852.00/5615: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 2—2:22 p.m.]
334. Opinion more confident here today. From conversations I gather that permanent Government officials consider the apprehension over the Deutschland–Almeria incident has been unnecessarily exaggerated and confirm Eden’s view expressed in the end of the last paragraph but one of my 332 June 1, 7 p.m., “It was quite possible that Hitler and his regime are satisfied for the present”.
Foreign Office is preparing instructions to go out tonight:
- (1)
- To British Ambassadors in Berlin and Rome instructing them to attempt in their official conversations to confirm British understanding that these two Governments in ceasing “to take part in control schemes as well as in the discussions of the Non-intervention Committee as long as they have not received their guarantees against the recurrence of such events” limit the withholding of their cooperation from Non-intervention Committee only in these two particulars and do not intend to withdraw their observers or adherence in other respects.
- (2)
- British Government instructions to British Ambassadors in Paris, Borne and Berlin setting forth British suggestions both as to zones of non-aggression, ports of call, et cetera, et cetera, not only for protection of foreign warships taking part in control of the Nonintervention Committee but also for foreign warships of any or all nationalities in Spanish waters to the end that a provision may be effected against the recurrence of recent events.
While Foreign Office states British representative has approached the Valencia Government subsequent to the Italian incident at Majorca on Friday of last week and obtained a satisfactory delimitation of a safety zone there, no instructions have been issued to the British representative at Valencia in regard to fresh representations based on the Deutschland–Almeria incident. However, when the British, French, Italian and German Governments reach agreement on the discussions envisaged above (see No. 2) this scheme of guarantees will be presented to both factions in the Spanish situation for approval and it is hoped then the Italian and German Governments will resume their places in the Non-intervention Committee where the final details may be worked out.