Date of Award
Fall 1992
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
History
Abstract
The following study is an essay in diplomatic history. It seeks to chronicle and analyze the significant developments in relations between the United States and Ireland in the first seven years after the Second World War. This choice of subject matter in no way means to imply that diplomacy is the sole, or even the most important, factor in one nation's relationship with another. There is, of course, much more to the connection between two countries than their formal political dealings. In the case of Ireland and the United states, in particular, ties of kinship and affection between the populations of the two countries have been very important. Millions of Americans trace their ancestry back to Ireland, and at times that fact has proven to be of great significance in the internal politics of both nations. In the world of the twentieth century, the economic lives of states are also intricately interrelated, and the effects of financial and commercial policies in a large country like the United States on a small and relatively poor nation like Ireland can be substantial. Innumerable other important transnational links between Ireland and the U.S., from cultural affairs to religious matters to questions of international law, could likewise be the focus of scholarly investigation, and each of them is eminently worthy of examination. The realities of academic discourse, however, often make it necessary to narrow one's focus in order to avoid the danger of biting off more than one can reasonably expect to digest. One consequence of attempting to cover too much material in such a fashion can be that, in the end, nothing of value is said about any of it. That being the case, I have chosen to treat Irish-American diplomatic history, partly because so many other facets of the two nations' total relationship are reflected in its light, but mainly because it is interesting in itself. It is, after all, through foreign policy that a nation formally presents itself -- its interests, perceptions, values, and goals -- to the rest of the world...