853B.20/50: Telegram
The Minister in Portugal (Fish) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:54 p.m.]
305. My telegram number 295, April 7, 10 p.m. Department’s No. 355, April 8 [7], 9 a.m. [11 p.m.]. The substance of that telegram was at once transmitted to the Foreign Minister by note and I again requested an appointment with the Secretary General who the Foreign Office stated was indisposed. As I was still unable to see Sampayo yesterday, I called on Costa Carneiro, Chief of the Political Section, last night to discuss my notes sent pursuant to the telegram under reference and the Department’s telegrams Nos. 317 [319], March 31, 9 p.m., and 326, April 1, 2 [10] p.m.
As regards the communication of March 28 by the Civil Governor General of Ponta Delgada requiring all foreigners to concentrate on the local football field following a signal, Costa Carneiro said that he understood new instructions had been issued which would he hoped [Page 237] be satisfactory to the American Government. Asked what the instructions were he said he did not have the details but understood that our Consul in Ponta Delgada had already been fully informed.
He did not attempt to defend this order and implied indirectly that there had been an excess of zeal on the part of the insular authorities.
As regards the order that all foreigners living outside Ponta Delgada should move into town, he said that he had requested an explanation from the Ministry of the Interior and would at once press them for a reply. Having no official information he could not give me any formal assurance but he hoped that the Foreign Office might well be able to reduce the severity of this order. He mentioned that Germans and Italians would be equally affected and implied that it might be in our interest to have all foreigners removed from positions where they could send signals or otherwise jeopardize Portuguese neutrality.
I said that the Americans appear to be the foreigners mainly affected and he replied that he had observed that point in my note. He did not know how many foreigners there were on island nor where they were located.
Asked why such severe measures had been applied in the Azores, he assured me that he knew of no specific [reason?] except that spring is the season when new campaigns are launched. We must realize that it would be impossible for the Portuguese authorities to wait until the last minute to take such precautions and he added “of course I earnestly hope there won’t be any need for these precautions.”
The British Embassy informs me that they have made no further representations in this connection.