352.1121 Fernandez, Antonio/53: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Seville (Bay)
Your telegram of June 21, 11 a.m. Fisher at Palma de Mallorca reports “authorities state Fernandez charged with being in possession of document considered contrary to military movement; grievous political activities as instanced by his leadership of a demonstration on May 1, 1936; actions contrary to public edicts. Authorities did not say what actions Fernandez performed and it is not possible now to give me a copy of document referred to. Authorities state trial will be over by end of July.”79
The charges against Fernandez on the basis of Fisher’s report would not seem sufficiently grave to justify the rigid attitude apparently adopted by the authorities at Palma de Mallorca. He has already [Page 523] been in prison for some months and excessively severe action by Palma authorities is likely to have unfavorable reaction in this country.
You are requested to bring the above consideration to General Queipo de Llano’s attention and suggest to him the advisability of finally terminating this situation by having the authorities at Palma permit Fernandez to leave the Island under Fisher’s personal escort.
- On August 6, the Department was informed that the trial had been postponed a month (352.1121 Fernandez, Antonio/68).↩