Clinton told to avoid public handshake with Gerry Adams, records show

White House officials wanted Bill Clinton to avoid shaking Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams' hand in front of cameras during his historic visit to Ireland in 1995, newly released records show.

Mr Clinton visited Northern Ireland in November 1995, becoming the first serving US president to make the trip.

Mr Adams was president of Sinn Fein, regarded as the political wing of the IRA paramilitary group, between 1983 and 2018, but has always denied being a member of the IRA.

Mr Clinton and Gerry Adams famously shook hands on the Falls Road in Belfast on the morning of 30 November, but official documents which have been declassified show that the White House had wanted to avoid a handshake being seen by the public.

A letter written by the Irish government official David Donoghue ahead of the presidential visit detailed how "the Americans would prefer to avoid a handshake photograph between the president and Adams".

Mr Clinton would later say the handshake was a "big deal" and that it felt at the time as though "the pavement was about to crack open".

Adams and Clinton greet each other in 2023 at Queen's University Belfast. Pic: PA

Image: Adams and Clinton greet each other in 2023 at Queen's University Belfast. Pic: PA

The pair had met for the first time in the White House earlier that year, but only shook hands after photographers left the room.

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Clinton told to avoid public handshake with Gerry Adams, records show

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