852.00/3371: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Seville (Bay)
Your October 5, 1 p.m. We have noted General Queipo de Llano’s statement that the insurgent naval authorities at Cadiz have informed him that all foreign vessels and the civil population of ports to be bombarded are being notified in advance. We desire, however, that you call upon the General at your earliest opportunity and request him to bring our views in this matter to the attention of General Franco [Page 733] himself as promptly as possible in order that we may receive assurances from the chief of the insurgent forces that we shall be given notice of the proposed bombardment of any port sufficiently in advance to enable our officials and nationals to find their way to places of safety and to permit notification to our naval vessels in order that they may not be exposed to danger while engaged in the humanitarian work of evacuation.
You should inform the General at the same time that we do not feel that the insurgent naval authorities’ statement to him of their intention to bombard Barcelona in the near future is a sufficiently definite advance notice of the proposed bombardment of that city and that we shall expect them therefore to give us a further warning sufficiently in advance of the actual bombardment to enable us to notify our Consulate General there and such of our naval vessels as may be in the vicinity.