File No. 763.72111Sp1/21

The Ambassador in Spain ( Willard ) to the Secretary of State

[Telegram]

668. Replying to inquiry made in accordance with Department’s 562, June 30, 2 p.m. [566, July 2, 4 p.m.], Minister of State has sent, under a misapprehension, following written statement: [Page 1293]

It is indisputable that submarines of the Central powers display great activity in proximity to Spanish waters but notwithstanding the protests and reclamations made by some of the Allied Governments based chiefly on the declarations of captains of ships which have been sunk or detained near Spain, the investigations carried on by the naval authorities show that the territorial waters have not been violated except in one case, viz., the Norwegian steamer Tiger. The Government of His Majesty on the occasion of the detention of the above-mentioned ship within Spanish waters presented to the Cabinet at Berlin an energetic protest warning it that it was determined to prevent the repetition of such cases and would employ to that end the most energetic means which might be necessary. The German Government while sustaining that the detention and sinking of the Tiger took place, according to its information, on the high seas stated nevertheless that it had given new and strict instructions to Imperial naval forces to rigidly respect neutral Spanish waters and to abstain from every act of hostility within them.

The Government of His Majesty exercises by every means in its power and tries to increase as far as possible the most severe vigilance in order to avoid the violation of its territorial waters, having issued for this purpose the Royal decree of June 29 last prohibiting the entrance of submarines.

Willard