Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 6 July 1920 Letters 1916-1923 George Gavan Duffy

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In this letter George Gavan Duffy tells Joseph Cyrillus Walsh that he is concerned about the fact that the Catholic and Irish press in America constantly attacks France. In contrast to Germany, Duffy sees France as a powerful Irish ally in Europe.

 New York Public Library Manuscripts and Archives Division Joseph C. Walsh Papers. Letter Earls - Foy https://letters1916.ie/item/6661 English George Gavan Duffy 1920-07-06 Grand Hotel Paris, 12 Boulevard des Capicunes, Paris, France Joseph Cyrillus Walsh Male 1951 Politics War of Independence (1919-1921)

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 12, Boulevard des CapucinesParis GRAND HOTEL - PARIS Paris le 6 July / 20 J. C. Walsh Esq. Confidential. Dear Walsh, a certain amount of harm is being/done to Irish sym-pathies in France by the constant attacks, direct and indirect,on France in the Catholic and the Irish press of America. I donot think I can do better than go to you in the matter, as youare so much in touch with this press and America is allegedto be not the least of the offenders. The French Catholics,of whom the more wide-awake are by no means ignorant of what issaid in the American Catholic papers and in fact scan thesepapers closely, put down the attacks on France to Germany influences in the States, with which they say our people are allied.I want in the first place to ask you to let those concernedknow with what close interest they are watched here and thebad effect, from the point of view of Franco-Irish relations,of the attitude in question, tho' I fancy it is rather ex-aggerated by my French friends; in the second place, to tellyou that since Clemenceau fell the best Catholic opinion herehas dropped its aloofness from Ireland and become very friend-ly; I refer to the directors of general Catholic opinion whofor a long time were shy of Ireland, partly because we were inthe way of French amity with England (which is now happilyat a discount) and partly because Sinn Fein was regarded as anIrish variety of Bolshevism; thridly, I submit that we are en-titled to remember how basely Germany behaved towards the menof Easterweek and how consistently the Germany authorities havefor many months now been kowtowing to England and seeking tocurry favour with her; I do not myself think there is atpresent any chance of a rapprochement in Europe between Eireand Deutschland, however friendly the two races may be in theStates; fourthly, France is a traditional ally of ours and one whomthe English are stupidly losing no opportunitybof alienating,tho' had John Bull behaved himself he could have had thesespeople as warm allies, for they were grateful to him and friend-ly after the armistice and he has thrown that advantage away;France is becoming more and more friendly to us and I think thatthat friendship is capable of considerable development and thatit may be very useful hereafter, if properly cultivated.Lastly, if you in America take the view so sedulously propagated by theCocoa press in England to the effect that France has shown her-self to be out for grab and imperialism, I wd ask for a littlereconsideration of that matter; the American politician and manof letters who came here in his hundreds in the spring of 1919saw only the official, Clemencist France, which was sold toEngland, and the sight did not inspire him; but, at that time,xxx the press was severely censored and French public men gener-ally were floundering in the conflicting eddies of post-warinternational politics; it was difficult for them to orientatethemselves and those who saw clear were silenced; since thenthere has been a complete change in public opinion and no onehas a xx good word for Clemenceau; it is a pity that the twogreat countries which hate England do not love and do not inthe least understand one another. I do not think it is realisedin America that the French are now but slowly recovering fromthe stunning effects of a trial which was too great an ordealfor them; I do not think it is realised that a country whichhas gone thro' the horrors of German invasion as this landhas must naturally view the future thro' rather grey spec-tacles; France is afraid of another invasion and when thatinvasion comes looks to England to come to the rescue ; beingunder that dread apprehension she cannot do otherwise thanlook to England as things stand now, for Italy does not count,Germany cannot yet be conciliated in the teeth of popularopinion (natural after such a war) and America is a long wayoff and wd look coldly and shily on any new European ad-venture. Again it is essential to France to recover whatshe can from Germany by way of idemnities, for she is brokenwithout this reparation and no one supposes that Germany isgoing to pay if she is can help it; I am not discussing thequestion whether she is being asked for too much, but onevery principle of justice it is clear that she has some com-pensation - and that of a considerable amount - to make;here again France is obliged as things stand to look to Eng-land; so that, hating England's universal grah, as she does,and her constant encroachments, she feels herself forced toput up with the kicks for the sake of the expected halfpence.Whether she looks at the matter from thes standpoint ofsecurity or from the standpoint of reparation, she must to agreat extent lean on England; and America could have pre-vented this result. I write in haste just to suggest a line of thoughtthat recognises the terrible plight this country is in andinvolves the making of allowances for her attitude and toemphasise the value, as I see it, of amity with France, evenat the expense of cordial relations with the Germans whohave no cordiality for Ireland. If these views are wellfounded, it is time our Irish and Catholic press in the U.S.and elsewhere adopted at least a more circumspect attitudein dealing with this country; if you agree, and if you concurin thinking that the evil effects now being produced here areto be deplored, perhaps you will forgive this long screed andsay a word or two in season in the proper quarters. With kindest regards, I am very sincerely yours, G. Gavan Duffy George Gavan Duffy Letter from Fr. E.F. Murnane to George Gavan Duffy, 2 August 1916.Letter from J.T. Burns to George Gavan Duffy, 16 October 1916.Letter from Ernest Blythe to George Gavan Duffy, 18 April 1916Telegram from P.S. O' Hegarty to George Gavan Duffy, 18 April 1916Telegram from George Gavan Duffy to P.S. O' Hegarty, 18 April, 1916Letter from George Gavan Duffy to P.S. O'Hegarty, 20 April 1916Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Eoin MacNeill, 20 April 1916Letter from P.S. O'Hegarty to George Gavan Duffy, 24 April 1916Letter from Ernest Blythe to George Gavan Duffy, 12 May 1916.Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Ernest Blythe, 14 May 1916.Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Miss Helen Blythe, 22 May 1916.Letter from George Gavan Duffy to the Manager, 'Irish Independent', 22 May 1916.Letter from Ernest Blythe, Brixton Prison, to George Gavan Duffy, 29 May 1916.Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Messrs Corrigan & Corrigan, 31 July 1916Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Messrs Corrigan & Corrigan, 4 October 1916Letter from George Gavan Duffy to John O'Connell Esq., LLD, 9 August 1916Letter from Roger Casement to George Gavan Duffy, 30 June 1916Copy of letter from F. O'Donnell to George Gavan Duffy, 4 July 1916Copy of a letter from Serjeant Alex Sullivan to George Gavan Duffy, 4 August 1916Copy of a letter from George Gavan Duffy to Michael F. Doyle, 7 August 1916Letter from John Quinn to George Gavan Duffy, 9 September 1916Letter from Fr F.M. Ryan O.P. to George Gavan Duffy, 12 July 1916Letter from Fr F.M. Ryan O.P. to George Gavan Duffy, 12 July 1916Letter From E. Blackwell to George Gavan Duffy, 2 August 1916Letter from George Gavan Duffy to E. Blackwell, 3 August 1916Letter from E. Blackwell to George Gavan Duffy, 3 August 1916Letter from G. Gavan Duffy to E. Blackwell, 4 August 1916Letter from Father Edward Murnane to George Gavan Duffy, 24 July 1916Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Ernest Blythe, 21 April 1916.Letter from George Gavin Duffy to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 6 July 1920 Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 6 July 1920 Joseph Cyrillus Walsh Letter from Arthur Griffith to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 24 May 1919Letter from George Gavin Duffy to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 6 July 1920 Letter from Joseph Cyrillus Walsh to John N. Milholland, 13 June 1921Letter from Richard Hazleton to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 14 March 1918Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 6 July 1920Letter from H. J. Kavanagh to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 23 February 1920Letter from Francis Fletcher-Vane to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 23 June 1917Letter from Michael Harkin to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 5 February 1920Letter from Michael Harkin to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 3 February 1921Letter from M. Figgis and Maude Gonne MacBride to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 24 March 1922Letter from Charles J. Foy to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 16 February 1917Letter from J. B. Fitzpatrick to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 7 March 1917 Grand Hotel Paris, 12 Boulevard des Capicunes, Paris, France Letter from George Gavan Duffy to Joseph Cyrillus Walsh, 6 July 1920