Sir, – In light of the letter from Richard Sherman (July 2nd) citing the condolences sent to Nazi Germany upon Hitler's death as the low point in Irish-German relations, could I please refer readers to the interview Liv Hempel gave to Michael Parsons (Weekend Review, May 14th, 2011).
Liv Hempel, daughter of Herr Eduard Hempel, head of the German Reich’s legation (effectively ambassador) is quoted as follows: “In hindsight, I believe that the reason De Valera called to the house was out of friendship. He and my father were personal friends: it wasn’t simply a case of prime minister and diplomat. There was more than that. He visited because he knew my father, and the condolences were to my father because his position [as envoy to Ireland] was finished.”
Remember also that it was Herr Hempel who visited Government Buildings in 1939 and informed the Irish government that Germany would respect Ireland’s neutrality if Ireland honoured it. Furthermore, should anybody question the neutrality of Ireland during the second World War, don’t forget the neutrality of the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, the Soviet Union and the United States, all of whom entered the war only after they were first attacked. – Yours, etc,
DAVID SEXTON,
Sussex, England.