Neville Chamberlain
In the 1930s, the Irish taoiseach (similar to a prime minister) was Éamon de Valera, who worked to make a new constitution (set of laws) for Ireland and wanted to make Ireland independent from Britain. Ireland had its own government, but Britain still controlled Northern Ireland and had naval ports (called treaty ports) in Ireland, which de Valera wanted to end. Chamberlain wanted Ireland to support Britain if there was a war because he knew that without Irish help, defending the Atlantic Ocean would be more difficult. Chamberlain and his Secretary of State, Malcolm MacDonald, made an agreement to give the treaty ports back to Ireland, but they hoped that British warships might use them in the war.