Hume enjoyedParnell-likestatus in the US

The revelation is contained in a briefing note, which has been newly-released under the 30-year rule.

Mr Bloomfield, who had just been appointed as head of the Northern Ireland Civic Service in 1984, made the statement in a confidential briefing on the Airlie House conference in Virginia, in January 1985.

He wrote: “John Hume is normally in his element in the United States, where he is widely regarded as occupying a position somewhere between Charles Stewart Parnell and Mother Teresa.

“On this occasion, he gave a chilling impression of political bankruptcy, rather like a man who has lost a fortune by backing a particular number consistently at the roulette table and continues to stare at that number even though he no longer has a stake to play.

“The unionists put him under very skilful and sustained pressure to engage in talk about arrangements for internal government, even to the extent of throwing out the lifeline of willingness to recognise some kind of relevant interest on the part of the Irish Republic.”

Mr Bloomfield also stated that conferences overseas, such as that at Airlie House, were usually conducted in a more cordial atmosphere.

“Distance from Northern Ireland itself encourages at least a less strident tone, and late at night relaxation can (and was) facilitated by liberal hospitality of the liquid kind,” he wrote.

The civil servant also contrasted the political skills of Peter Robinson and Robert McCartney - then of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).

“Three days exposure to Peter Robinson amply demonstrated what a forceful articulate and crafty politician he is,” stated Mr Bloomfield.

But “the intellectual credibility of the arguments of Bob McCartney may simply have been an illustration of how far he is from his party’s current centre of gravity,” was his assessment of the latter.

Another previously unreleased file containing detailed assessments of the political situation in the run up to the Anglo Irish Agreement referred to Sinn Féin having gained ground on the SDLP in the May 1985 local council elections.

The Government advisors concluded: “Sinn Féin’s success has been exaggerated, but the party’s impact on district councils has probably not..Dr [Garret] FitzGerald and Mr Hume will claim that votes won by Sinn Féin are clear proof of nationalist alienation and the best possible argument in favour of radical new solutions.

“Dr [Ian] Paisley and Mr [Jim] Molyneaux will use the results to emphasise the impracticality of power sharing and the need for firm measures to protect the Union.”