File No. 652.119/435
The Ambassador in Spain ( Willard ) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 17, 11.43 a.m.]
999. Department’s 824, undated.1 Embassy has designated Major Belmont, American Expeditionary Force, and Archer Huntington to represent it in negotiating tentative draft of commercial agreement between Spain and Board for the purpose of securing supplies for Army in France along lines indicated in Department’s several telegraphic instructions.
Minister for Foreign Affairs has designated Under Minister of Hacienda and Marqués Urquijo, leading Madrid banker, to represent Foreign Office. These four parties will hold joint meetings with two delegates of French Government. It has been made perfectly clear to Minister for Foreign Affairs and French Ambassador that no agreement shall have any binding effect upon this Embassy or the Government of the United States until submitted to and approved by the Department. The American, French, and Spanish delegates will discuss whether it will be best to have one agreement executed by France and the United States on one side and Spain on the other, or to have France and the United States execute separate agreement with Spain.
Have this morning presented Belmont and Huntington to Minister for Foreign Affairs who also presented his delegates to me and to my delegates. These four gentlemen will confer with the French delegates and hold [their] first joint meeting this afternoon. The Department will be kept fully and promptly informed concerning progress of these negotiations.
- Not printed.↩