352.115 Royal Typewriter Co./4: Telegram
The Consul General at Barcelona (Perkins) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 13—10:55 a.m.]
Your April 3, 3 p.m. Royal Trust Mecanografico was reported to the Generalidad February 9 as containing American interests.
Supplemental representations have been made as directed.
A few enterprises desire to pay creditors of record before collectivization but no method appears available except through authorizations for foreign exchange by Centro Contratacion Moneda now some 2 [Page 505] years in arrears. There are undoubtedly many American creditors but the question of payment is national and quite separate from collectivization which is Catalan. This Consulate General knows no way to facilitate payments by local action.
Generalidad has now expressed the intention of requesting presence of a consular representative at each proposed conference between the interested parties in a collectivization. Such meetings are provided for in article 9 of the decree of October last which arbitrarily establishes the bases upon which foreign interest in enterprises will be evaluated. It is my opinion therefore that no step such as attending these meetings should be taken which might imply acquiescence in any part of the collectivization procedure.
French Consulate has requested protection of French interests; British Consulate has protested against about nine collectivizations individually, has pointed out to the Generalidad that in certain cases the procedure of the decree was not adhered to and has agreed to send observer to the meetings referred to.
Despatch will be forwarded together with additional list of American interests reported to the Government.60
Valencia informed.
- Despatch No. 285, April 15; not printed.↩