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WITB? Letter from Eamon de Valera
This is the first in what will be a series of postings to answer the query "What's in the box?" I recently found the box in question - an old metal safe deposit box - in our basement, where it had languished for years after being moved from the home of my husband's parents.
The first items I'm describing are not necessarily the most significant things in the box. They have little genealogical value but are curious nonetheless. Several documents were folded together into an envelope labeled "Patrick Hickey." Patrick was Bill's grandfather, born of Irish-immigrant parents in 1865 near St. Paul, Minnesota. What first caught my attention was a letter on business stationery of the Irish Press, Limited. It was signed by Eamon de Valera and looks hand-written.
De Valera was a dominant political figure in Ireland from 1917 to 1973. He served multiple terms as head of government and led the introduction of the Constitution of Ireland. Dated February 1930, the letter is too early to have been photocopied, but there may have been other mechanical processes to duplicate a document by that time.
Here's the text of the letter:
A chara, I have undertaken the task of establishing a daily newspaper in Ireland. I believe that no more useful service can be rendered to Ireland at the present time. Reasons which compel that conclusion are to be found in the circular which accompanies this letter.
I venture to ask you to assist in this enterprise. In the past you proved that you understood and sympathised with the desire of our people, not only to restore Ireland to its place among the nations, but to make it as the homeland of a great race in every way worthy of that race, as well as of the sacrifices that had been made and the sufferings endured so that its distinctive spiritual individuality might be preserved. I cannot doubt that you understand and sympathize still and that you will give promptly the aid that is required.
do chara
Eamon de Valera
The accompanying four-page circular begins with a typed letter on the same Irish Press letterhead, signed by Frank P. Walsh, whose title was chairman of the "American Committee":
Dear Friend:
The money which you gave in the years 1919 to 1921 to help the cause of Ireland is about to be given back to you. You are probably one of those who gave your money at that time as a free gift, expecting no other return for it than the satisfaction of participating in a just cause and aiding the people of Ireland in time of need. I feel accordingly that when you read this leaflet you will be disposed to make this money available a second time -- again in a good cause and for the benefit of Ireland.
An alien press holds the Irish people in a "stranglehold," as a distinguished Irish priest has put it. Not only does this press keep from them the political and economic facts by which they must guide their future policy, but it threatens to deprive them of the things of the spirit -- the national inheritance which has been the richest possession of Ireland's children in the past.
The obvious way to remedy this situation and avert the danger is to establish a native national press. The steps that have been taken in that direction are set forth in this leaflet. Mr. de Valera is at present in the United States to enlist the aid of Ireland's friends here. If you are prepared to play a practical part in this work, you will please fill in carefully the accompanying forms, attending to the instructions, and mail them in the envelope provided...
The circular goes on to describe the "Need for a National Daily Newspaper in Ireland" and the "Prospects of the Proposed Newspaper" as well as to list the Board of Directors for Irish Press, Limited. With the letter and circular was an Assignment and Power Attorney form which, when signed, would direct repayment of amounts due from bond certificates to Mr. Eamon de Valera. The form is blank and obviously had not been returned by Bill's grandfather. He did not opt to have his refund invested in de Valera's Irish Press.
How much had Patrick donated to the "Republic of Ireland Loans"? And why did he keep these documents? Patrick died in January 1940, ten years after receiving the letter. Why did his son (Bill's father) continue to save this paperwork, keeping it in an envelope next to precious documents like Patrick's baptism certificate? We will probably never know the answers to those questions; however, the Internet gives us another part of the story regarding de Valera's Irish Press. Here's part of an article published 24 November 2012 at www.Independent.ie:
Dev tricked public into investing in Irish Press, file reveals Former President Eamon de Valera tricked the Irish and American public into investing in the Irish Press, which he rigged to make his family rich. New files unearthed for the first time unravel the complex web de Valera wove to con investors into believing they were putting their savings towards a public company. Instead, thousands of Irish Americans invested in a lucrative family business.
Ten years after the collapse of the newspaper group and the loss of 600 jobs, a documentary finally reveals the full story behind the Irish Press and tells how de Valera used clever business tactics to secure full control from the off. Founded in 1931, the Irish Press was supposed to be a paper for the people, committed to telling "the truth in news" and to be used as a platform for the newly formed Fianna Fail Party. Thousands of ordinary men and women in Ireland and America answered de Valera's call to invest their savings in the newspaper, which was seen as an emblem of an independent Ireland. To this day, the only people who have ever benefited financially from the business, which was once Ireland's most successful, are de Valera's sons and grandson. Files, hidden away for years, will finally reveal how de Valera took deliberate steps to make sure the money invested by his supporters secured control of a mighty business for himself and his offspring.
Hidden History documentary "Family Fortunes" details how de Valera sent fundraisers to America to drum up interest in his envisioned Irish Press. Despite the great depression, he managed to get $250,000 entrusted to them for investment in the paper. But de Valera already had plans for any money raised in the US and had cautioned his fundraisers to pitch the campaign to the Irish-Americans. He had warned them to be careful not to suggest that they would get shares or certificates directly from the company, but instead would get participation certificates from an American trust company.
Instead of getting shares in Irish Press Limited, they received certificates from Irish Press Corporation which was registered in Delaware, the US equivalent of Switzerland. Files undisclosed for decades show that once de Valera had secured the money in 1931 the company sent out 'A' class share certificates from IPC. Although there were over 60,000 'A' class shares, total control of the company would rest with the owner of 200 'B' class shares. In a simple transaction, the documents reveal how de Valera, the owner of the B class shares, gained total power of over $250,000.
"Nobody could take it from him. This was carried on out of sight of the public. And the next phase would be to use the American company money to purchase a huge block of shares in Irish Press Limited - the company back in Ireland," the documentary explains. By clever cloaking of figures - a move that would no doubt be the subject of tribunal investigations these days - de Valera secured purchasing control of 43 per cent of Irish Press Limited for a paltry sum of $1,000...
On September 5, 1931 the Irish Press began publication... Author Tim Pat Coogan says the paper was an instant hit as it covered topics like the GAA for the first time ever. Distributed at masses by priests, the paper targeted anti-treaty republicans and sought to rally support for the Fianna Fail party. Former TD John Browne questioned the running of the paper and why no dividends had been paid to shareholders, and after much Dail debate it emerged that de Valera had set up the company to give himself total control under the title Controlling Director.
As debate continued, the 77-year-old stepped down as Taoiseach and was appointed President - a move that would overshadow his dodgy business dealing. "It is just a sad story of how idealism and revolutions start in hope and glory and end up fumbling in a greasy till," says Tim Pat Coogan.
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