"NEVER BE PEACE UNTIL IRISH PEOPLE ARE FREE"

DE VALERA & CABINET RESIGN WITH EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY OF THE DAIL "IRREVOCABLY SPLIT"

Dublin, Ireland (JFK+50) On January 6, 1922, an "official announcement was made...that Eamon De Valera* had resigned the presidency of the Irish republic."

The Associated Press reports De Valera told the dail** that he and his cabinet resigned because the executive authority of the dail "had been irrevocably split" since the Irish agreement was signed in London.

In his view, there would never be peace "until the principle was recognized that the Irish people wanted to live their own lives without the imposition of outside authority."

*Eamon de Valera (1882-1975) was born in New York City & served as President of the Irish Republic, 1921-1922, Leader of Fianna Fail, 1926-1959, & 3rd President of Ireland, 1959-1973.

**the first dail (1919-1921) was the 1st meeting of the unicameral parliament of the revolutionary Irish Republic.  Outlawed by Great Britain in September 1919, afterward met in secret. 

SOURCE

"De Valera Resigns As Republic Head; Cabinet Also Quits," The Evening Star, January 6, 1922, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov.

JFK+50 NOTE

This is the 4000th posting of this blog (Dec 2010-Jan 2022).

It was one year ago today that the United States Capitol was attacked by supporters of President Donald J. Trump challenging the outcome of the Election of 2020.  

This event, the first attack on our Capitol since the War of 1812, has been called the "January 6th Insurrection."  That insurrection is currently under investigation by a special congressional committee.

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. delivered a speech from the Capitol this morning, and in the words of CNN, "(tore) into Trump (&) blames him for January 6th violence."

President Biden characterizes the events of January 6, 2021 as the former president and his allies holding "a dagger at the throat of America." 

The President said...

"He (Trump) can't accept the fact that he lost the election." 

 

 

Eamon de Valera 

College of Holy Cross (1920)

Library of Congress

 

THE BEST FOUR DAYS OF JFK'S LIFE

ENORMOUS & EXCITED CROWDS GREET JFK IN DUBLIN

Dublin, Ireland (JFK+50) John F. Kennedy, the first Irish-American President of the United States, landed here in Dublin 55 years ago, June 26, 1963, becoming the first POTUS to visit the country during his term of office.

The President was greeted by Eamon de Valera, President of Ireland, and welcomed by Irish children waving American flags and singing his favorite Irish tunes.

Ryan Tubridy writes...

"The two Presidents made their way...for the brief journey from Dublin airport across the city to Phoenix Park, home of both the Irish President and the American Ambassador to Ireland.

The crowds were enormous and excited.  On...O'Connell Street, between 60,000 and 80,000 people showed up to welcome the President."

The people of Ireland were obviously pleased to see President Kennedy and on JFK's part he is said to have described the visit as "the best 'four days of his life.'"

SOURCES

"JFK In Ireland, Four Days That Changed a President," by Ryan Tubridy, Lyons Press, Guilford, Connecticut, 2011.

"One of Ourselves: JFK in Ireland" by James Robert Carroll, Images from the Past, Inc., Bennington, Vermont, 2003.

JFK Greets Irish School Children

JFK Library Photo

                     

JFK CUT DOWN TO SIZE

EAMON DE VALERA DIED 40 YEARS AGO TODAY

Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland (JFK+50) Forty years ago today, August 29, 1975,  Eamon de Valera,* President of Ireland from 1959 to 1973 and head of the government of the Irish Free State, died at the age of 92.

President John F. Kennedy, the first American president of Irish descent, visited Ireland in June 1963.  President de Valera welcomed him in both English and Irish languages, but according to John Spain, JFK would later include a comment in his speech to the Dail (the Irish Parliament), that was taken as an insult by de Valera.

Smith refers to Ryan Tubridy's research for his book "JFK in Ireland" in which Tubridy learned that the JFK comment was not appreciated by de Valera.

In his speech, President Kennedy made reference to Lord Edward FitzGerald, who once occupied Leinster House** and in a letter to his mother had written...
"Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas."  Although JFK added "that was a long time ago, however," Mr. de Valera was displeased.

The Irish president was later overheard saying to President Kennedy that he had "done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation."  Ryan Tubridy was surprised to learn that de Valera had the offensive line removed from "all published versions of the speech."

*Eamon de Valera (1882-1975) was born to a Spanish father & Irish mother in New York City.  When his father died when Eamon was 2 years old, his mother returned with him to Ireland.

EdV graduated from Blackrock College & became a math professor.  He joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and served in the uprising of 1916.  EdV was first elected as president of Ireland in 1917 after having been released from prison.

**Leinster House, located in Dublin was completed in 1748 and since 1922 served as the parliament building of the Irish Free State.  It was formerly ducal residence of the Duke of Leinster.  The building was also the HQ of the Royal Dublin Society (1815-1922).

The 1st & 2nd floors of LH were used as models for the interior of the White House and the exterior used as a model for the White House exterior.  The White House was designed by Irish-American architect James Hoban.

Leinster House, 1914

Dublin, Ireland

SOURCES

"Eamon De Valera (1882-1975)," Clare County Library, www.clarelibrary.ie/

"President Greets President, 1963," RTE Archives, www.rte.ie/

"The Boy is Back in Town:  De Valera and Fianna Fail's electoral victory in 1932," by Jason Myers, The Ultimate History Project, www.ultimatehistoryproject.com/

"The day the Long Fella cut legendary JFK down to size," by John Spain, Entertainment Books, October 23, 2010, www.independent.ie/

   

US AID TO CUBA'S TRADE PARTNERS CUT

U.S. AID TO CUBAN TRADE PARTNERS CUT 50 YEARS AGO TODAY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty years ago today, February 18, 1964, the government of the United States of America cut military aid to Great Britain, France and Yugoslavia for their continued trade with Fidel Castro's communist Cuba.

While the amount of aid involved was relatively small, the United States hoped it would be seen as a symbolic act of disapproval.  

Representatives of the designated nations, however, objected to the action.

Fidel Castro

OPPENHEIMER DIED 47 YEARS AGO TODAY

Princeton, N. J. (JFK+50) The "father of the atomic bomb", J. Robert Oppenheimer, died 47 years ago today, February 18, 1967, here in Princeton at the age of 62.

He worked on the Manhattan Project during WWII and set up a top secret laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

After the U.S. used the atomic bomb on Japan, Oppenheimer worked with the Atomic Energy Commission for the international control of nuclear energy.

In 1953, he lost his security clearance and was ousted from the AEC for both his opposition to the development of the hydrogen bomb as well as his admitted "leftist" political views.

Robert J. Oppenheimer

DE VALERA RESIGNS IN IRELAND

66 years ago today, February 18, 1948, Eamon de Valera, Prime Minister of Ireland for 16 years, resigned after his party failed to win a majority in the Irish Assembly.

John A. Costello, leader of the opposition party, would be the new prime minister.

De Valera was born in New York City where he lived the 1st 2 years of his life.  When his father died his surviving family moved to County Limerick.  

De Valera pursued a policy of political separation from Great Britain and supported a new constitution in 1937 that declared Ireland independent.

Eamon de Valera was once again PM in 1951 and welcomed the 1st incumbent President of the United States to visit Ireland in June 1963, John F. Kennedy.

JFK and Eamon de Valera

SEQUEL TO TOM SAWYER PUBLISHED

On February 18,  1895, Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, published a novel about the best friend of Tom Sawyer, the main character in his previous work: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was to be banned in many libraries and in the 1950s it was attacked as racist in its portrayal of African Americans.  

Despite this controversy, the novel is seen as a masterpiece by many literary critics.

JFK GIVES VIEW OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE

August 29, 1962


JFK GIVES VIEW OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy was asked the following question at his news conference at the State Department today:

"Mr. President:  Sir, would you tell us what the Monroe Doctrine means to you today in light of conditions...in Cuba?"

The President, who has received daily briefings for several weeks about an increasing Soviet presence in Cuba, responded:

"The Monroe Doctrine means....that we would oppose a foreign power extending its power to the Western Hemisphere & that is why we oppose what is happening in Cuba today.  That is why we have cut off our trade.  That is why we will continue to give a good deal of our effort & attention to it."*

*The Monroe Doctrine (1823) stated that efforts by European nations to colonize or interfere in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed by the United States as acts of aggression.

JFK would be shown U2 photographs in October 1962 that proved the Soviets were in the process of placing nuclear missiles in Cuba which was the beginning of the "Missile Crisis".

                   The Monroe Doctrine
                                   Page 1
          National Archives Document
                   Online Public Access

August 29, 1962

ROBERT FROST OFF ON GOODWILL TOUR OF SOVIET UNION

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) New England poet Robert Frost left the United States today for a goodwill tour of the Soviet Union sponsored by the State Department.

Mr. Frost, who recited a poem at JFK's Inauguration, will give poetry readings, interviews & lectures while touring the USSR.*

*During the tour, Frost came down with "nervous indigestion" but was still able to meet with Premier Nikita Khrushchev for 90 minutes.  Mr. Frost told Khrushchev: "A great nation makes great poetry & great poetry makes a nation."

  Robert Frost (left) on USSR Tour

August 29, 1968

HUMPHREY WINS DEMO NOMINATION

Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) Vice President Hubert Horatio Humphrey was nominated by the delegates of the 1968 Democratic National Convention today here in Chicago.

The convention has been one of the most divisive & violent in history over the war in Vietnam.

Vice-President Humphrey supports President Lyndon B. Johnson's policy in Vietnam while others in the party oppose it.

Student protesters have let their voices be heard on the streets of Chicago while Mayor Richard Daley, a Humphrey supporter, has used the Chicago police force to attempt to control them.

Before becoming LBJs Vice-President in 1965, Humphrey had been a senator from Minnesota since 1948.  Senator Humphrey was an advocate of civil rights, arms control, a nuclear test ban & foreign aid.  He was known as "the Happy Warrior."*

*3 years before JFK proposed the Peace Corps, Humphrey introduced a bill to create just such an agency.  In 1960, he competed against JFK for the Democratic nomination for President.  


Hubert Humphrey died in 1978.

Two of my favorite Hubert Humphrey quotations:

"Compassion is not weakness & concern for the unfortunate is not socialism."

"It was once said that the moral test of government is how government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly, & those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy & the handicapped."

                    Hubert H. Humphrey

                   "The Happy Warrior"

August 29, 1975

EAMON DE VALERA DIES AT AGE OF 92

Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland (JFK+50) The former President of Ireland (1959-1973) & head of the government of the Irish Free State as well as the leader of Ireland's struggle for independence from Great Britain, Eamon de Valera died today at the age of 92.

                   Eamon de Valera

                         (1882-1975)

De Valera, born in New York City in 1882, was brought to Ireland at the age of 2 by his uncle.

De Valera was host for President John F. Kennedy's state visit to Ireland in June 1963.

Mr. De Valera will be buried in Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery.

            Grave of Eamon de Valera

                       Dublin, Ireland

August 29, 1949

USSR EXPLODES A BOMB

Semipalatinsk, USSR (JFK+50) It has been said the only thing worse than one nation having the atomic bomb is two nations having it.  

Today, the Soviet Union became the 2nd nation to have the atomic bomb.  At a remote test site here in Semipalatinsk, the Soviets successfully detonated their 1st atomic bomb.

The explosion, rated at 20 kilotons, is roughly equal to that of the "Trinity" test explosion by the United States.*

*An American spy plane flying off the coast of Siberia picked up the 1st evidence of radioactivity from the explosion on September 3.

     Soviets explode their 1st atomic bomb

EAMON DE VALERA

February 18, 1948


DE VALERA RESIGNS IN IRELAND


Eamon de Valera, Prime Minister of Ireland for 16 years, has resigned after his party failed to win a majority in the Irish Assembly.


John A. Costello, leader of the opposition party, will be the new prime minister.


De Valera was born in New York City where he lived the 1st 2 years of his life.  When his father died his surviving family moved to County Limerick.  


De Valera pursued a policy of political separation from Great Britain & supported a new constitution in 1937 that declared Ireland independent.*


*Eamon de Valera was once again PM in 1951 & welcomed the 1st incumbent President of the United States to visit Ireland in June 1963, John F. Kennedy.

February 18, 1964


COUNTRIES TRADING WITH CUBA PUNISHED


The U.S. cut military aid to Britain, France & Yugoslavia today for their continued trade with Fidel Castro's communist nation.


While the amount of aid involved is small, the U.S. government hopes it will be seen as a symbolic act of disapproval.  Representatives of the countries affected, however, have objected to the action.

February 18, 1967


J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER IS DEAD


The acknowledged "father of the atomic bomb", J. Robert Oppenheimer, died today in Princeton, New Jersey at the age of 62.


He worked on the Manhattan Project during WWII & set up a top secret laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico.


After the U.S. used the atomic bomb on Japan, Oppenheimer worked with the Atomic Energy Commission for the international control of nuclear energy.


In 1953, he lost his security clearance & was ousted from the AEC for both his opposition to the development of the hydrogen bomb as well as his admitted "leftist" political views.

February 18, 1895


MARK TWAIN PUBLISHES SEQUEL TO TOM SAWYER

Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, published a new novel today about the best friend of Tom Sawyer, the main character in his previous work: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).*


*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was to be banned in many libraries & in the 1950s it was attacked as racist in its portrayal of African Americans.  Despite this controversy, the novel is seen as a masterpiece by many literary critics.

February 18, 1856


KNOW-NOTHINGS MEET IN PHILLY

Delegates of the  American Party, also known as the "Know-Nothings",  gathered in Philadelphia today to nominate their 1st candidate for President of the United States.


The party was organized from anti-immigrant nativist societies such as the Order of the Star Spangled Banner.*


*The Know-Nothings chose former President Millard Fillmore of New York as their presidential candidate & Andrew Donelson of Tennessee as his running mate.  The party won only Maryland in the Election of 1856 & then dissolved.