(11)He feels that Eire could supply more food-stuffs to Great 
Britain, but that Great Britain is propped to go a little 
hungry in order to injure Eire.
 
     The paragraphs I ahve written above contain , as I realize, 
much exasperating information.  They may convey the impression 
that De Valera is an entirely impossible person. This is not
altogether the case. He has in my opinion some fine qualities. 
His fixed ideas, like those of his people removed only by aloofness 
or by force. They can be removed only by a genuine attempt to
get at their foundations by enquiry and, wherever possible, by 
understanding. To the outsider, like myself, and particularly to 
one who travelled seventeen thousand miles to confer with his
colleagues of the British Government, it is fantastic to be told 
that De Valera and Andrews have never met and that I ahve had more 
conversations with de Valera than with any other British Minister 
has had since the war began. I therefore suggest very strongly that 
the whole question of the defence of Eire should be looked at, that 
the Secreatry of State for the Dominions should pay an early visit 
to Belfast and Dublin, and that if he recieves the slightest 
encouragement he should invite De Valera and a couple of his 
colleagues to come to London for disscussions with the Prime 
Minister and other members of the British Cabinet.I know that such 
a meeting would be welcomed by some members of the Irish Cabinet who 
are beginning to realise that neutality has its defeats no less renowed 
than war; and I would be by no means pessimistic about the outcome.
But even if such discussions failed, they would give a very different 
colour to any subsequent policy which it was found necessary to adopt 
in relation to Ireland and would be of great value in regard to world 
opinion.