One might ask where this line of argument is leading. As I stated earlier, if we are to have any influence, we must not antagonise the United States. People pay more heed to suggestions and criticisms from friends than from those they perceive as being hostile. The American people have always stood by us and we, in turn, stood by them in the days following the attacks on Washington and New York. They will not understand if we desert them now. I do not believe in their heart of hearts the Irish people want to abandon America – in fact, it is to our credit that we, the Irish, are ever reluctant to abandon any people, whether American, British, French or, indeed, Iraqi. The Irish people will never desert a people in need.