incite anti-German feeling. I pointed out that this was not that benevolent   
neutrality which he had promised after Pearl Harbor. He answered naively,  
"We would be fools to permit anything to appear against the Germans." He   
also stated that while the Irish Government was in fact neutral,   
they were not neutral in feeling as long as the "enemy" (Britain)  
remained on their soil. I asked him if I could take  
this as an interpretation of Irish neutrality and he  
                        said, "Yes."                        
 
                                                            
 
 
The effect of the authorization of this hysterical  
reprieve agitation culminated in large and general  
demonstrations throughout Eire during the hour at  
which Williams was executed. Thousands of people  
knelt in the streets and groups of I.R.A. or hoodlum  
sympathizers compelled the closing of all shops and  
the half-masting of flags. The police made no effort  
to prevent these disturbances until after the hour was  
ever. The consequence of glorifying Williams as a  
patriot-hero was embarrassingly felt within the next  
few weeks by the assassination of two Detective Offi-  
cers of the Eire police. I am creditably informed  
that the Minister of Justice protested vigorously  
against the course which produced these results but  
was overruled by Mr. Aiken and Mr. de Valera.  
Following these events, Archbishop MacRory,  
Cardinal Primate for All Ireland, in the course of  
remarks at the dedication of the new Cavan Cathedral  
 on September 27, 1942, took occasion to refer to British