740.0011 E.W. 1939/17766a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Portugal ( Fish )
856. Strictly confidential for the Minister.
In view of information which has reached the Department from various sources during the past few days, it is believed that there may be some possibility that the Germans intend in the immediate future operations involving Spain. The Department desires you if possible [Page 20] to have a conversation with Dr. Salazar as promptly as possible, or, if that is not immediately possible, a conversation with responsible officials of the Foreign Office in order that you may obtain the views of the Portuguese Government with regard to the accuracy of these reports. The fullest information possible will, of course, be most valuable to the Department. You will bear in mind in that connection the contents of the President’s personal letter2 of last summer to Dr. Salazar, with the contents of which you are familiar. Please report by telegram as soon as possible.
- For text, see Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. ii, p. 851.↩