Volume 1 1919~1922


Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 158 NAI DE 2/304/1

Memorandum by Robert Barton on Draft Treaty A

Undated [early 1922]

DRAFT TREATY A.
This is the Skeleton Treaty1 referred to in 'The Truth about the Treaty'.

It is principally the work of De Valera and was intended to be the basis of the Treaty of External Association.

Every Delegate had a copy.

This Draft was submitted to the Cabinet on October 7th, discussed and approved. The members of the Cabinet left in Dublin were supposed to be going to improve upon it and send over their drafts from time to time.2

At the same time that the Delegates were negotiating on the basis of this Treaty the Secretariat in conjunction with the Delegates and Cabinet in Dublin were to amplify and complete this treaty in the form to be known as Draft Treaty 'B' which was to serve as a propaganda document in the event of the negotiations breaking down.

1 No. 159, see also No. 161.

2 They were Eamon de Valera, Cathal Brugha, W.T. Cosgrave and Austin Stack.