John F. Kennedy visited Ireland as a young journalist in 1945 and his diary reveals fascinating insights about Eamon de Valera, writes Tom Wright
Fifty-seven years ago next week, on July 24th, 1945, an enthusiastic, inquiring and energetic young journalist travelled to Ireland on assignment for Hearst Newspapers of New York.
John F. Kennedy, later to become president of the United States, was 28 years old, and already a war hero and best-selling author. In 1945, he kept a diary in which he recorded his personal thoughts and reflections on two months of travel and reporting in Britain, Ireland, France and Germany.
For decades, the diary remained the private property of a former aide, Deirdre Hendersen, until she published it in 1995 (Prelude to Leadership: The European Diary of John F. Kennedy, Regnery Publishing, Washington DC; 1995).
Surprisingly, in light of the extraordinary attention paid to JFK's 1963 visit, the sections on Ireland have received little, if any, attention. This is all the more remarkable because the diary is a treasure of information and insight, shining particular light on Kennedy's impressions of Eamon de Valera - whom he interviewed - and Irish politics.
Nine typed pages, out of 49, are dedicated to Ireland, clearly disproportionate to the time spent in Dublin (two days).
Together with handwritten notes, which are dominated by library references to Irish books including the 1937 Constitution, it is a clear indication of his fascination with Ireland and all things Irish.
Kennedy arrived in Dublin at a time when Ireland's political status was a matter of considerable debate.
He wrote: "I left England yesterday to come to Ireland. World attention has been turned again to Mr de Valera due to his recent remark in the 'Irish Dáil' that Ireland was a Republic." He stayed with the US ambassador to Ireland, David Gray, who left him in no doubt as to his view of de Valera: "Mr Gray's opinion of de Valera was that he was sincere, incorruptible, also a paranoiac and a lunatic. His (de Valera's) premise is that the partition of Ireland is indefensible, and once this thesis is accepted, all else in its policy is consistent. He believed Germany was going to win. He kept strict neutrality even towards the simplest United States demands."
Following his account of his time spent with the ambassador, he recorded three pages of biographical notes on de Valera (gleaned, one assumes, from his interview with him), revealing little personal opinion.
These pages include references to de Valera's early life, role in 1916, as well as imprisonment and escape thanks to Michael Collins. He also considers de Valera's rise to power, protectionist economic policies and his anti-Britishness: "He (de Valera) has fought politically in the Dáil the same battle he fought militarily in the field - a battle to end partition, a battle against Britain."
What Kennedy, an avowed Anglophile, thought of de Valera's "battle" is unclear, although he did express doubts regarding agricultural self-sufficiency - "not a profitable product for misty, rainy Ireland".
He disapprovingly noted de Valera's expressions of condolences to Germany on the death of Hitler, and the failure to do the same following President Roosevelt's passing. However, he also delivered the following rebuke to Churchill: "Churchill's speech at the end of the war, in which he attacked de Valera, was extraordinarily indiscreet - made things much more difficult for Gray and pulled de Valera out of a hole."
Along with a number of pages revealing detailed knowledge of the Irish party system and national economy, Kennedy also recorded a couple of interesting notes that provide glimpses into his personal political beliefs.
In one he quoted Sheridan - "The quarrel is a very pretty quarrel as it stands; we should only spoil it by seeking to explain it" - possibly indicating surprise at the parochialism of Irish politics.
This would not be unexpected given his obsession elsewhere in the diary with geo-politics and the future of post-war order.
In another, he may offer an insight into his reluctance to act on partition later in life: "A thought for Irishmen abroad - written by Thomas D'Arcy McGee, a Canadian of Irish birth. 'Our first duty is to the land where we live and have fixed our homes; and where, while we live, we must find the true sphere of our duties. While always ready therefore to say the right word and do the right act for the land of my forefathers, I am bound above all to the land where I reside'."
The parts of the diary dealing with his other travels are equally fascinating. All Kennedy enthusiasts will find their own pearls of wisdom within it.
His remark that "Mr Roosevelt has contributed greatly to the decline of capitalism in our own country" raises eyebrows as does his prescience with regard to the pending electoral defeat of Churchill.
His forecast that science may cause the advent of a weapon so terrible to make war unthinkable is astonishing given that the atomic bomb had yet to be used against Japan.
Throughout, Kennedy's wicked wit is on display, typically in a story about Lady Violet Bonham Carter. "Lady Violet had a great habit of bringing her face gradually closer and closer to the subject of her conversation until finally only several inches separated her from the recipient of her remarks. Duff-Cooper, ambassador to France, finally became so infuriated with this habit that he suddenly picked up a potato with his fork and dashed it into her mouth saying, 'Excuse me, I thought it was mine'." There is no admission of womanising, unlike the diary he kept during a 1937 trip to Europe when he devised a code - "went to bed tired but happy" - to record his conquests.
However, he does observe that "the German girls, who can be very attractive, throw themselves at the Americans".
Indeed, this record is not a personal diary or a journalist's notes.Rather, they are Kennedy's personal reflections and thoughts about the politics and events that he encountered at first hand.
The section on Ireland excepted, they are, in the words of author and Kennedy confidant Hugh Sidey, "about war, its possibility or its aftermath in one form or another".
Tom Wright is a fellow in international relations at the Department of Government, Georgetown University, Washington DC