Progress
of Negotiations
By late October, the issues under negotiation had become
clear. The Irish delegation had abandoned neutrality and given in on the
demand for naval bases. The trade and financial remained unsettled but the
outline of an agreement was in sight. The key remaining issues were the linked
ones of Crown and Ulster. Curran says that “Griffith was making tentative
concessions on Crown and Empire to win Britain’s help for unity. If the
British failed to persuade Ulster to join the South, Sinn Fein could break off
negotiations with the assurance of world sympathy and only minimal risk of
war. … The British delegates … must do their best to obtain peace
without compromising … Crown and Empire (or jeopardizing national security) and
without precipitating a Conservative revolt over Ulster. This meant
extracting the maximum concessions from Sinn Fein while cautiously exerting
pressure on Craig to secure unity. If they failed to convert Craig, the
British must still try to reach agreement with Sinn Fein on the basis of a
divided Ireland.” (Curran J M (1980), pgs 91-92) Llyod George wondered if
the British people would fight on Ulster (Curran J M (1980), pg 95) and Chamberlain was sure they would not (Curran J M
(1980), pg 309, n48)