Haughey’s ‘distrust’ of civil servants

Sir, – It was interesting to read in Eamon Phoenix's article on newly released state papers from the Northern Ireland Office that, as taoiseach, Charles Haughey distrusted the Department of Foreign Affairs ("Haughey 'distrusted' Department of Foreign Affairs", December 31st).

The only clue provided in the article as to why this might be is that Haughey liked “keeping all the main decisions to himself”.

Might not another cause have been that some senior officials in that department were considered by the then taoiseach to be too open to British influence? – Yours, etc,

DAVE ALVEY,

Dalkey,

Co Dublin.