611.5231/605

Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State

The Spanish Chargé d’Affaires came in to see me with a memorandum as to the attitude of his Government toward the commercial modus vivendi with this country12 in its relation to the newly signed commercial agreement with France. He said that his Government showed its generosity and friendly feeling toward the United States in offering to give us the benefit of the second column of tariffs and to give us the benefit of the French figures on condition that we made certain administrative arrangements which, as I suspected, was to admit arms and grapes. I told him that I could not see either any generosity or particular friendliness on the part of Spain in refusing to live up to the modus vivendi under which the two nations gave each [Page 998] other most-favored-nation treatment, and to give us the benefit of the second column was obviously not in accord with the signed agreement.

I told him also that it was very unusual to demand such so-called administrative changes as a reason why Spain should live up to its agreement. I said, further, that the whole matter was being carefully studied by the experts, and sent him to the Western European Division.

W[illiam] R. C[astle, Jr.]
  1. For previous correspondence concerning the commercial modus vivendi, see Foreign Relations, 1927, vol. iii, pp. 729 ff.