President sent sympathy on Hitler's death

[emad]

President sent sympathy on Hitler's death

Associated Press in Dublin
Saturday December 31, 2005
The Guardian


Douglas Hyde, Ireland's president during the second world war, offered condolences to Germany's representative in Dublin over the death of Adolf Hitler, newly declassified records show.

Until now it was believed that Ireland's prime minister, Eamon de Valera, was the only leader to convey official condolences, a gesture criticised worldwide.

But the presidential record for 1938-1957, made public this week, sheds new light on one of the most embarrassing chapters in Irish history - its decision to maintain cordial relations with the Nazis even after news of the Holocaust emerged.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/secondworldwar/story/0,14058,1675795,00.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I guess Ireland hated England and the U.K. more than it did Hitler.

The gesture was more for the benefit of England than Germany.

[WinkyDink]

10. I visited Ireland in 1973.

I was SHOCKED to see swastikas on store-fronts.

[dflprincess]

11. The people running Ireland at the time

were the ones who had fought England for an Irish Republic. I've read that deValera had scars on his body from the beatings he received at the hands of the English. Ireland was neurtal during WWII and I can sort of see where they were coming from with their attitude toward England - but I wish they'd put aside the old hatred long enough to see where the greater evil lay at that time. Especially, when one considers that there were a few times when the Nazis bombed the Republic "by mistake".

On the other hand, there were a lot of Irish - both from the Republic and the North - who enlisted in the English armed forces during WWII.

As an aside, my Mom knows the woman whose late husband was picked to be the "first Yank in Europe" when we got into the war. He was the first American off the troop ship that docked in Belfast (I think it was Belfast). Ten years ago he and his wife were both invited back to Ireland for the 50th anniversary of VE Day. Most of the activities they attended were in the North, but there were some in the Republic to honor the veterans of the war from there.

[baldguy]

2. Ireland wasn't at war with Germany.

The Irish Presidents' Protocol officer was just doing his job.

[iamjoy]

4. Funny, That's What The Nazis Said

oh, yeah, I personally killed thousands of innocent Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, etc. but you know, I was just doing my job.

[baldguy]

7. Well it IS a little different.

Some clerk eight levels down from the top had the job of handing condolences out when foreign leaders died. I'm sure they did the same thing when FDR and Stalin died. I'm sure the US State Dept protocol office sent condolences when Stalin died too. Should we blame his 50 million murders on Truman or Dean Acheson?

In democracies we don't allow low-level clerks to make foreign policy. And the purpose of a protocol office is to AVOID insulting other countries.

[donsu]

9. loony thinking on your part - had you been around during WWII you

would know that some level eight clerk didn't do it.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

12. Much better to alienate the world than insult 1 country. Huh?

[William769]

5. Oy vey

:eyes:

[MrBenchley]

3. "Hey. guys, sorry your leader scuttled under rubble and shot himself..."

"Look on the bright side....at least he wasn't lynched like Mussolini!"

[sasha031]

6. Ireland would of had cordial relation with France,

I suppose We can look at the story in another way, does Bush and co. represent the real our values? I am sure the Irish people didn't share the same sentiment as the president.

[sduncang]

8. Ireland, Mother Ireland

Good story. And, true. An interesting footnote to history, which illuminates an Irish resentment toward England. While not as obvious now, it survives.

[Algorem]

13. it was a Catholic thing?