Evening star., 1941-04-20
Fire Entry in War
Would Hurt British,
Brennan Declares
| Envoy Says Use Of Boses
! Would Be of Little
+ Advantage to England
By GLEN PERRY.

Ireland wants from the United
States and Great Britain anti-air-
craft guns. anti-tank guns, auto
matte rifles, machine guns and am
imunition for those weapons this re-
porter was informed yesterday by
Robert Brennan, Minister of Fire. In
return Ireland intends to remain
neutral and to oppose with all her
power any attack on her territory.
! That is the proposition Ireland is
advancing to the governments Of
Great Britain and the United States
with the reasons for her stand. Mr..
Brennan stated that the question Of
giving the British naval bases In
ireland has not been mentioned in
discussions here, and insisted his
country under no consideration will
Iplace them at the disposal Of Eng
land.
: OF course should Germany attack
ireland British troops would be well
comed-not that they would wait
FOR a formal invitation in a situa-
tion carrying such threat to Great
Britains very existence. But failing
such a development Ireland intends
to keep out of this war.
Broadly speaking. the Irish posi-
tion was explained by Mr.. Brennan
AS q conviction that Irish entrance
into the war on the side of the Allies
would help neither Great Britain
nor Ireland and would on the con-
trary be disastrous to both.
Food Shipments Cited.
p Ere's continued neutrality. he
added. means that 1t will be possible
to maintain the present relation
ship. which among other things en-
tails the shipment from Ireland to
England of vitality needed food
stufYs, valued at approximately
800 900 900 annually.
Amphfying this belief that Ire
land would best serve Great Britain
and herself by remaining neutral,
Mr.. Brennan pointed out that at
the present time Fire has achieved
q national unity such as has never
before existed in that country. with
all parties working together. Should
his country enter the war-that is,
70 In without being first attacked
he believes this unity would be
shattered, making an already diffl-
cult defense effort very nearly i'm
possible.
Beyond this, throwing in with
Great Britain would mean. Mr..
Brennan believes, immediate and
heavy air attack by the Germans
and onslaught that could hardly be
withstood and that would leave his
country in a position in which 1t
could not ship to England the
cattle. pigs, sheep, bacon, mutton
and cheese that are crossing the
irish Sea unimpeded. This would
be 30 both because of the damage
bombing would do and the fact
that vessels using the Irish Sea
would be subject to attack.
There also would be the posi-
bility of an attack on Ireland with
the purpose of taking the country
over. Mr.. Brennan is under no illu-
sion as to the ability of the Ger
mans to do this If they found it
worth the cost that would be en-
tailed And the success of such
an effort would bring Great Britain
under attack on a new and danger
Gus front, near home, with greatly
Increased pressure on the effort to
keep the sea lanes open.
Added Dancers Seen,
Mr.. Brennan thus envisions his
own country ruined and the threat
10 Great Britain made greater than
ever before should Fire become a
eombatant On the other hand, he
sees no real advantage to Great
Britain to compensate for the added
dangers that would be incurred.
Primarily this resolves itself into a
question of naval bases, and the
Irish Minister takes the position
that the harbors of Ireland could
make available would not advance
the English cause.
In the first place they are not
bases in the sense of having
either needed equipment or needed
weapons for defense. They would
have to be fitted for the job, which
would take time and would give
the Germans ample time to attack
them from the air and make them
untenable.
In the second place, Mr.. Brennan
said that geographically they would
not be of advantage to Great
Britain. The English are already
using Lough Foyle and Lough Erne,
in the north of Ireland, the latter
for seaplanes, and they are as we'll
placed from the tactical point OF
view as any Of the three Ireland
could offer, he explained. Lough
swilly is but a few miles from
Lough Foyle and is the only avail
able base site on the northern coast
Of Fire, while Bere Haven and Cobb
on the south don't seem to him
potentially very useful.
As for the armaments and NUM-
lions sought from Great Britain
and the United States, the Irish
argument Is that such aid will en-
able Fire to strengthen its defenses
10 such a point that the Germans
might consider the cost OF an at
tack as too great to make 1t de-
,irable to invade the island.