861.77 Chinese Eastern/663: Telegram
The Chargé in Spain (Whitehouse) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 11—11:43 a.m.]
72. Your circular December 1, 4 p.m. Palacios sent for me this morning and told me that the Spanish Government had been quite prepared to follow your course of action until the Soviet reply to your [Page 416] communication was published. This convinced the Spanish Government that any communication to the Soviets, no matter how indirectly, would not only do no good but might do harm. As a communication could not be made only to the Chinese Government, it seemed wiser in the interest of peace merely to observe events. In case the situation should again become complicated the matter will be reexamined in view of the then existing circumstances. Palacios said that he thought the recent events in China while bad for China probably would be helpful for the settlement of the Soviet-Chinese dispute.