852.00/4120: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Consul at Seville (Bay)
Up to the present the Spanish insurgents have followed the practice of informing us through their representative in Lisbon whenever [Page 784] they wish to give notice of their intention, of blockading, mining or bombarding Spanish ports. The information transmitted in this way is frequently received by us, however, several days later than the same information is made known to the British through other channels.
We feel that it would be inadvisable to take this matter up with the local authorities at this time but we should appreciate your reporting for our information whether these notices are promptly made generally known in Seville and might perhaps therefore be reported more quickly by your office than by Lisbon or whether without placing any stress on the matter and without indicating that you are in any way replacing Lisbon it might be possible for you to obtain the text of such notices promptly in the same way that other information of possible interest to your office is informally brought to your attention.