File No. 652.119/484
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain ( Willard)
858. Your 1028, January 29, 5 p.m. According to our records number of vessels held much exaggerated. Eleven Spanish vessels licensed during January, whereof two during last 48 hours. We are willing to sanction provisional agreement for one or two months whereby bunkers will be given to all Spanish vessels on terms suggested by your 1028 which we understand to be simultaneous execution of definitive agreement between Spain and France covering all matters desired by France including credits. We are willing to agree to above standing alone or provisional agreement might also include following provisions:
- (1)
- Spain to license articles mentioned in your 1023, which list omits many articles of great importance such as lumber;
- (2)
- United States to license freely subject to Allied war needs all articles needed by Spain for her own consumption except cotton and petroleum products and as to these such limited amounts will be licensed for shipment during next 30 days as you may agree.
Definite agreement should include all articles desired by Pershing and which he regards as obtainable and must cover agreement as to shipping and finances in regard to both of which we are cabling separately.