On November 25th, 1973 in preparation for the Sunningdale talks, the Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave wrote to the British Prime Minister Ted Heath emphasising that both sovereign governments would be participating "on an equal footing."
He then mentioned that there were "several options" concerning the chairing of the conference: Dublin had hoped for an acceptable Northern Irish chair but believed this to be "now improbable"; Dublin would next prefer an EEC statesman "with special qualities of alertness and sensitivity to grapple with issues and personalities unfamiliar to him. We would be happy to discuss names with you. Should it prove impossible to find such a person free to take on this commitment, another alternative would be that each of us would nominate a suitable person, the two to serve as alternating joint chairmen."
Cosgrave then allowed himself a scarcely concealed complaint about how London had been handling this question. "You will, I know, appreciate the great urgency of settling this issue, on which we have been awaiting reactions from London for some time past."
Three days later Heath replied that he did not think it "practical to find a suitable EEC statesman in the time available, and indeed even if we could, it might create the impression in some quarters that we could not get together without a third party presiding over our deliberations."
Heath then proposed that he himself should take the chair and that in his absence the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary should take over. "In this we are following the normal international diplomatic practice under which the host government takes the chair. We will make sure that the seating arrangements are such as to demonstrate the equality of the sovereign governments taking part, and indeed that the representatives from Northern Ireland are not made to feel in any way inferior."
Cosgrave's response was immediate and forthright. On receipt of Heath's message he replied the same day suggesting that, on reflection, Heath would appreciate that "in the context of the history of these islands, a settlement reached both on British soil and also under British chairmanship would on that account be likely to give rise to more criticism and controversy than either of us would desire."
When originally accepting that the conference would be located in Britain "we did not feel that the host country could provide the chairmanship on this occasion. Had there been any question of linking the two, our view of the venue would have been different."
Cosgrave then proposed that Gaston Thorn, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, "whose qualities are known to both of us" should be invited to chair the talks. Two days later Heath replied that he found the Thorn suggestion "very difficult". It would be widely misinterpreted, unhelpful and very damaging. Its impact within Northern Ireland was of special concern: the Unionists would find it difficult, if not impossible, to attend.
"The 'Loyalists' would be incensed, and the very real risk of further violence from them would be increased. So would the scope for damaging political activity. As you will know, we are still in very considerable difficulty, which is not yet resolved, about the exclusion of Dr Paisley and Mr Craig."
Nonetheless, Heath insisted he was "anxious to help." He sought to fob Cosgrave off with a reassurance that there was "no intention of playing up the question of chairmanship or indeed that of sponsorship, and I see no reason to mention either point. We would be meeting together as sovereign countries, and we would make no bones about saying so."
Heath obviously hoped that this would conclude the issue. But, by return, Cosgrave expressed his concern at the rejection of Thorn, adding that he believed that it was unrealistic "to think that if we do not officially mention the chairmanship, it will not become known."
Cosgrave now reverted to his original suggestion of alternating chairmen nominated by each government, or Heath and Cosgrave alternating, or, in their absence, Douglas-Home and Corish. "I hope you will appreciate that it is vital to our ability to secure acceptance here of the outcome of this conference that we agree some such solution to this one outstanding problem." Manifestly Heath had demonstrated procrastination, indifference and a failure to engage on this issue, despite continuous prompting from Dublin. He was also relying on a fudge that since the conference was taking place in Britain most participants would think of Heath as the host and forget that the conference was being sponsored by both sovereign governments.
But Cosgrave's tenacity was not without some result: Heath's final reply suggested that an informal sharing of the chairmanship might work best. He wrote that "we can make practical arrangements which will avoid any difficulties or embarrassment."
He also felt certain that both men would be "anxious to keep discussion as informal as possible. If we were to nominate chairmen, we would run the risk that the Conference would get out of control, and I have no doubt that you and I must keep closely together if we are to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion."
Despite British irritation at these protracted exchanges, Heath now ceded some ground. He concluded: "I have always had it in mind that you ought to take the lead at some of the sessions, and we can make arrangements about how this should work which would be more helpful and more flexible than a formal alternating chairmanship."
He felt certain that "we can settle this along these lines the first morning."
It would appear that Heath's belief that it would be all right on the morning proved correct. In his memoirs Garret FitzGerald reports that Heath took the chair at the opening session, "reasonably enough as the host" and presided "so successfully - and fairly - that the issue of chairmanship simply evaporated."
Dr John Bowman is a broadcaster and historian