Office of the Historian

352.1115/2191: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Portugal (Caldwell)

Washington, November 9, 1936—6 p.m.

37. Your 58, November 7, noon. For Graves, Vigo, by most expeditious available means.

The same considerations apply, of course, in the case of Celaya as in that of Lamas. Popular indignation in the United States is indeed likely to be even greater in the event of imposition of the death sentence on Celaya since he is charged merely with endeavoring to render unusable a motor car requisitioned from him by the insurgents. Endeavor therefore to have Captain General recommend leniency to the Court Martial.

We instructed our Consul at Seville to take up the Lamas case through General Queipo de Llano since he had already established contact in other matters with General Franco through that General, who is moreover a member of the Burgos Junta and it was obvious that to avoid loss of time we should approach General Franco through whatever already established contact was available. If the decision reached by the coming Court Martial warrants such action we shall take up the Celaya case through General Queipo de Llano also. It would seem however that cases in your district should be taken up with General Franco by the General actually immediately concerned if possible. As we have no knowledge of the identity or comparative standing of the Captain General of the 8th Division we do not know whether he is in a position to make recommendations directly to General Franco but it would seem desirable that he rather than General Queipo de Llano should place our views with regard to the Celaya case before General Franco, or if this is not possible for him that he should at least take up the case with his immediate superior with the urgent request that our position be brought with as little delay as possible to General Franco’s attention. If the Captain General is unwilling to take such action or you believe that his action should be supplemented by an appeal through General Queipo de Llano telegraph the Department and appropriate action will be taken.

Moore