125.199/43: Telegram
The Ambassador in Spain (Bowers), Then in France, to the Secretary of State
[Received October 13—12:35 p.m.]
380. Your telegram No. B–340 October 4, 6 p.m.73 Repeated efforts to send Chapman have failed because military authorities at Irun in absence of permission from Salamanca politely refuse. Yrujo here much embarrassed, has made every effort.
The attempt now being made to have us send a written request addressed to Salamanca as a recognized government is all the more persistent since the British and most others constantly treat with Salamanca on that basis. The secretary of Sangroniz told a friend of mine that Salamanca does not have a single paper from us recognizing its existence and implying they might be satisfied were I to write a personal note to Sangroniz thanking Franco for commutation of sentence of Dahl.74 I suggest that unless we wish to send a written request we discontinue our efforts to send Chapman in.
[Page 418]Or you may wish to reconsider Chapman’s suggestion in his telegram of September 24, 1 p.m.75
The insurgent representatives here stoutly protest against the suggestion that they are discriminating against us by saying the others communicate officially with Salamanca.
We are merely paying the penalty of an honest neutrality and observation of international usage before the collapse of international law. This new policy probably grows out of the demand that Franco be permitted to send his Consuls to any country which is permitted to reopen its Consulates in Franco territory.
- Not printed; it authorized Chapman to proceed to Vitoria via Bilbao to investigate a citizenship case (352.1121 Zabala, Mariano/13).↩
- See telegram of October 8, 2 p.m., from the Consul at Vigo, p. 552.↩
- Not printed; it suggested that the custodian at Bilbao be instructed to investigate the citizenship case (352.1121 Zabala, Mariano/7).↩