Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1944, Europe, Volume IV

811.34553B/9–1544: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Portugal (Norweb)

Washington, September 15, 1944—8 p.m.

2528. In the hope of avoiding any possibility of misunderstanding you are requested to review with Dr. Salazar the following points at the earliest opportunity, unless, of course, there have been further developments not yet reported which overcome our immediate difficulty and reflect a complete understanding on Dr. Salazar’s part:

(1) From the beginning of our conversations this Government has proposed to construct a major transoceanic airfield on Santa Maria for use in the war in the Far East. This proposal has been placed before Dr. Salazar by you and by Culbertson and we believe has always been clear and unequivocal (Department’s 2042, July 20, 7 p.m.).

(2) It has never proposed and does not now propose to construct an interisland airdrome as such on Santa Maria. Such an airdrome would serve no purpose as far as this Government is concerned (your 2092, July 6, 8 p.m., paragraph 5 and also your 1820, June 13, 6 p.m., paragraph 4¹⁴).

(3) The naming of an American company to furnish cover was at specific request of Salazar. This request was made at the beginning of the year when he apparently felt that to deal openly with this Government might invite an attack by Germany and possibly some character of reprisal by Japan.

(4) Panair was selected solely for the purpose of furnishing such cover. It was made clear to Dr. Salazar that Panair was not in a position to build the proposed airfield (your 2137, July 11, 6 p.m.¹⁵ and 2236, July 19, 9 p.m., as well as Department’s 1795, June 22, 4 p.m.).

(5) When on July 24 and July 26 letters describing an interisland airfield were exchanged by Dr. Salazar and Panair, it was clearly understood by all concerned that such interchange of letters and any definitive contract that might follow were and are essentially camouflage, used to cover the real undertaking of this Government to build a major airfield on Santa Maria for the military purposes aforesaid.

(6) From your and Culbertson’s conversations with Salazar in July it was understood by this Government that construction of the complete airfield desired by this Government had been cleared. Upon such understanding large quantities of critical equipment and material have been allocated to this work and a substantial portion thereof is now at sea and approaching the island.

(7) This construction work, involving the use of such equipment and materials, cannot proceed until the land required for the construction of the complete major airfield is provided. This is our immediate difficulty. The work cannot proceed upon limited parcels of land that might be required by or be sufficient for a fictitious interisland aerodrome. If the airfield is to be completed on schedule and in time for use in the war against Japan the entire land required by the major and only project contemplated must be made available at once.

(8) Our best information (Department’s 2488, September 11)¹⁶ indicates that Colonel Serrano’s authority to expropriate land is limited to an interisland aerodrome. It is believed that Serrano requested on August 30 or thereabout that his authority be extended to permit him to provide all land required for the complete major airfield. Whether or not this is correct the necessary authority is required at once for acquisition of all land requisite for the facilities described in detail in the Department’s 2315 of August 23.¹⁶ As suggested in the Department’s 2476 of September 9¹⁶ the complete description and plans furnished you may be placed before Dr. Salazar. By communicating this information to him all possibility of misunderstanding as to what we propose and what we need should be removed. The first boat is due in Santa Maria at about the time of delivery of this cable and every hour lost thereafter will mean that much delay in carrying out the project and in the conduct of this phase of the war against Japan.

(9) In your 2818 of September 9¹⁶ you mention Dr. Salazar’s request for a report of the layout decided upon. You also ask when you may expect the tender to arrive. The Panair tender or layouts attached thereto are not considered important except for purposes of cover. If drawings accurately reflecting the Panair tender are presented to Dr. Salazar they will be purely fictitious, except to the extent that the facilities represented by such drawings are incorporated as an integral part of the major airfield. This fact should be made clear to Dr. Salazar. To illustrate, the operations building to be constructed will be much larger than the operations building described in the tender; the runways, taxiways and parking apron will be much more extensive; and of course many facilities will be built that are not included in the tender.

(10) The Panair tender was submitted at the instance of Dr. Salazar in keeping with his desire for commercial cover. If the original tender is followed by a definitive contract purporting to obligate Panair to build an interisland aerodrome the purpose of such contract will be merely to further the idea of cover. Panair cannot (and is not intended to) actually perform the contract. This Government will perform the contract only to the extent that the facilities called for in such contract are incorporated into an indivisible whole (the major airfield).

(11) If Dr. Salazar wishes to have presented to him drawings representing a layout that is not going to be built (except as an indistinguishable part of a greater whole) you should be sure that he fully understands that that is just what is being presented. The formalizing of an arrangement that is a contract in name only tends to perpetuate a structure that is essentially false and can be justified only if the exigencies of war demand that the true situation be camouflaged. The longer the camouflage is used the greater will become the complications confronting those seeking to work under its cover and the more difficult will it become to disengage ourselves from apparent commitments that were never intended as such. It was for these and other reasons that the Department requested your opinion (Department’s 2488, September 11¹⁹) as to advisability of approaching Dr. Salazar with a view to dropping the commercial guise, in the interest of speed and simplicity, so that we might go forward with all possible speed under a clear and simple bilateral arrangement between the Governments of the United States and Portugal. The threat of an attack upon Portugal by Germany, the principal reason for the original adoption of a commercial cover, no longer exists. The military conversations now in progress between Portugal, Great Britain, and this country, relative to certain phases of common interest in the war against Japan, seem to negative the need for any commercial cover so far as Japan is concerned. In view of the increasing difficulties and complications involved in dealing through or with an intermediary, in the interest of the rapid pursuit and early completion of construction work and in the hope of clearing the atmosphere of all possibility of confusion or misunderstanding, it is felt strongly here that steps should be initiated now looking toward a dropping of a commercial guise, that has become unnecessary and useless, such steps to be taken at a time and in a manner that will not jeopardize or harm any party concerned.

The Department appreciates that much of this ground has already been covered but is anxious to avoid any faint possibility of misunderstanding that might interfere with progress or give rise to a thought that this Government is being less than entirely frank in its representations. Please therefore arrange an early interview with Dr. Salazar and furnish the Department your report, first upon the matter of the immediate acquisition of necessary land, second upon the matter of Dr. Salazar’s complete understanding of the foregoing exposition, and third, his views concerning removal of commercial cover. While preparation of the definitive contract probably will be completed within a few days, it is considered preferable to proceed with steps to remove the cover and thereby obviate the need for doing something further that would later require undoing. At all events, the exact status of such definitive contract as outlined in the present cable, should be clearly recognized as between you and Dr. Salazar prior to its execution or delivery.

The matter of cover will be determined by Dr. Salazar of course and if he so wishes we will maintain it to the best of our ability despite its inconveniences.

Hull

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