Madam, – With reference to Michael Drury’s letter (February 25th) on Nazi Germany’s former ambassador to Ireland, many of those who suffered under Nazi terror would take exception to his remarks about Dr Hempel as “Hitler’s man in Dublin” as being distasteful. Any person who was a member of the Nazi party and who represented its fascist and racist regime was fully aware of its outrageous policies. Dr Hempel was a well-educated and no doubt talented man and he would have been well aware of the Nuremburg Racial Decrees enacted in 1933 and all their vile permutations.
While I acknowledge Mr Drury’s sense of duty to a diplomatic colleague, Dr Hempel does not deserve any accolade and must be roundly condemned for propagating the Nazi cause in his position as German ambassador in Ireland. His sympathies were endorsed by his membership of the Nazi party.
Such remarks in supporting former Nazis contribute to Ireland’s shameful record of courting the Nazis in power at the time through our own ambassador in Berlin, De Valera’s widely acknowledged “faux pas” in expressing sympathy on Hitler’s death, and his dismal record in refusing to offer little or no refuge to Jews under threat from the “final solution”. These things will always be a stain on this otherwise great country of ours.
Mr Drury should know full well that many of those opposed to the Nazi hierarchy vacated their posts and left the country when it became openly apparent what was in store. Dr Hempel had many opportunities to do just that, but chose instead to “follow orders”, a classical excuse used by all Nazis who were obliged to explain themselves after the war.
Dr Hempel was indeed “Hitler’s man in Dublin”. That was his job. – Yours, etc,