IRA Part 1 of 7 · 61-7606 sect 1-5 · p.178
Back to search
·
About this set
·
Irish Republican Army Part 1 of 7 61-7606 Sect 1-5.pdf
·
This file only
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
17
16
Much that is misleading has been written about the nomination of
Count Plunkett excelled himself. He put our whole cause on an
Cathal Brugha statedvery definitely that he would not go.Many of them
exalted plane, and handled the matter in a really statesmanlike way. It was
knew,he added,thatwhen he didgotoLondon itwas onan entirely different
edifying, almost thriling.
mission.
There is nogroundforpretending that any other delegate had any
" 1 have left you to the last, Cathal, because of the position you have
and I do not intend to dwell on it herebeyondsaying thatbefore Eamonn
taken at the table," the President then remarked.
deValera's resignation of the Presidency on the 6th January,1922,he said in
I stand definitelyfor theIrishRepublicas itwas established-as itwasproclaimed in1916
how glad I am that it has been suggested that we circulate these documents
as it was constitutionaly established by theIrishpeople in1919;I stand for that definitely,and
and consider them fully before we meet again,if for no other reason than to
I was abroad practically all through 1922,1923and 1924, and do not
opportunity of extricating us from the morass in which ye have landed us.""
care to dwell on a period in which I had little participation here. But I
a I pe ,, supiid au paoshy isq ino ap aeu a
donot hesitate to say that it was for the Republic and nothing but the
Republic,Deputies like CathalBrugha and Liam Mellowes,Joe MacDonagh
never undertaken to do more than my best."
andErskine Childers,and soldiers like CharlieDaly,Rory O'Connor,Richard
Barrettand Joe McKelvey aswell as their noble comrades all gave their lives
in I922.On the death of LiamLynch,April12th,1923,Eamonn de Valera
has been ratified by the votes of the people, and we have sworn to defend
it with our lives.
and independence, said :
"" The oath never conveyed any more to me than to do my best in
"Faced in armns by former comrades who have deserted fromyour side,your task isa
hardone and a sad one.It is a task which only beroes would venture.You have to fling
whatever circumstances might arise'
chief has died than live a slave.
When Emmet's epitaph can be written,coupled with his
" You have accepted a position of authority and responsibility in
the Govermment of the Republic," Cathal replied, striking the table, "'and
herself."
Equally do I say that the subsequent suggestions about entering the
ae s o sn a
do not want ever again to hear anything else from you.*"
Free State Parliament which we find interwoven in.some of the so-called
Republican documents of 1923 did not emanate either from the faithful
"' I think I can promise, Cathal, that you won't have to complain
soldiersoftheRepublicor fromtheplainpeoplewhoremainedandremain
again.',
organisation,or from Dail Eireann, Government of the Republic. But
The documents were circulated, and it was a much altered draft
before I pass to the proofs which present themselves later.letme quote a
that emerged from the next meeting. Later drafts were discussed also,
and forwarded only when they expressed the considered views of the whole
Ministry. 1 had reasun to be familiar with their terms, for I had to put
the Free State Constitution and other English Acts,designed to shackle
practically the whole range of them into Irish under difficulties which 1
Ireland,were consummated.Moving the Second Reading of the Irish
have no desire to detail now.
1st,1924:
The Second Dail met in public, August 16th, 1921, and it is significant
"An adjustment of the boundary was a vital part of the Treaty,The drafting of it was
that Miss Macardle quotes Mr. de Valera-evidentiy with his approval—as
At some inconvenience to himself,Iunderstand,and
having said there of the mandate given by the elections of 1918 :
Agteement is brougbt into jeopardy.....
tohis Government,Mr.BonarLaw dissolvedParliamentin1922,andfixed the date ofthe General
" It was a mandate not so much for a form of government-they were not, he said, * Re-
Election at the shortestposiblenotice,so as to enable legislation tobe passedin time to establish
publican doctrinaires'butitwasforIrishfreedom andindependence,anditwas obvious to everyone
tospare,andyouwillobserve thattheFreeStateConstitutionActwasonlypassedintimetoreceive
other way so suitably as through a Republic.
I have no opportunity to check this statement at the moment, nor do
Act,which embodies the Treaty once and for all in our lmperial Constitution,was passed thtough
I think it material except as showing the trend of the President's mind.
When application was made by the Free State thnt it be admitted to the League of
Not so her paraphrase of a statement by Arthur Griffith on the same occasion:
NationsandtheapplicationwasstronglysupportedbytherepresentativesoftheBritishGovernnent,
"Arthur Grifith in his closing address said that every mermber's ambition was to work for
the usualQuestionnaire asked:Does the countrypossessastable governmentandwell-defined
the slightest friction or discord.They were al absolutely united in their efforts to securea sovereign
mental law constituting the lrish Free State.
I cannot recollect that statement by Arthur Griffith. If made, it
nominateits member on theBoundary Commission,the Labour Government
willbe obvious from what I have already said—and from much thathas been
had to introduce legislation authorisingEngland to nominate two of the three
While this was being rushed
places in the Republican movement. What is more pertinent to my theme
through Parliament, the Labour Government was defeated; the Bill was
is that when the Dail met in public on the 26th August, Sean McKeon said:
was really no Parliament when England appointed the second of the three
members constituting the Boundary Commission.Such is English
dentof theRepublic a man whohaddoneso muchfor the nation.
legislation 1Appropriately atthis juncture Lord Carson published Lioyd
Acknowledging his election, the President said:
George's treacherous private letter of May, 29th, 1916, urging that * Ulster
I+ I have been chosen to be a leader..... .
There has been no necessity for leadership ..t
refuse absolutely to be merged in the rest of Ireland.
amongst us. We know our minds;we know we have a straight road to travel, with no bye-paths
to lead us astray; and it is a very casy task to lead on a straight road.
16
Much that is misleading has been written about the nomination of
Count Plunkett excelled himself. He put our whole cause on an
Cathal Brugha statedvery definitely that he would not go.Many of them
exalted plane, and handled the matter in a really statesmanlike way. It was
knew,he added,thatwhen he didgotoLondon itwas onan entirely different
edifying, almost thriling.
mission.
There is nogroundforpretending that any other delegate had any
" 1 have left you to the last, Cathal, because of the position you have
and I do not intend to dwell on it herebeyondsaying thatbefore Eamonn
taken at the table," the President then remarked.
deValera's resignation of the Presidency on the 6th January,1922,he said in
I stand definitelyfor theIrishRepublicas itwas established-as itwasproclaimed in1916
how glad I am that it has been suggested that we circulate these documents
as it was constitutionaly established by theIrishpeople in1919;I stand for that definitely,and
and consider them fully before we meet again,if for no other reason than to
I was abroad practically all through 1922,1923and 1924, and do not
opportunity of extricating us from the morass in which ye have landed us.""
care to dwell on a period in which I had little participation here. But I
a I pe ,, supiid au paoshy isq ino ap aeu a
donot hesitate to say that it was for the Republic and nothing but the
Republic,Deputies like CathalBrugha and Liam Mellowes,Joe MacDonagh
never undertaken to do more than my best."
andErskine Childers,and soldiers like CharlieDaly,Rory O'Connor,Richard
Barrettand Joe McKelvey aswell as their noble comrades all gave their lives
in I922.On the death of LiamLynch,April12th,1923,Eamonn de Valera
has been ratified by the votes of the people, and we have sworn to defend
it with our lives.
and independence, said :
"" The oath never conveyed any more to me than to do my best in
"Faced in armns by former comrades who have deserted fromyour side,your task isa
hardone and a sad one.It is a task which only beroes would venture.You have to fling
whatever circumstances might arise'
chief has died than live a slave.
When Emmet's epitaph can be written,coupled with his
" You have accepted a position of authority and responsibility in
the Govermment of the Republic," Cathal replied, striking the table, "'and
herself."
Equally do I say that the subsequent suggestions about entering the
ae s o sn a
do not want ever again to hear anything else from you.*"
Free State Parliament which we find interwoven in.some of the so-called
Republican documents of 1923 did not emanate either from the faithful
"' I think I can promise, Cathal, that you won't have to complain
soldiersoftheRepublicor fromtheplainpeoplewhoremainedandremain
again.',
organisation,or from Dail Eireann, Government of the Republic. But
The documents were circulated, and it was a much altered draft
before I pass to the proofs which present themselves later.letme quote a
that emerged from the next meeting. Later drafts were discussed also,
and forwarded only when they expressed the considered views of the whole
Ministry. 1 had reasun to be familiar with their terms, for I had to put
the Free State Constitution and other English Acts,designed to shackle
practically the whole range of them into Irish under difficulties which 1
Ireland,were consummated.Moving the Second Reading of the Irish
have no desire to detail now.
1st,1924:
The Second Dail met in public, August 16th, 1921, and it is significant
"An adjustment of the boundary was a vital part of the Treaty,The drafting of it was
that Miss Macardle quotes Mr. de Valera-evidentiy with his approval—as
At some inconvenience to himself,Iunderstand,and
having said there of the mandate given by the elections of 1918 :
Agteement is brougbt into jeopardy.....
tohis Government,Mr.BonarLaw dissolvedParliamentin1922,andfixed the date ofthe General
" It was a mandate not so much for a form of government-they were not, he said, * Re-
Election at the shortestposiblenotice,so as to enable legislation tobe passedin time to establish
publican doctrinaires'butitwasforIrishfreedom andindependence,anditwas obvious to everyone
tospare,andyouwillobserve thattheFreeStateConstitutionActwasonlypassedintimetoreceive
other way so suitably as through a Republic.
I have no opportunity to check this statement at the moment, nor do
Act,which embodies the Treaty once and for all in our lmperial Constitution,was passed thtough
I think it material except as showing the trend of the President's mind.
When application was made by the Free State thnt it be admitted to the League of
Not so her paraphrase of a statement by Arthur Griffith on the same occasion:
NationsandtheapplicationwasstronglysupportedbytherepresentativesoftheBritishGovernnent,
"Arthur Grifith in his closing address said that every mermber's ambition was to work for
the usualQuestionnaire asked:Does the countrypossessastable governmentandwell-defined
the slightest friction or discord.They were al absolutely united in their efforts to securea sovereign
mental law constituting the lrish Free State.
I cannot recollect that statement by Arthur Griffith. If made, it
nominateits member on theBoundary Commission,the Labour Government
willbe obvious from what I have already said—and from much thathas been
had to introduce legislation authorisingEngland to nominate two of the three
While this was being rushed
places in the Republican movement. What is more pertinent to my theme
through Parliament, the Labour Government was defeated; the Bill was
is that when the Dail met in public on the 26th August, Sean McKeon said:
was really no Parliament when England appointed the second of the three
members constituting the Boundary Commission.Such is English
dentof theRepublic a man whohaddoneso muchfor the nation.
legislation 1Appropriately atthis juncture Lord Carson published Lioyd
Acknowledging his election, the President said:
George's treacherous private letter of May, 29th, 1916, urging that * Ulster
I+ I have been chosen to be a leader..... .
There has been no necessity for leadership ..t
refuse absolutely to be merged in the rest of Ireland.
amongst us. We know our minds;we know we have a straight road to travel, with no bye-paths
to lead us astray; and it is a very casy task to lead on a straight road.