Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The American Republics, Volume V

740.00112A E. W. 1939/36135: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, October 7, 1943—3 p.m.
[Received October 7—2:07 p.m.]

6772. For Department and OEW. Reference Department’s 6016, September 29. In accordance with Department’s telegram, Embassy has transmitted to Madrid as A–59,³⁶ to Lisbon as A–50, and to Stockholm as A–26 of October 7.³⁷ and to Bern as Embassy’s telegram 201 of October 6 substance of sections a and e of paragraph No. 5 of Department’s airgram A–775 June 3, 1943 with amendment of section f as proposed in Embassy’s 5845, September 3.

These instructions emphasized Department’s desire that any situation requiring a public or official statement at this time in London or Washington on the post-war status of the lists should be avoided. In carrying out these instructions the Missions were requested to make every effort consistent with effective operations under the plan to prevent a situation from arising which would call for an immediate public statement.

MEW is simultaneously issuing similar instructions to British Missions in Bern, Madrid, Stockholm and Lisbon. MEW has informed Embassy that a copy of its instruction to British Missions is being transmitted to British Embassy Washington. Embassy is also transmitting copy of it to Department under cover of airmail despatch.³⁸

Winant

36. Despatch No. 1836, January 5, 1944, from Madrid, indicated that the authority to conduct a selective word-of-mouth campaign was regarded by the Embassy as a “welcome and useful weapon in strengthening the prestige of the Lists in Spanish communities.” (740.00112A E.W. 1989/36377)
37. The Legation in Stockholm indicated in an enclosure to despatch No. 2669, January 10, 1944, that from its experience in issuing warnings it felt reasonably certain “that at the present time a post-armistice warning, whether made openly or in a veiled fashion, will be sufficiently effective in Sweden for inducing firms not to enter into undesirable transactions.” (740.00112A E.W. 1939/36462)
38. Despatch No. 11545, October 7, 1943, not printed.