Olympia Theatre owner refused to allow Nazi propaganda film reels to be stored on premises
Declassified documents released by the National Archives show the Government was concerned that the screening of the movie had the potential to lead to clashes between Nazi and communist groups outside the theatre on Dame Street
The owner of Dublin’s Olympia Theatre refused to allow the reels of a leading Nazi propaganda film when it was released in 1935 to be stored overnight on the premises, newly released State papers have revealed.
Triumph of the Will which promoted the return of Germany as a great power with Adolf Hitler as its leader was directed, produced and co-written by the controversial German film maker, Leni Riefenstahl. It contained scenes from mass Nazi rallies to convey a sense of power about Hitler's rise to power.
Declassified documents released by the National Archives show the Government was concerned that the screening of the movie had the potential to lead to clashes between Nazi and communist groups outside the theatre on Dame Street.
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They also showed that undercover gardaí were monitoring film goers attending the Olympia for the private screening which was being organised by the German Legation in Dublin in October 1935.
Correspondence between the Departments of External Affairs (now Foreign Affairs) and Justice as well as An Garda Síochána documents the special measures which the Irish authorities proposed for ensuring the screening passed off without trouble.
An official noted that the screening might be “made the occasion of a hostile demonstration outside the theatre” and said the Minister for External Affairs, Éamon de Valera, would appreciate it if the Minister for Justice, P J Ruttledge, could arrange for gardaí to supervise the area around the theatre while the film was being shown.
Gardaí also had to arrange security for the transport of the film reels to and from the Olympia.
Complications also arose when the theatre’s owner, Thomas Morrison, indicated he did not want the film reels kept overnight on the premises and asked for a detective to arrange its removal.
Documents show that by arrangement with the German Legation, the reels were removed from the theatre and escorted back to the Legation’s base on Northumberland Road where they were protected overnight by gardaí from Irishtown.
After the screenings of the film in Dublin had concluded, the reels were transported to the UK. However, the files show the greatest concern of gardaí was that the film would increase the risk of clashes between Nazi and communist sympathisers in Dublin.
Surveillance was conducted on the Communist headquarters in Dublin and on prominent members of the organisation, though no indications of plans to disrupt the screening were observed.
A memo also recorded: “Unobtrusive attention was likewise paid to the route taken by the German Chargé d'Affaires to the theatre until the completion of the exhibition but nothing calling for police intervention took place.”
Files also show that undercover gardaí were on duty inside the Olympia while one sergeant and 10 uniformed officers were on standby in the area around Dame Street.
According to a Garda briefing note: “About 200 persons, principally German residents” attended the screening.
Others in attendance included several foreign diplomats including the Belgian, Polish and French consuls as well as the Minister for Lands and Fisheries, Joseph Connolly.
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