852.00/2515: Telegram
The Chargé in France (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
738. The communiqué issued on Saturday evening after the Council of Ministers had approved the decision taken by the Cabinet on Friday regarding the renewal of the Government’s declaration of non-intervention in Spain seems to us to call for certain comment as follows:
- 1.
- The communiqué makes it clear that contrary to the impression given by the communiqué of August 1st the French Government has been permitting certain deliveries to Spain i. e. deliveries by private manufacturers of “unarmed airplanes”. An unofficial statement reported to have been given out later was to the effect that these exports had been very limited and could have had no influence on the conflict.
- 2.
- The use of the phrase “unarmed airplanes” instead of “commercial” or “civil” airplanes is of interest. (A competent observer who has just returned by air from Spain tells us that on last Saturday morning he saw at an air field in Barcelona three new French planes, two of which were pursuit planes and one fitted bomber.)
- 3.
- The communiqué in its statement that the French Government has “suspended” the “exportations” to Spain would now seem to indicate [Page 477] definitely that even the delivery of “unarmed airplanes” by private manufacturers is no longer being permitted.
- 4.
- While the text of the communiqué is silent as to any reservation of freedom of action for the future it is understood that following the issuance of the communiqué unofficial statement was given out to the effect that this decision of the French Government remains conditional subject to other states conforming thereto.
We are told by a usually well-informed source that the meeting of the Cabinet on Friday was a stormy one, Cot in particular urging that in view of the undoubted aid being given to the insurgents by Italy and Germany deliveries of war material should be allowed to go forward to the Spanish Government; however, Delbos and Daladier insisted that if the French non-intervention proposal was to have any hope of success thereby preventing the Spanish conflict from developing into an international one it was essential that France should make it clear that she was living up to the obligations of non-intervention which she was asking other powers to adopt. Our informant states that Delbos and Daladier even went so far as to threaten to resign if such a policy was not adopted. It would therefore seem that once again the moderate elements in the Government have prevailed in this matter. There is, however, undoubtedly great pressure from the Extreme Left being brought on the Government to pursue a policy more favorable to the interests of the Spanish Government. There have recently been two large mass meetings of adherents of the Front Popular at which demands were made that aid be given the Spanish Government.
The press for the last day or so has been a little more optimistic and speaks of a slight lessening of the international tension. The British support in other capitals of the French proposal for non-intervention has had a heartening effect here.
- Telegram in two sections.↩