852.00/2396: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Third Secretary of Embassy in Spain (Wendelin)
70. Your X–30, August 4, 7 p.m. In view of the fact that Americans now in the Embassy and outside are more than sufficient to tax the facilities of the Embassy, there is no alternative but to discourage requests for providing refuge to other than American nationals, and this is especially true in those cases where nationals of other countries have places of diplomatic refuge in Madrid. While we are of course anxious to render every possible help to nationals and diplomatic representatives of Latin American and other countries, we could not throw open the doors of the Embassy so as to further jeopardize the safety and means of protection for our own nationals. In extreme circumstances where the immediate question of life is at stake you should of course extend such protection as the limitations of the Embassy permit. You have handled the Madrid situation extremely well and I am sure I can rely on your judgment as how best to meet this situation should it arise.