852.00/4143
Memorandum, by the Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and Chief of the Division of Western European Affairs (Dunn)
The French Ambassador came in to see the Acting Secretary to deliver to him a message exactly similar in tone to that received from the British Ambassador yesterday evening relative to the joint approach by the British and French Governments to the Governments of Germany, Italy, Portugal and the Soviet Union with a view to stopping shipments of arms and equipment to Spain and proposing mediation to the opposing forces in that country.
The Acting Secretary informed the French Ambassador that he would give careful consideration to the suggestions received from the [Page 590] British and French Governments and that he would take steps forthwith to communicate with the Secretary and the President with regard to this initiative.
Judge Moore, in discussing the suggestion that we might, through our representatives in the capitals of the countries concerned, urge those Governments to participate in the proposals put forward by the French and British Governments, suggested that there might be some hesitancy on the part of this Government in instructing our representatives abroad along these lines as some confusion might result from a different method of approach to the subject in the different capitals and that we might find it therefore inadvisable to act on this suggestion. He said that as far as the possible statement with regard to the Anglo-French initiative is concerned, he would give the most careful and sympathetic consideration to the issuing of such a statement but that he felt that in view of the Conference now progressing in Buenos Aires, the Secretary should be informed of this development in order that we might have the benefit of any advice he might wish to give in the matter in view of the atmosphere obtaining in the Conference and any bearing our action might have upon the position of our delegation there. He said that, of course, it would be necessary also to lay the matter before the President, who at that moment was at sea, having the day before departed from Montevideo on his return trip to the United States.
The Ambassador expressed himself as entirely satisfied with the Acting Secretary’s reception of the proposals and asked if he might be permitted to inform his British colleague accordingly. Judge Moore said that he would be grateful if M. de Laboulaye would inform Sir Ronald of exactly what he had said with regard to the proposals as he had himself expected to inform the British Ambassador along these lines as soon as he had had an opportunity to receive the corresponding message from the British Ambassador which Sir Ronald had informed him would be forthcoming this morning.