In a letter from Lloyd George to de Valera (dated 7 September 1921) regarding the inclusion of Tyrone and Fermanagh into a new northern state, the British Prime Minister stated that his government had a very weak case on the issue of "forcing these two counties against their will" into Northern Ireland.
In a letter to de Valera dated September 7, 1921, Lloyd George expressed that his government lacked a strong argument for forcing Tyrone and Fermanagh into Northern Ireland.