Britain and Ireland were best of enemies back then

DR MARTIN MANSERGH TD refers to a private communication from Brian Girvin as proof that Elizabeth Bowen’s secret reports to the British government about Ireland during the war were not spy reports (Letters, September 26).

But a private communication is evidence of nothing.

The suggestion seems to be that Ms Bowen was jointly commissioned by the British and Irish governments to draw up these reports which the British government marked ‘secret’ upon receipt of them, utilised them, paid for them and destroyed them after World War II. And no copies have turned up in Irish archives.