The Anglo-Irish Treaty
Correspondence between DeValera and Lloyd George during the summer of 1921. From The Catholic Bulletin (Vol. XI No. 9) September 1921
A significant meeting took place the following week at Dublin’s Mansion House between De Valera, Griffith and the representative of Southern Unionists Lord Midleton, whose mediation with Lloyd George resulted in the announcement of a truce on July 8th, which produced the aforementioned rioting that took place in Belfast. Nevertheless, the truce came into effect on July 11th and three days later De Valera and Lloyd George met in London for exploratory talks. After two more meetings Lloyd George offered dominion status for Southern Ireland to De Valera which would give the territory self-government similar to countries such as Canada and Australia within the British Empire. This was rejected outright by De Valera and his stance was endorsed by the Sinn Féin members of the Southern Parliament when they regrouped in August at the Mansion House as the Second Dáil Éireann. Lloyd George in a written reply stated that no secession from allegiance to the King could ever be tolerated. When talks eventually opened he did not move from that position over the following months despite some tweaking and rewording and also stood firm on the question of self government for Northern Ireland. The rejection of Lloyd George’s terms was not however regarded as final, and negotiations, though suspended, were not broken off.
Early in September, Lloyd George held a cabinet meeting in Scotland to discuss the terms on which de Valera would be invited to London to negotiate a settlement and by the end of the month the two had agreed the terms for a conference. The US Catholic hierarchy having anticipated developments sent Cardinal Logue, Archbishop of Armagh, expressions of sympathy with Ireland and good wishes for success at the conference.
Meanwhile, Dáil Éireann had sanctioned the appointment of Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins, George Gavan Duffy, Robert Barton and Eamonn Duggan as delegates to a conference in London to which Erskine Childers would accompany them as an observer without voting rights.The Anglo- Irish Conference began in London on October 11th and before its conclusion on December 6th there had been certain developments in Northern Ireland. At a meeting between Lloyd George and Craig, a Boundary Commission to review the border was mooted with the British Prime Minister then urging Northern Ireland to become involved in an all Ireland parliament instead of its own local one, a suggestion which was immediately rejected by Craig. The uncertainty generated by these developments partly contributed to the unrest in Belfast in November in spite of some flexibility by Griffith on those issues. The Northern Ireland government moved to take control of law and order with the expansion of the regular police force and its reserves.
On December 6th, 18 Articles of 'Agreement and Annexe for a Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland' or 'The Anglo-Irish Treaty' was signed providing for the establishment of the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion within the British Empire, under threat from Lloyd George of “war within three days”. On December 8th, De Valera denounced the Treaty. Six days later during the debate in Dáil Éireann, he advocated its rejection. He produced an alternative that has come to be known as “Document No.2”. Craig had meanwhile rejected the Boundary Commission as well as Sinn Féin’s right to speak for all Ireland.There were so many speakers in the Dáil debate that no vote had been taken when it adjourned for Christmas on December 22nd. After resumption the Treaty was passed on January 7th1922 by 64 votes to 57, after which De Valera resigned from the presidency of Dáil Éireann.