A POTENTIALLY damaging anti British propaganda campaign, detailing "unbridled military brutality", a ban on British films and a boycott of Belfast linen, was organised by Sinn Fein in 1920 and 1921. Precise details of the campaign were found following the arrest of Eamon de Valera at his home in Mount Merrion at that time, according to correspondence released by the British Public Records Office this week.
De Valera's letters detailed his wish that Irish people would hold firm in their reserve against the British, who, he wrote, had undertaken to engage in a campaign of revenge. "It will not, unless our nation is false to itself, achieve the purpose for which they have launched it," he wrote. In further notes he described the country as facing a crisis which would "try a nation's soul", but the time had come, he added "when we must resolve we shall not be broken".
An undated letter refers to the difficult negotiations with the British government on Ireland's future status. De Valera writes "It is not the terms of peace that are now available but terms of slavery the defenceless captive cannot negotiate with the bandit that holds a pistol to his head."
Further documents found during the raid relate to a file called simply, "Father O'F notes". They included typed documents as well as unsigned and undated notes. One note refers to the "religious bigotry" where, according to the writer, "Catholics are good enough to die for but our Catholic fellow countrymen are not good enough to live with".
In the same note the writer says "Religious bigotry bad died out in every white man's land except Ireland will die in Ireland when English politicians are not longer able to keep it alive.
Another unattributed note details the writer's feelings on the North. "Save Ireland from Partition, Ulster from mutation, Belfast from destruction, commerce from stagnation, patriotism from humiliation, religion from dishonour. With England gone, no longer will Orangemen be against the Green, RIC against the IRA. No Irishmen led out against the Boer and Turk and German for England."
A final note then adds "Belfast to be a loyal part of an independent Ireland a good Irishman will not divide Ireland, a good Ulsterman will not divide Ulster."
The de Valera letters also show detailed discussion of censorship. His wish was that in particular the screening of films with a "British tendency" should be restricted. It was recommended that any reach of the censorship guidelines would result in the destruction of the operating machines which could be achieved with "the blow of a hammer, we do this and the damage can at least be £100".
De Valera also proposed to engage the writers, Corkery, Murray or Gogarty in the production of anti British material in America. But the details are limited to a footnote and include no further suggestions for the writing fraternity.
De Valera also advised a linen boycott, initiated in the United States, aiming to disrupt trade in Belfast.
Boycott details were contained in a document sent to the director of propaganda who was asked to produce a report on the success of such a campaign during July of 1921 when Belfast merchants travelled to the US for their yearly linen orders.