852.00/2618: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain (Bowers), Then in Frame
B–1. Your 64, August 16, 12 p.m. United States destroyers Kane and Hatfield sailed at 3 p.m. yesterday from New York. They are due to reach Gibraltar August 29. It is planned that these vessels will overlap for a few days with the Oklahoma after which it is expected that the Oklahoma will leave Spanish waters. After the Oklahoma leaves, there will thus be four vessels in Spanish waters instead of three as at present and given the greater speed of the destroyers, it is believed that these four vessels will be able to patrol the Spanish coast for evacuation purposes with considerable effectiveness. The disposition of the four vessels will necessarily depend upon conditions at the moment but we shall give careful consideration to your recommendations.