852.2221/970: Telegram
The Consul at Seville (Bay) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:20 p.m.]
39. Referring to Department’s 31, June 16, 8 p.m., and in continuation of my 38, June 27, 11 a.m.,73 the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the matter of prisoners of war was entirely in the hands of the military authorities and that he desired to speak to the Foreign Minister who was absent prior to completing arrangements for my visit to San Pedro. He promised to telephone me some time the following day. At noon June 23rd I visited Señor Vidal to inquire and he informed me that a motor car would call for me at 5 p.m. the following day June 24. He appeared friendly and [Page 303] helpful and arranged, upon my request, that I might call that day on the Inspector of concentration camps.
The Inspector stated that every effort had been made without success to obtain record of the three Americans mentioned in the Department’s 26, June 4, 6 p.m.,74 all camps and hospitals having been addressed and the American prisoners in San Pedro questioned. He had just finished a complete investigation and obtained nothing definite. He said all foreign prisoners were now concentrated in San Pedro and that in future this would be the only camp for foreigners. He said there were 77 American prisoners there now and that he would provide me with a list of their names.
Two officers accompanied me to San Pedro. About 600 foreign prisoners were basking on a grassy hillside. I interviewed with complete freedom 20 Americans. All appeared in good condition and their only criticism was about permission to write letters with a view to obtaining money for personal desires. As prison warden had stated they enjoyed freedom of communication through military censor, I cleared up this point with men and warden. Charles Barr, father James Barr, 640 Oakmont Avenue, Steubenville, Ohio, has lost left eye and claims vision is gradually failing in the other. Prison doctor states that vision will ultimately be lost and that no remedy will save it else action would be taken by them. None of the prisoners had any information of the three Americans about whom I inquired.
After inspecting prison premises I saw prisoners served dinner of lentils and meat stew with white bread.
San Pedro is ancient convent 16 kilometres from Burgos off Madrid road. Now contains some 3,000 prisoners of which 600 are foreigners separated from Spaniards. There were 190 British but 100 were recently transferred to Palencia probably preparatory to exchange. No attempt has been made to segregate foreigners by nationalities.
Prison yards small but in summer prisoners spend all day on hillside. Sleeping quarters small but sufficient, latrine and washing facilities distinctly insufficient others being provided in new construction, food plain and nutritive, recreation basking, reading matter none, hospitalization facilities adequate, two doctors on the premises and five others among prisoners.
On my return I thanked inspector and stated the whereabouts of the three Americans sought was still unsolved. He then said it was possible they might have been tried and shot though he said this was mere theory on his part. He offered to continue his investigations and promised to communicate with the commanding officer for original records, as well as military court record, if any, reporting results [Page 304] directly to me. He said the allegations concerning prisoners were being followed and that they had nothing to conceal. Foreign prisoners, he said, are not tried by military court unless charged with crime and as far as he knew no Americans had been so tried. He said I may write to him directly on all these questions instead of through General Queipo de Llano and professed high admiration for the United States based on his Cuban birth. He is a man of about 60.
Despatch with details follows.75 Copy to Ambassador.