Evening star., 1948-03-08
Pre-Dawn Ceremony
Welcomes De Valera
On Return 10 u. 5.
by the Asseeiofsd Press

NEW 1oftn, MAI. o.-hIIlcTl-
can-born canon de Valera ar
rived by plane today for his first
visit to this country in 18 years
in plenty of time to take part in
st. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Replaced after 16 years as Prime
Minister of Fire, Mr.. de Valera
plans tour of several large Ameri-
can cities until about April s.
Mr.. de Valera, who flew in from
Shannon Airport, where 5000 well
wishers saw him of, was met before
dawn by an official party at La
Guardia Field.
He said he believes his nation
will cooperate with other countries
as far as feasible with its present
national situation"
Answering a newSman's question,
he said Everybody knows" the Irish
peoples position on communism.
Mr.. de Valera, who was replaced
as Prime Minister by John Costello
after last months elections, said Il
have a job on my hands to beat
the opposition"
He made the remark in answer
TO a question, What about affairs
In Ireland?"
Asked what he believes Fires po-
sition should be in connection with
current European events, he re-
piled:
IT am no longer in office, and
will not interfere In these mat
ters with those now in office, with
whom is the present responsibility" :"
He followed this by his prediction
of cooperation.
Told that there had been re-
port that he was offered the post
of superintendent of large school
system in New England, Mr.. De
Valera said II have heard nothing
about it. But am not open now
to engagements"
Asked If he would see President
Truman, the former Prime Min
lister replied, 81 will do the proper
thing. I am not now in office"
Mr.. de Valera said he came to
this country lin response to an
invitation from the United Irish
Societies Of San Francisco to par
ticipate in their st. Patrick's Day
celebration"
Recalling his old home in Brook
lyn, he commented that his last
visit to the United States was in
1880.
In terminating the interview, he
called attention to press confer
ence he planned later in the day.
Mr.. de Valera was accompanied
by Frank Aiken, minister for fl
nance of Fire in the De Valera
government, and Liam MacGowan,
features editor of the Irish Press,
Dublin, an organ supporting the
Fianna Fail Party, of which Mr..
de Valera is a leader.
Grover A. Whalen, chairman of
the Mayors official reception COM
mittee, headed group of officials
and notables who met Mr.. De Vale
ra at the airport.
The airport reception committee
also included Gen. Sessions, Judge
Owen w. Bohan John j. Byrne,
James j. OBrien and Sean Heating
of Mayor William O'Dwyer's City
Hall staff; James Comerford, presi-
dent of the United Irish Counties
Society of New York; the Rev. Sean
Reid, o. c., prior of the Carmelite
Fathers, New York City: the Very
Rev. Lawrence B. Flanagan, o. c.,
of st. Simon's Roman Catholic
Church, the Bronx, and Garth |
Healy, consul general of Fire in New
York.
James P. Durkin of Providence,
r. l., president of Fire Society of
Rhode Island, headed an eight
member delegation from that State |
Eugene Sheehan of the Boston
irish Societies and Joseph Cannon
of the Boston Metropolitan Transit
Authority also were at the airport to
arrange the scheduled visits of Mr..
De Valera to Boston, Philadelphia
and Detroit, where he is expected to
spend two days each.
Mr.. De Valera was to stay at the
Hotel Waldorf Astoria, to be met
there at noon today by Mr.. Whalen.
He then will be taken to Oracle
Mansion for private luncheon with
Mayor O'DWyer, returning to the
Waldorf at pm.
Tomorrow morning Mr.. De Valera
will have an official reception at
City Hall.
Tomorrow night Francis Cardinal
Spellman will give dinner for Mr..
De Valera at the cardinals residence.
The tentative schedule calls for
Mr.. De Valera to leave La Guardia
Field at am. Thursday by Ameri-
can Airlines plane for Tulsa, Okla.
While there he will visit the grave
Of Will Rogers, the humorist and
columnist. He is to leave Tulsa
Friday for San Francisco.
Arriving Friday afternoon at San
Francisco, Mr.. De Valera will be
given a reception at City Hall. He
will later act as grand marshal of