811B.01/500: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain (Hayes)
2411. Your 3250, November 5, 8 p.m., and 3268, November 8, 8 p.m. It is desirable to obtain as expeditiously as possible any concessions the present atmosphere may facilitate that will aid us in the prosecution of the war.
Acting under instructions from his Government Ambassador Cárdenas last night submitted a statement for possible publication. An English translation thereof prepared by Ambassador Cárdenas was released to the press last night.12 Ambassador Cárdenas called on Mr. Atherton today and was told that the statement had been released without any accompanying comment and made it clear that he did not expect that the American public would recover from the reaction produced by the message to Laurel without some concrete evidence tending to clarify Spain’s attitude toward this country. Ambassador Cárdenas inquired what concessions Mr. Atherton had in mind, and Mr. Atherton answered “an embargo on wolfram exports, release of Italian war ships in the Balearics, release of Italian merchant ships, landing rights for American airplanes, and the expulsion [Page 736] of German agents from Tangier”. Ambassador Cárdenas said that he would communicate this to his Government.
The Department is aware of the difficulties you stress in connection with the proposed wolfram embargo but considers that it is precisely these difficulties which, added to the critical enemy need for wolfram, make it urgently desirable for us to obtain from Spain at this time the complete embargo.
Please inform the Department who the political director is, referred to in paragraph 3 of your 3250, and furnish a revised complete air mail report on principal officials of the Spanish Government, including all ministries, captains general, civil and military governors.
- See supra.↩