11.20 (D) Regulations/5817: Telegram
The Ambassador in Spain (Weddell) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 5—7:02 p.m.]
134. Department’s 69 January 31, 4 p.m. After two more meetings the Spanish Committee with the authorization of their superiors made the following proposal:
- (1)
- Spain will accept the security measures which the United States may consider necessary, requesting at the same time that our [Page 269] Government use the greatest discretion in placing them into effect carefully selecting the necessary personnel, instructing them to use tact and to work as unobtrusively as possible; this recommendation is made so as to avoid an issue being made by the Germans, especially for observers to scrutinize the cargoes of Spanish ships;
- (2)
- Spain will earmark for shipment to the United States the 6000 tons of zinc concentrate and the 800 to 1000 tons of cork already offered:
- (3)
- Spain will make the greatest effort to transport this zinc and cork to the United States or if this cannot be done to place at Lisbon or some other peninsular port without however being in a position to make categoric promises at this time pending the negotiations with other countries (Germany and Italy) concerning guarantees for Spanish shipping. (This offer was made after we pointed out that Santander, the shipping point for zinc, is not a safe port of call for Allied vessels);
- (4)
- Pending the results of these negotiations Spain will immediately make available to the United States other products capable of transshipment via Great Britain and specifically offers wolfram and/or mercury to a value equivalent to the value of the zinc and cork, the wolfram at Portuguese price and the mercury at the international price;
- (5)
- in return for the foregoing the Spanish Government would expect us immediately to release gas oil to the two tankers mentioned in the Department’s telegram 69.
The Committee pointed out that it could not promise categorically to ship cork in Spanish vessels despite the commitment in that sense transmitted in my telegram 108,21 because of the difficulties being encountered in Spain’s negotiations with Germany and because of Spain’s urgent desire not to complicate these negotiations. In this connection Germany has not yet furnished Spain with a list of commodities it considers contraband, but it is evident to the Spaniards that the list will be very inclusive and they are exerting every effort to limit its scope.
In offering a valuable amount of mercu[ry] [garbled group] to the United States proportionate to its critical need for gas oil because Germany is exerting great pressure on Spain not to make available these valuable materials to the democracies.
The Committee pointed out quite logically that for Spain to try to ship contraband to the United States in Spanish vessels would have two inevitable results: (1) the vessels would be sunk by the Axis from which it would follow (2) the materials would never reach the United States.
The obstacles in the way of sending American ships to Spain were explained to the Committee who expressed complete understanding. In view of the evident difficulties in the way of using either American or Spanish vessels they expressed the hope that means might be [Page 270] found to ship Spanish materials to the United States via Great Britain in British vessels (which usually are under convoy). Obviously non-bulky materials could be shipped in this manner without overtaxing Britain’s carrying capacity; the offer to make wolfram and mercury available is an example of this method (the British Embassy approves this idea and expresses willingness to propose it to London).
In my opinion the present Spanish offer is made in complete good faith and is illustrative of the Spanish Committee’s earnest desire and expressed willingness to contribute to solution of our common economic problems to the greatest extent possible in the dangerous position in which Spain finds herself vis-à-vis Germany. The offer appears reasonable to the Committee and to the Embassy and I earnestly urge that it be accepted and the two cargoes gas oil be released immediately.
I cannot over-emphasize the further economic difficulties which will accrue to Spain if it is deprived of petroleum products, or the political social and military complications which may ensue if we decline to make available gas oil within the arrangement suggested by Spain which in the Embassy’s opinion is fair and should be entirely satisfactory to our Government.
I again urge that prompt and favorable action be taken on the Spanish proposal.