852.00/3960: Telegram
The Consul General at Barcelona (Perkins) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received December 2—5:50 p.m.]
My November 9, 5 p.m. I am reliably informed that during the past few weeks there have been increasing quantities of munitions arriving from France largely by motor truck. Some thousands of foreign volunteers have also arrived: these are mostly French but consist also of Russians, Germans, Italians, Poles, Belgians, and other aliens of radical sympathies. Some of these groups have been observed by ourselves. I have little doubt that these volunteers have been a factor in prolonging the resistance to Madrid, and from this vantage point the struggle appears to be presenting a more international aspect than at any time hitherto.
The port of Barcelona is almost bare of shipping. Although evidence of an effective blockade is lacking, small Spanish craft are being seized along the coast and traffic is reduced through apprehension. Street lights of the city are being colored blue and places of refuge arranged against air raids.