Eduard Hempel facts for kids

Eduard Hempel (born June 6, 1887, in Pirna; died November 12, 1972, in Gundelfingen) was a German diplomat. He served as Germany's Minister to Ireland from 1937 to 1945. This period included the time leading up to and during The Emergency, which was Ireland's name for World War II. When Hempel first got the job, he was not a member of the Nazi party. However, soon after his appointment, the government in Berlin put a lot of pressure on him to join.

Before Hempel was appointed, Ireland's foreign affairs department had clearly stated they did not want a Nazi party member as their diplomatic representative. It seems the solution was to appoint someone who wasn't a member at first. But Hempel did join the following year, and his Nazi party membership card was dated July 1, 1938.

Early Life and Education

Eduard Hempel was the son of an important government official. He went to grammar schools in Bautzen and Davos. He finished high school in Wertheim. After that, he studied law at the University of Leipzig. He then completed his required military service. Later, he joined the legal service in the Kingdom of Saxony. When World War I began, he was called into the army. During the war, he worked in administration, including in occupied Romania.

Hempel's Diplomatic Career

Hempel started working for Saxony's foreign service in 1920. This service later became part of Germany's main diplomatic service. In 1928, Hempel was sent to Oslo, Norway. He then returned to Berlin to work in the Foreign Office. In 1928, he joined the German People's Party.

On June 22, 1937, he officially became the new German envoy to the Republic of Ireland. He took over after the previous envoy, Wilhelm von Kuhlmann, passed away. As mentioned, Hempel joined the Nazi party on July 1, 1938. He was in charge of an embassy that had a very active Nazi group.

When the United States envoy, David Gray, took control of the German embassy and its records on May 10, 1945, Hempel had already destroyed all important documents. According to David Gray, the Irish government quietly supported this.

How Was Hempel Seen in Ireland?

Many people had different opinions about Eduard Hempel's actions during his time in Ireland.

Views on Hempel's Character

Charles Acton, a former writer for the Irish Times newspaper, believed Hempel was an "old-fashioned" diplomat. Acton thought Hempel was stuck in a difficult situation. He felt Hempel loved his country but disliked the Nazi government. Acton believed Hempel stayed in his role to do more good and lessen the harm caused by the regime. He thought resigning might have led to a "real Nazi" running the embassy.

In 2011, Michael Drury, a former diplomat, wrote a letter to the Irish Times. He stated that Irish officials believed Dr. Hempel acted correctly. Drury said Hempel respected Ireland's neutrality better than the American minister. He also mentioned that he was asked to attend Hempel's funeral in 1972. This suggested Hempel was not seen as "Hitler's man" by Irish officials.

However, other readers of the Irish Times disagreed with Drury. They pointed to information suggesting Hempel supported Hitler and the Nazis. Drury later agreed that Hempel should have resigned when pressured to join the Nazi party. But he also noted that not everyone is a hero.

The Controversial Visit to Hempel

Hempel's time in Ireland is especially remembered for an event at the end of World War II. On May 2, 1945, the Irish leader, Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, and Joe Walshe, Secretary of the Department of External Affairs, visited Hempel's home. They went to offer their official condolences on the death of German dictator Adolf Hitler.

Hempel was described as very upset by the news, wringing his hands. However, after his death, his wife, Eva, said he was suffering from eczema at the time. Official papers released in 2005 showed that President Hyde also visited Hempel the next day.

De Valera later defended his visit in a letter. He said that since Ireland had diplomatic relations with Germany, not visiting Hempel would have been very rude to the German nation and to Dr. Hempel himself.

Hempel's Reports and Accusations

During his eight years in Ireland, Hempel sent thousands of reports to Berlin. He used telegraph and shortwave radio. He gave up his radio transmitter in December 1943. This was because the Irish Department of External Affairs insisted, under pressure from the United States and United Kingdom.

Some historians have suggested that Hempel might have helped cause the failure of the 1942 Allied raid on Dieppe. They claim he reported Canadian troop movements on the south coast of England. However, this accusation has been debated and is not fully proven.