IRISH-AMERICANS PLANNED CAPTURE of GIBRALTAR

The son of a Canadian-born newspaper magnate Bennett inher ited the New York Herald and made the newspaper famous worldwide by sending reporters on exotic m issions and by sponsoring daring racing competitions in yachts,bal loons and aeroplanes. His most fa mous publicity stunt was to send Henry Stanley to Africa to find Dr. David Livingston. The story of Stanley's expedition (1879-1881) was followed by readers around the world and produced the im mortal line "Dr. Livingstone I Pre sume".

Bennett Jr. also financed expedi tions to find the northwest passage, and to the Arctic, unfortunately the great man is quoted in Christy Campbell's book Fenian Fire (Harper Collins 2002) as having "delighted in hiring notorious fel ons and revolutionists to fill his pages. The newspaper's foreign editor had served ten years in Dart moor for shooting a policeman. The drama critic set out to capture the Rock of Gibraltar,the night edi tor drew up the operational plan."

The night editor with plans to attack the Rock was Brigadier Gen eral Francis Frederick Millen an Irish-born (Tyrone)American who was a member of Cian-na-Gael, a rebel group associated with the Irish Republican Brotherhood an organisation that supported the Irish Republican Army.

Millen was an adventurer and soldier of fortune. He served in the British Army in the Crimean War (for obvious reasons he denied this),fought for Guatemala in 1863 and from 1864-1867 for Juarez in Mexico against the French-ap pointed Emperor Maximilian.

It was while directing artillery for Juarez' army that Millen achieved the rank of General and also where he was mcruited to the Fenians, a violent group fighting for Irish independence.

In 1865 Millen was sent to Ire land on military reconnaissance and took part in a failed coup at tempt.

On return to America he was hired by Bennett as a correspond ent for ^e Herald.It was during this time when,as chairman of the mili tary council of the Clan-na-Gael,he devised his plan to capture Gibral-

Eccenfric Gordon Bennett}r wa> the heir to the New York Herald and financed Stanlei/'s expedition in quest ofLivingstone as a marketing plot/ — his drama critic later devised a plan to capture the rock of Gibraltar would be well to make advances to the King in reference to the aid we might be able to render him in getting hold of Gibraltar by treach ery."

O'Kelly's efforts came to nothing but meanwhile Millen was hatch ing an even more outrageous plan — a rising up worldwide of en emies of the British Empire,includ ing Zulus, Boers, Afghans and Americans.

The British had their spies and because Millen was anything but discreet they were well aware of what was going on. Mr. George Crump,the British Consul in Phila delphia reported to Whitehall in March of 1878.

"General F.F. Millen, believed to be the Chairman of the Military Board, affirmed to my informant that there is a great desire on the part of the Russian government to aid the Irish nationalists.The report that a Russian naval officer was in New York for the purpose of pur chasing steamers for the Russian Government to be used as trans-

H^''aP|yf93ched the

general of New York, Senor de Uriarte, and presented a plan for tar.

Working with Millen was an other Irish-American, James O'Kelly, who had recommended Millen for the job at the Herald. A Fenian at 15, O'Kelly had fought with the French Foreign Legion be fore being hired by ^nnett Jr. In 1873O'Kelly suggested thatheand the Spanish-speaking Millen should be sent to Cuba to cover the rebellion taking place there. While O'Kelly lived in the jungle with the rebels Millen sat comfortably in his Havana hotel room and took credit for his colleague's rebel-relayed dispatches. When the rebellion col lapsed Millen escaped on a steamer while O'Kelly was captured and sentenced to death.

O'Kelly cooperated with the Spanish and ser\'ed only a short jail term. He then sailed to Madrid where he hoped to convince King Alfonso of Spain to join Russia in a war against Britain. He wrote to a fellow conspirator, "I think it

Brigadier General Francis Frederick Millen, an Irish-born American, drew up plans to capture the Rock port was founded on truth."

In a dispatch a month later Crump wrote:

"A rising of the Fenians in Ire land is positively intended... it will be precipitated by an outbreak of hostilities between England and Russia... Every Irish militia regi ment has its Fenian officers elected who have a full knowledge of the proposed scheme. General F.F. Millen is to be the commander in Ireland."

In 1879 Millen toured Ireland and Scotland to raise support.Soon after his return to New York he ap proached the Spanish consul-gen eral of New York,Senor de Uriarte, and presented a plan for the cap ture of Gibraltar. It was stamped with the seal of the Irish Republi can Army.

It was much more detailed than O'Kelly's earlier presentation and employed the use of a system of time torpedoes:

"They might be so arranged as to explode any minute of any day within thirty days from the time of setting them."

The bemused Spanish diplomat turned the plan over to the British Consul who relayed it to London with the comment:

"It is signed by General F.F. Millen, who, it will be remem bered, was in former years one of my informants... Mr.de Uriarte has kindly offered to keep Millen, "in hand"... and will furnish me with any reference to Fenian movements which he may obtain with confer ences with Millen."

Obviously, though he had worked as a spy for several organi sations, Millen was not very good at keeping secrets. He also wasn't very good at gaining allies in the fight against the British, although he never stopped trying.

Millen wasstill employed by the Herald when he died at home of a heart attack, aged 68.

James O'Kelly parted from the Clan-na-Gael in 1880 and was elected MP for North Roscommon.

James Gordon Bennett Jr. left America for Paris in 1877. He con tinued to run his papers from there and launched a Paris edition of the Herald which lives on today as the International Herald Tribune. He died in 1918 aged 77.