The American Presence in Ulster: A Diplomatic History, 1796–1996 American presence in Ulster: a diplomatic history, 1796-1996

7. OVER HERE: The Second World War

        OVER HERE The Second World War 3 The specter of war became increasingly clear as the s unfolded . In the Far East, Japan and China had been in conflict, on and off, since . Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia and the intervention of the Fascist powers and the Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War had increased tensions in Europe. Furthermore , the actions taken by Adolph Hitler, after coming to power in Germany in , seemed to accelerate the descent into a crisis that none of the other great powers could hold in check. The German occupation of the Rhineland, the Anschluss with Austria, the Sudeten crisis, the invasion of Czechoslovakia , and war with Poland constituted a now familiar list of signposts in the march toward the outbreak of a general European conflict. The ultimatum of Great Britain and France to Germany to withdraw from Poland brought the two great powers into the fateful clash. In this situation, Éire, as de Valera’s  constitution had renamed the Irish Free State, declared its neutrality, which meant that Northern Ireland was thrust into new prominence, not only loyal but strategically vital also. Britain, having negotiated away the right to her naval stations in the south (specifically the bases at Queenstown or Cobh, Berehaven in Bantry Bay, and Lough Swilly in County Donegal), became all the more dependent on the naval and air facilities available in the north. The United States also declared its neutrality in , but as the expanding war crisis pushed the United States steadily closer toward involvement, Northern Ireland became important to  America as never before. Indeed, the Second World War transformed the notion of the American presence in Northern Ireland and the responsibilities of the Belfast consulate.1 The war came immediately to Britain, Northern Ireland, and the Belfast Consulate General. In the early evening of September , , the day Britain declared war, the German submarine U- sunk the Donaldson Atlantic Line passenger ship Athenia, under charter to the Cunard White Star Shipping Company, sailing from Liverpool, Glasgow, and Belfast to Montreal. The ship carried , passengers, most of them evacuees, including  American citizens , as well as a substantial number of crew members. One hundred and eighteen people were lost, of whom  were Americans. Three British destroyers, HMS Electra, Escort, and Fame, together with the merchant vessels City of Flint, Southern Cross, and Knute Nelson, attempted during the night to rescue survivors. The Royal Navy ships took their survivors to Glasgow, while the merchant ships brought people to Galway in Éire.2 Despite the United States’ desire to remain neutral in , the sinking of the Athenia seemed to have the potential of setting in motion the same sequence of events that had led to American intervention in the First World War. While this did not actually happen, the circumstances of the OVER HERE ⁄  . The matter of the treaty ports, as well as the Irish purchase of weapons from the United States, was discussed between the Irish minister to the United States and officials in the State Department, and later between de Valera and the United States minister to Ireland. The American position remained that Ireland would have to look to Great Britain to solve its defense problems. See the extended correspondence and memoranda from May to December  in Foreign Relations of the United States,  (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, ), vol. , pp. –. These discussions extended into  as well. Not until September of  did the government agree to sell two old freighters to Éire in order to ease Ireland’s isolation in the war circumstances. . United States Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy was informed of the attack on the Athenia by the Foreign Office as soon as the report came in, and he was able to cable the secretary of state by : .. on September . For a selection of the correspondence concerning the sinking of the Athenia between London, Dublin, Washington, and Berlin, see United States Foreign Relations,  (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, ), vol. , pp. –. sinking were such that the United States and its diplomatic service were immediately thrust into the European war crisis. Vice consul Roswell C. Beverstock reported to London on September  that at least  adults and several children, whom he believed to be American citizens, had boarded the ship in Belfast. The immediate task of the diplomats was to determine which United States citizens had survived and which had been lost. The next problem was to deal with the matter...