Page "Matthew Nathan" Paragraph 7

Nathan was appointed Under-Secretary for Ireland in August 1914, just after the outbreak of World War I and the signing into law of the Home Rule Act 1914.

His immediate superior was the Chief Secretary, Augustine Birrell.

At this time the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was largely a ceremonial position, and the Chief Secretary spent much of his time in London where he was a member of the cabinet, so the Under-Secretary was effectively the head of the administration in Ireland.

Nathan's job involved liaising with the Irish Parliamentary Party ( IPP ) to prepare them for self-government.

He was also concerned with recruiting in Ireland, and received regular reports from the police and military about anti-recruiting and pro-independence activity, including the threat of a German invasion or arms landing in support of an Irish rising.

Alarmed at the growing numbers of separatists in the Civil Service, Nathan wrote to the authorities to have them transferred to England, and eventually got cabinet approval for a letter warning civil servants that they would be dismissed if they continued as members of the Irish Volunteers.

He used the Defence of the Realm Act 1914 to suppress newspapers he considered seditious, against the advice of the IPP In general, however, he avoided any action that might provoke violence.