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Entry: The Good War: A Cautionary Tale Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/the_good_war_a_cautionary_tale#29150 Post contents: I was once having breakfast with a visiting Professor from the UK and was praising Collins and demeaning deValera at the Army-Navy Club. He looked at me and said, "you read Tim Pat's book then?" I had indeed read Tim Pat Coogan's book on Collins but friends in Ireland thought deValera behind Collin's death. He certainly tried his best to assassinate his character. Churchill came close to invading and occupying Ireland to secure the ports for use in anti-sub activities. If I would have been in Ireland and Britain did that I would have certainly supported armed resistance. deValera was in the US fund raising while the Republican forces were fighting the English. But he would probably have been shot by an English firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol if not for his American citizenship. Roger Casement saw the Congo and abuse of the Putamayo in Peru the Boer War and became decidedly pro Irish independence. He tried to raise Irish troops in Germany and get arms but the English had to stretch the Treason Act to hang him at Pentonville Prison in 1916. Churchill knew there was submarine activity and let the munitions laden Lusitania be sunk to bring the US into the war. DeVelera had a lot of reasons to fear Churchill. I wonder how many American Republicans would have dismissed the Irish as terrorists at worse and liberals at best? DeValera was a louse of the first order though. Sent at: 2009 01 08