Diplomatic affairs

THE WORLD of diplomacy is not all gold-wrapped chocolates at the ambassador’s residence, according to State papers released by the National Archives.

The diplomatic life is often complicated with dealings in the minutiae, including how to handle uncouth gardaí running across the embassy lawn or dozing off under the staircase.

Among correspondence in the file from the Department of Foreign Affairs was a letter from the Spanish embassy in 1975.

In the wonderful language of diplomacy, it announced the embassy “has the honour to inform the Department” that on April 14th, a hold-up took place at the branch office of a nearby bank, the Bank of Ireland on Merrion Road.

Gardaí had pursued the offenders and officers in uniform and plainclothes entered the embassy grounds in search of the thieves along with a few Garda cars. The message went on to express the embassy’s deep gratitude to An Garda Síochána for its protection.

“Nevertheless, the Spanish embassy would be very grateful if it were possible to have the gardaí instructed to request permission to enter the premises in cases such as the one referred to,” it said.

A handwritten note addressed to Mr Burke and initialled by MK, included with the documents, said the author had spoken to “the chief superintendent” about the matter.

“He informed me that armed bank robbers entered the embassy grounds followed by gardaí in hot pursuit. He thought that in similar circumstances in future the gardaí might do the same.

“I would propose not to reply to the embassy note, but to mention the security considerations to the ambassador or secretary at a suitable opportunity.”

THE TURKISH embassy in Ballsbridge, Dublin, wrote to the Department of Foreign Affairs in August 1979 and highlighted attacks on various Turkish diplomats around the world by the “Armenian Liberation Army”. The organisation had said it would “push ahead relentlessly” with its terrorist activities against Turkish people, the confidential message said.

In view of the above, it would be “greatly appreciated” if the Department of Foreign Affairs alerted the “competent authorities” to instruct gardaí at the embassy to “exercise utmost vigilance” while on duty.

“The instructions are urgently needed in the case of the ambassador’s residence where the officer on duty has been observed on several instances engaged in conversation with other tenants in the building or dozing off under the staircase,” the message said.

NOTES OF a conversation from 1966 between an official at what was then the Department of External Affairs and British ambassador Sir Geoffrey Tory were also included in the file.

The ambassador had complained of receiving a bullet in the post in April 1966 with an attached message that said the sender had another one for him. There was also a complaint of a “fire incident” and threats at the residence of the military attaché, Brigadier Thicknesse.

The ambassador asked the department to send him something in writing about the investigation into the fire incident.

At the time, the country was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

In a secret letter to the secretary of the Department, H McCann, secretary of the Department of Justice Peter Berry was reluctant to have anything put in writing, but conceded a letter could say gardaí were satisfied the incident was not caused by the IRA. He said the incident could have been the work of “thousands upon thousands of persons unconnected at any time with the IRA”.

“In the quickened tempo of nationalistic feeling in recent times, it is inevitable, I suppose, that irresponsible vandals would seize the opportunity to do something rash,” he said.