852.2221/1268: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in Spain (Thurston) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8 p.m.]
1080. My 1079, November 9, 5 p.m.9 Vice Consul Jernegan has returned from Ripoll where the Political Commissar in charge informed him there are now 420 American volunteers of whom only about 10 percent are in possession of American passports. Conflicting statements were made by the Commissar and the representative of the Ministry of Defense who accompanied the vice consuls to Ripoll regarding the alleged presence of the missing passports in Barcelona. The report was revived that all passports surrendered to International Brigades authorities at Albacete were lost en route to Barcelona.
Vice Consul Worley and Mr. Caragol remained at Ripoll to continue work and will be rejoined tomorrow by Mr. Jernegan after an interview in Barcelona tonight with officials regarding results of their efforts to locate passports.
In view of the large number of volunteers who probably will be unable to produce suitable documentation, the presumed difficulty of obtaining passport forms in Europe and the time and clerical labor that would be involved in making them out, the Consulate General suggests that the Department may be willing to authorize the issuance of emergency identification certificates for return to the United States such as those authorized in its telegram April 1, 7 p.m. to the Consulate General.10 The Consulate General also suggests that it may prove to be impossible to obtain photographs, owing to lack of material and inquires whether these may be dispensed with pending the arrival of volunteers in France.