asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state the reasons why the Government took steps to cancel the reading of a paper by Doctor Jan Masaryk, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Czecho-Slovakia, to the customary private meeting of the Irish Institute for International Affairs on Friday, 3rd November, 1944.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - International Affairs.
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state whether Dr. Jan Masaryk, Deputy Premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Czecho-Slovakia, was by Government intervention prevented from addressing a private meeting of the Irish Institute for International Affairs on Friday, 3rd November, at the Shelbourne Hotel; and, if so, the reason and authority for such intervention; and if he will further state if any and, if so, how many, Press announcements on this matter were censored and suppressed; and the reason for attempting to prevent the publication of this news item.
I propose to take questions 2 and 3 together.
It is an obvious and well-recognised principle that when a Minister of the Government of one State is invited to address a group of citizens within the territory of another, the Government of the latter State should be informed beforehand and afforded an opportunity of expressing its assent. The principle applies even in time of peace, not merely as a matter of courtesy, but for the good reason that it makes for the avoidance of possible domestic incidents in which a Minister of another country would naturally wish not to be involved and which might conceivably embarrass the external relations of the State. In time of war, there are obviously still stronger reasons for the principle being adhered to with scrupulous care. It could never be said that the delivery of a lecture by a Minister of one State to a group of citizens in the territory of another is so much a matter of indifference to those responsible for the conduct of the foreign relations of the latter State as to make it immaterial whether they are informed or consulted. It is a question for the Government of the country concerned, acting on behalf of the Parliament and people, to say whether it is wise that such a lecture should be given.
In the case referred to in these questions, no notice or request was received from the group of citizens that issued the invitation. They were a group which could scarcely have been ignorant of the correct procedure, but they proposed to ignore the Government. The position was explained to the Czech Consul, to whom it was officially intimated that, in the circumstances, the Government did not wish the lecture to be given. The Consul understood the position and took the appropriate action.
Three Press notices, apparently supplied by the group in question, were received by the Censor from the Irish Times newspaper for insertion in its issues of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th November. They were deleted by the Censor, because they contained halftruths and other matter calculated to create misunderstanding between this country and a friendly State.
May I take it as definite that no prior information was received from Dr. Masaryk himself of his intention to give such a lecture before he arrived here?
The point was that the question of Dr. Masaryk's coming to this country was understood and it was known that he was to speak on a certain occasion. A group which issued another invitation to him took no steps whatever to inform the Government, and it was quite clear from their subsequent action that they wished deliberately to ignore the Government and, to the extent to which they were doing it, actually they the Government of their own country before foreign countries.
I do not think the Taoiseach understood my question. The question I put was whether Dr. Masaryk himself intimated his intention to speak to this group before he arrived in this country.
I do not think so.
Do I understand that the main exception taken is that the meeting was arranged without the Government's permission being asked?
Yes.
I think Deputy McGilligan has given notice to the effect that, with your permission, sir, he would raise this question on the Adjournment.
I would be glad that the country should know a little bit more about the conduct of this group.
I should like to ask the Minister for External Affairs if he would wish to avail of this occasion to confirm or dissipate a rumour to the effect that he requested Dr. Masaryk when speaking at Trinity College to abandon his original manuscript and substitute some other matter for it.
That is a separate question.
I ask the question for the sake of putting an end to rumour which may have no foundation in fact, and which it would be desirable for the Minister for External Affairs to put an end to forthwith, if it is groundless.
The fact was that Dr. Masaryk, being a man of experience, knew what would be proper in a case like this. When coming into a neutral State as the representative of a belligerent State, he knew what would be proper, and did not go beyond the bounds of what would be proper.
There was no request to change the manuscript?
There was not.