852.2221/1312: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in Spain (Thurston) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:30 p.m.]
1109. My 1103, November 22, 10 a.m. Quero states that figures for southern area have been revised and that there probably are only about 150 Americans there.11
He also states that the League Commission will proceed to the southern area next week to check the volunteers. Thereafter the volunteers will be brought to Barcelona on government transports and later evacuated through France. It is felt that by having volunteers checked in southern areas by the League Commission their noncombatant status will be established and the danger of attack while en route to Barcelona correspondingly lessened.
If the foregoing plan is carried out the American volunteers concerned will of course be examined and documented here. If it is [Page 344] abandoned then consideration might be given to the feasibility of their evacuation on the SS Wisconsin or some similar vessel following examination and documentation by Wallner.
- On December 4, Quero submitted a list showing only 77 American volunteers in the southern area.↩