Tallents' Report on Collins-Craig Pact
Introduction from Chronology
The man appointed (Stephen G. Tallents) to enquire and report on the breakdown of the
Craig-Collins pact arrives in Belfast – he stays until July 1st and meets a
wide selection of people.
More Detail
In his subsequent report, Tallents said that as the pact was signed “The future of
the Provisional Government seemed to be in the balance. The northern
government was not acknowledged by the Catholic minority … The Boundary
Commission … loomed ahead … In currents such as these the light anchors of the
March agreement were soon swept away.”
In other words, the March Pact dealt with minor issues while major issues (such as the Boundary Commission) lay in the future. He went to say that the IRA were the main determinant of the disturbances and that the violence was an organised conspiracy “planned with knowledge and support of Collins himself”. He did criticise a number of the unionist ministers including Dawson Bates. He concluded however that no public enquiry should be held into the communal violence, in particular into disproportionate the killings of Catholics, especially in Belfast (which was a demand of most Northern nationalists)