National Archives - McGovern: ‘The word stalemate was coined with Ireland in mind’

SENATOR George S McGovern is probably best remembered as the Democrat Party’s nominee defeated by Richard Nixon in the US presidential election of 1972, but the tactics used, especially in the Watergate building, led to Nixon’s resignation less than two years later.

In the summer of 1977 Sen McGovern visited Ireland and wrote a report for the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee entitled Ireland in 1977.

“All concerned parties are stranded in irreconcilable positions,” he wrote. “One could conclude that the word ‘stalemate’ was coined with Ireland in mind.”

The senator, who was a former history professor, read up on the problems and spent a week in Ireland during July meeting people from across the political divide. “From the time of the constitutional convention, the political institutions of Northern

Ireland have remained frozen,” he wrote. “There have been no further formal attempts at a settlement.”

There had been a couple of hopeful developments, however, in the past year. The support given to the Peace Movement was seen as an indication that ordinary people “are sick of the bloodshed, the barricades and the barbed wire”. He thought the failure of the recent general strike, led by Ian Paisley, was a further positive development.

On July 4 — the day before being elected Taoiseach — Jack Lynch told Sen McGovern that Fianna Fáil’s election victory was won “on economic issues”, not on the policy of the North.

Although it has been party policy since October 1975 to call on the British to conduct “an ordered withdrawal from Northern Ireland”, Mr Lynch indicated, “no pressure would be applied for a British withdrawal”.

He explained that he was “fully sensitive to the importance of avoiding either statements or actions that might add to the tension in the North”. So much for that election promise.

Sen McGovern had discussions with John Hume, Ernest Baird and William Craig, as well as an “intriguing joint meeting” in Derry with Paddy Harte, the Fine Gael deputy from Donegal, and Glen Barr, one of the leaders of the 1974 strike that undermined the Sunningdale agreement. Harte and Barr were of different religions and political outlooks, but the senator noted that they had “developed a close friendship and a common determination to do what they can to expedite a political solution for the North”.

Sen McGovern — who submitted his report on August 17, 1977 — concluded by recommending that Americans should make every practical effort to avoid supporting extremist groups and “should indicate a willingness to join with other countries in offering reasonable financial aid to Northern Ireland, to help a new government succeed in addressing the serious economic situation”. This was followed within a fortnight by President Carter’s statement.

Foreign Minister Michael O’Kennedy complimented the senator on his “remarkably comprehensive” report.