340.1115A/1510: Telegram
The Chargé in Germany (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 28—11:48 a.m.]
4179. My 4143, September 26, 2 p.m.65 The following telegram has been sent today to the Embassy at Madrid and is repeated for the information of the Department.
“Several American citizens desiring to return to the United States via Spain and Portugal were refused transit visas yesterday and today by the Spanish Consulate in Berlin. Situation is serious by reason of the fact that travel route indicated is the only practical one remaining. Conferences with the Spanish Embassy and consular officials in Berlin indicate that Americans desirous of obtaining Spanish transit visas must submit applications written in Spanish, a language not known to most applicants and a delay of several weeks will ensue before these applications can be acted upon by competent authorities.
Alternative plan suggested by the Spanish Embassy is that this Mission communicate to you by telegram the number of Americans planning to leave for the United States via Spain whenever such cases arise which is frequently and ask you to be good enough to take the matter up with the Spanish Foreign Office with the view to having telegraphic instructions issued to Spanish authorities here for the granting of group visas.
For the reason that the alternative suggested by the Spanish authorities here also involves serious delay and is complicated it will be appreciated if you would urge upon the competent Spanish authorities the necessity of instructing Spanish Consulate here to issue [Page 168] transit visas to American citizens upon presentation by latter of letters from this office indicating that the purpose of the journey is for their transit only and stating that evidence has been presented that steamship reservations have been made for their trip to the United States.
It would be appreciated if this matter could be taken up immediately with the Spanish authorities by reason of the fact that numerous Americans here will lose their steamship reservations unless the situation can be remedied without further delay.”
- Not printed.↩