852.00/4096: Telegram
The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Acting Secretary of State
Berlin, December 14, 1936—6
p.m.
[Received December 14—1:35 p.m.]
[Received December 14—1:35 p.m.]
369. My 368, December 14, 3 p.m.,38 and 361, December 8, 5 p.m. The following confidential statement was made to our Military Attaché this morning by the official representative of the German Ministry of War.
- 1.
- We consider the European crisis which arose as a result of the Spanish Civil War as definitely past.
- 2.
- We do not desire to increase our commitments in Spain. It is our information that both the Soviet and the French Governments similarly desire no increase in their commitments.
- 3.
- The Italian commitment in Spain is at present much greater than the German.
- 4.
- We have no formal troop units at the present time in Spain.
- 5.
- A certain number of Germans are serving the Franco government as volunteers.
- 6.
- We have used the Spanish Civil War to a certain degree for a war test of our new material.
- 7.
- The War Ministry feels assured of an eventual victory by Franco although there will be for the near future a pause in operations which will be utilized by Franco to develop the full manpower at his disposal.
Please repeat to War Department at the request of Military Attaché.
Dodd
- Not printed.↩