852.00/2589: Telegram
From Naval Communications for the Information of the Department of State
[Received August 14, 1936—10:15 a.m.]
0013. Following received from reliable source.
“12 airplanes [garbled group], land planes up to date in every way arrived from France landing at local Government aerodrome. These are pursuit planes 850 horsepower engines. Three planes were cracked up on landing; they carried places for machine guns, two on fuselage and two on upper wings. Planes came with French pilots some or all of these believed intending to stay in Spain. Two pilots are Italian, one or two German and three or four foreigners, no Americans. Reported to be rough crowd and soldiers of fortune. It is stated that they intend to take planes to Madrid. Six Botet planes also arrived making 18 in all that started for Barcelona. Botet planes carried gun turrets one in nose, one on top of fuselage behind the pilot and one below the fuselage, all had bomb racks, gun mountings but no guns. Planes believed to require expert handling and Spaniards not believed capable handling.”