German Plot (Ireland)

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The "German Plot" was a spurious

the British war effort. The administration used these claims to justify the internment of Sinn Féin leaders, who were actively opposing attempts to introduce conscription in Ireland
.

The "plot" originated on 12 April when the British arrested Joseph Dowling after he was put ashore in

Irish Question following the failure of the Irish Convention.[2]

Paul McMahon characterises the "Plot" as "a striking illustration of the apparent manipulation of intelligence in order to prod the Irish authorities into more forceful action".

physical force republicanism.[3] This allowed Michael Collins to consolidate his control of the organisation and put it on a more focused military footing.[4]

Even at the time, the proposition that the Sinn Féin leadership were directly planning with the German authorities to open another military front in Ireland was largely seen as spurious.[5] Irish nationalists generally view the "German Plot" not as an intelligence failure but as a black propaganda project to discredit the Sinn Féin movement, particularly to an uninformed public in the United States.[6][7] Historian Paul McMahon comments that this belief is mistaken, and that the authorities acted honestly but on the basis of faulty intelligence.[1] It is still a matter of study and conjecture what impact it had on US foreign policy regarding the 1919 bid for international recognition of the Irish Republic.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-84383-376-5
    . Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  2. ISBN 978-0-415-23035-3
    .
  3. ISBN 978-0-8131-1791-1
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1-84603-023-9
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-521-65073-1
    .
  6. ISBN 978-0-312-29416-8
    . Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  7. ^ "British searching suspects in Ireland" (PDF). The New York Times. 22 May 1918.
  8. ISBN 9781846820106
    . Retrieved 30 April 2011.
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