se usun
a message to President de Valera, who had already got into serious friction
in America,to the effect that
"DailEireann.
..expresses complete satisfaction with the work you have performed,
Dr. Clune visited Lloyd Geore in London onDecember Ist,five days after the arrest
ofGriffithbeitnotedHefoundimwillingtoconsidertuce,crossedtoIrelandandsaw
oIreland,now in factand in law established."
Other Republicanprisoners and,at their suggestion,were shown byDr.Clune to Michael Collins
The message was signed by Arthur Griffith as Substitute-President
onthefollowingday.GriffithandCollinswerewillingtoadvisetheDail toagreetoatruceonterms
and by myself as Chairman.
The ‘other Republican prisoners"referred to here as taken into
August 12th, 1920, Terence MacSwiney was arrested. His fast unto
consultation included the late Eamonn Duggan and Michael Staines, men of
death in Brixton prison elevated the Irish cause in the eyes of the world
no acumen whatever in the domain of serious diplomacy.Even Griffith
to an eminence it can hardly ever hope toreach again.His dying request
and MacNeill,though experienced and educated,utterly lacked the fibre
that hebeburiedintheuniformof a soldier oftheIrishRepublichaseternally
toconduct intermational negotiations with firmness,and this development
transformed that garb into the habit of a martyr. When his reinains were
in theprison should never have been entertained or tolerated.A truce was
kidnapped from Euston and conveyed from Holyhead to Cork in a British
aimed at in quarters least suspect, and intriguers tried to throw the blame
warship, Ireland was indeed confronted with'a reign of terror. What
for hitches that arose on Fr.Michael O'Flanagan.To Ireland's detriment,
asI think,Cope of the Castle had alreadybecome toofamiliar with certain
！
more effectively. Their shrewdest move perhaps, was, to seize a few gullible
Republican Deputies,although there were others of them he could never
men, who had reached widely varying degrees of prominence in the
reach. I do not care to dwell on the results. Before the younger people
Republican movement for one reason or another or novalid reason at all,
and confine them in the infirmary ofMountjoy Gaolwhere,Iwas subsequently
ismore distastefultoapublicmanthan adversecriticismof formercomrades,
assured by reliable witnesses, they had access to each other late and early
especially of comradeswhohave passed away.
and visits from agents of the alien Government.In a volume entitled
The Irish Republic, and referred to, in a Preface by Mr, de Valera, as
Cork city was burned down by Black-and-Tans on the night of
December 1lth,and England,of course,tried to make its burning appear
1
tobe the work of Sinn Feiners,as shehad sought to saddle Sinn Feiners
omissions--we find this statement in reference to the period in question,
with the assassination of Lord Mayor MacCurtain.Some days later, Canon
and it is typical of the whole work :
Magner and Timothy Crowleywere shot dead near Dunmanwayby Auxiliaries
"Arthur Griffith,Acting Presidentof theRepublic,andProf.EoinMacNeillwerearrested
from Macroom.PresidentdeValerawasbackinIreland ChristmasDay.
ou November 26th.President de Valera was then at the climax of his labours in the United States.
Earlyin theNewYear theDail was convened,butat the last moment
ashis successor in office,CatbalBrugha,but Michael Collins wasHead of the I.RB.According
of fact,we all narrowly escaped arrest.TheDeputies,however,did not wish
ofthbeRevolutionaryGovernment.Thus Collinswasmerely succeedingofficially to theposition
whichwas already accorded him secretly by theI.R.B."
to disperse without hearing the returned President's report,so he attended
a meeting later.Some time subsequently there was a yery full meeting
This statement, except for the opening detail, is as far from the facts
of the Ministry at the house of Mrs.Humphreys,Ballsbridge. Negotiations
beingalreadyafoot,it was decidedunanimously that therebe no conference
as Chairman of the Dail, presided at more than one Cabinet meeting. 1
wrapped myself in raincoat, cap and leggings to get from Glasnevin to a
meeting of the Ministry in a private house in Drumcondra, a friend, who is
The night following the assassination of the Mayor, ex-Mayor and
now, I regret, a Free State Deputy, rushed in to tell me he had just been
another citizen of Limerick,I was again arrested,and so was notable to
speaking to a lady who had visited Mountjoy that moment and assured
attend the next meeting of the Dail.Nor was Cathal Brugha.The Reign
him that authorised persons from Dublin Castle had been there to see certain
12
prisoners, and that peace was at hand.As I walked down Whitworth
The machinery of theBritish Governmentwas completely disorganised
Roadat'thebackofMountjoyfourBlack-and-Tanlorriescamesweeping
in Ireland by this time, and the Black-and-Tans and kindred murder gangs
up. Despite the weather the third stopped to scrutinise me,and the fourth；
TomasMacCurtain,
were the onlyinstruments remaining toEnglish tyranny..
but seeing, no doubt, that I was a harmless old man, they soon proceeded
Commandant of the Cork Brigade and Mayor of the City, was assassinated
on theirway.
on thenight of March 19th,1920.A Cork jurybrought inaverdict ofwilful
I presided at the Cabinet meeting:but,so little did·we heed such
murder against LloydGeorge, Lord French, Ian MacPherson and three
Inspectors of the Royal Irish Constabulary for his assassination.His dual
rumours at the time that I didn't even mention what I had heard from
Mountjoy.The Secretaryproduced aletterbroughtfrom theprison by
of Ireland Act,1920, came up for Second Reading at Westminster,but no
Arthur ‘Griffith's solicitor. In it the imprisoned Substitute-President
nominated Cathal Brugha to fill his place:in the event of Cathal being
Irish representative identified himself with it. It is noteworthy, however,
that on May 18th, Sir Edward Carson intimated that his Carrion Crows
unable to act,he nominated Austin Stack;and,should Austin Stack not
consent, then Michael Collins. Cathal would not act:his army.work
wanted to get six of the nine counties of Ulster because, as he clumsily said :
engaged all his thoughts and all his energy; and, as he pointed out, he had
Ifwewere saddledwith these otherthree counties,you would bring infromthese three
alreadybeen President.Austin could notact:he waspulling down the
citadeis of alien law; setting upRepublican Courts,and organising
on:the inclusionofthesixcountiesonlywouldbringunderthe jurisdictionoftheNorthof Ireland
Parliament 820000Protestants out of890,000 in the wholeProvince.On the other hand,while
countiesintotheNortherm Province anadditional260,000Roman Catholicsandtheymight
swampthe ProtestantParliament foraProtestantpeople.So the Carrion Crowsabandoned tbe
70,000Loyalists to the tender mercies of SouthernIreland.
On July 17th, the Dail Loan was closed in Ireland, having been over-
suggested in Irish.“If I do not pass them on suffrance,he replied, in
subscribedby40,000.At that session of the Dail, it was decided to send
n Aem Au yyy o Apen sheme ue I , 'rensn se usun
a message to President de Valera, who had already got into serious friction
in America,to the effect that
"DailEireann.
..expresses complete satisfaction with the work you have performed,
Dr. Clune visited Lloyd Geore in London onDecember Ist,five days after the arrest
ofGriffithbeitnotedHefoundimwillingtoconsidertuce,crossedtoIrelandandsaw
oIreland,now in factand in law established."
Other Republicanprisoners and,at their suggestion,were shown byDr.Clune to Michael Collins
The message was signed by Arthur Griffith as Substitute-President
onthefollowingday.GriffithandCollinswerewillingtoadvisetheDail toagreetoatruceonterms
and by myself as Chairman.
The ‘other Republican prisoners"referred to here as taken into
August 12th, 1920, Terence MacSwiney was arrested. His fast unto
consultation included the late Eamonn Duggan and Michael Staines, men of
death in Brixton prison elevated the Irish cause in the eyes of the world
no acumen whatever in the domain of serious diplomacy.Even Griffith
to an eminence it can hardly ever hope toreach again.His dying request
and MacNeill,though experienced and educated,utterly lacked the fibre
that hebeburiedintheuniformof a soldier oftheIrishRepublichaseternally
toconduct intermational negotiations with firmness,and this development
transformed that garb into the habit of a martyr. When his reinains were
in theprison should never have been entertained or tolerated.A truce was
kidnapped from Euston and conveyed from Holyhead to Cork in a British
aimed at in quarters least suspect, and intriguers tried to throw the blame
warship, Ireland was indeed confronted with'a reign of terror. What
for hitches that arose on Fr.Michael O'Flanagan.To Ireland's detriment,
asI think,Cope of the Castle had alreadybecome toofamiliar with certain
！
more effectively. Their shrewdest move perhaps, was, to seize a few gullible
Republican Deputies,although there were others of them he could never
men, who had reached widely varying degrees of prominence in the
reach. I do not care to dwell on the results. Before the younger people
Republican movement for one reason or another or novalid reason at all,
and confine them in the infirmary ofMountjoy Gaolwhere,Iwas subsequently
ismore distastefultoapublicmanthan adversecriticismof formercomrades,
assured by reliable witnesses, they had access to each other late and early
especially of comradeswhohave passed away.
and visits from agents of the alien Government.In a volume entitled
The Irish Republic, and referred to, in a Preface by Mr, de Valera, as
Cork city was burned down by Black-and-Tans on the night of
December 1lth,and England,of course,tried to make its burning appear
1
tobe the work of Sinn Feiners,as shehad sought to saddle Sinn Feiners
omissions--we find this statement in reference to the period in question,
with the assassination of Lord Mayor MacCurtain.Some days later, Canon
and it is typical of the whole work :
Magner and Timothy Crowleywere shot dead near Dunmanwayby Auxiliaries
"Arthur Griffith,Acting Presidentof theRepublic,andProf.EoinMacNeillwerearrested
from Macroom.PresidentdeValerawasbackinIreland ChristmasDay.
ou November 26th.President de Valera was then at the climax of his labours in the United States.
Earlyin theNewYear theDail was convened,butat the last moment
ashis successor in office,CatbalBrugha,but Michael Collins wasHead of the I.RB.According
of fact,we all narrowly escaped arrest.TheDeputies,however,did not wish
ofthbeRevolutionaryGovernment.Thus Collinswasmerely succeedingofficially to theposition
whichwas already accorded him secretly by theI.R.B."
to disperse without hearing the returned President's report,so he attended
a meeting later.Some time subsequently there was a yery full meeting
This statement, except for the opening detail, is as far from the facts
of the Ministry at the house of Mrs.Humphreys,Ballsbridge. Negotiations
beingalreadyafoot,it was decidedunanimously that therebe no conference
as Chairman of the Dail, presided at more than one Cabinet meeting. 1
wrapped myself in raincoat, cap and leggings to get from Glasnevin to a
meeting of the Ministry in a private house in Drumcondra, a friend, who is
The night following the assassination of the Mayor, ex-Mayor and
now, I regret, a Free State Deputy, rushed in to tell me he had just been
another citizen of Limerick,I was again arrested,and so was notable to
speaking to a lady who had visited Mountjoy that moment and assured
attend the next meeting of the Dail.Nor was Cathal Brugha.The Reign
him that authorised persons from Dublin Castle had been there to see certain