811B.01/501: Telegram

The Ambassador in Spain (Hayes) to the Secretary of State

3268. My 3250, November 5, 8 p.m. Department’s 2383, November 6, 5 p.m.; and 2384 November 6, 5 [6] p.m., were obviously prepared and sent before receipt of my 3249, November 5, 7 p.m., in which I pointed out that Jordana made clear that, while he wishes to meet our interests to the greatest possible extent, he wants to have the Philippine incident cleared up first.

It is of course necessary that Jordana have this incident cleared up before he can successfully press for decisions on the various things we want.

Foreign Office advises me informally that on November 6 it telegraphed to the Spanish Embassy in Washington for transmission to the Department a statement explaining the telegram to Laurel. Foreign Office states it assumes American Government will make such use of the statement as it considers desirable.

I hope this statement will turn out to be satisfactory. When I discuss with Jordana the things we want I intend to tell him in turn that our policy towards Spain has not changed. Jordana himself has expressed his desire to clear up a number of the important matters pending with us, and I shall promptly request that he arrange for (1) release of Italian warships in the Balearics; (2) release of Italian merchant ships,6 and (3) landing rights for American airlines.7

I shall request also that Spain prohibit export of wolfram to all countries.8 The Department should bear in mind in this connection that Jordana himself has no authority to grant such a request. The decision would have to rest with Franco and Council of Ministers inasmuch as it obviously involves a complete reorientation of Spanish economic policy. In illustration of this point wolfram is one of the principal sources of dollar and sterling exchange and an important [Page 733] source of revenue to the Spanish Government. It is the lever which Spain is using in order to obtain arms from Germany which the Spanish Army badly requires and cannot obtain elsewhere. It is a form of insurance against German attacks on Spanish ships. Consequently a decision to embargo all wolfram exports involves not only several government departments but also political and military considerations of the greatest importance to Spain and an immediate decision on this matter cannot be expected.

I discussed the Tangier matter with the British Ambassador9 today. His last instruction was to refrain from acting for the time being. However, in view of your instruction to me he is requesting new instructions from London. Pending receipt of these he has asked me to delay my representations. He considers as I do that the British have a better case than we and that it would be preferable that my presentations [representations] follow his. I agreed.10

Hayes
  1. For correspondence on these two subjects, see pp. 711 ff.
  2. For correspondence on this subject, see pp. 668 ff. passim.
  3. For correspondence regarding efforts made toward getting Spain to impose an embargo on export of wolfram to Germany, see pp. 632 ff.
  4. Sir Samuel Hoare.
  5. The U.S. and British Governments requested suppression of the German Consulate at Tangier and expulsion of German agents from there; concerning Ambassador Hayes’ representations to the Spanish Foreign Minister, see his telegram No. 3401, November 18, 10 p.m., p. 629.