852.00/8971: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 17—3:20 p.m.]
309. We have inquired of the Counsellor of the Spanish Embassy what truth there was to the story carried in today’s press that peace negotiations are being carried on here between President Azana and Franco representatives through the British Ambassador to France. He replied that no negotiations nor conversations of the sort were in progress. He asserted that Azana was not empowered to represent the Government in such matters and said that as he is in France in his private capacity although residing at the Embassy he has neither received nor visited French or other officials (including Phipps37) except that he receives Jules Henry. The position of the Government with respect to peace is still, our informant claims, four square with the well-known three points enunciated in Negrin’s speech to the Cortes.
The Counsellor said that the Government of Madrid has decided that the President of the Republic must be in Spain and that Del Vayo who is here is making a last effort to persuade him to return; there is, however, little chance that Azana will agree and he will probably soon resign. The President of the Cortes, Martinez Barrio who, though now in Paris, would be willing to go to Spain, would automatically succeed to the Presidency upon Azana’s resignation. (Despite the foregoing the fact that Azana has been receiving Jules Henry and that Del Vayo has prolonged his stay in Paris lead many people to believe that conversations regarding the termination of the civil war are in fact taking place and that Azana is a factor in these conversations.)
Our informant stated that one of the purposes in Del Vayo’s coming here was to arrange for the emigration to Latin America of 60,000 families, estimated at 200,000 persons, of the 300,000 refugees in [Page 748] France. Mexico has made a formal offer to take 30,000 families and it is hoped to place others in Colombia, Cuba and Chile. Of the 100,000 refugees remaining in France after such disposal the Spanish Government believes that the majority could be ultimately repatriated.
- British Ambassador in France.↩