881.00/7–445: Telegram
No. 664
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
4005. Peake, head of Brit delegation to the Tangier conversations, has conferred with members of the American delegation when he read a private letter that he had sent to the ForOff regarding Russian request for admittance to the Tangier conversations.
Peake suggested in his letter that behind the Russian request was most probably the desire to embarrass by every possible means the Franco regime in Spain and to gain at Tangier a means of carrying on an active subversive campaign against Franco Spain. The Amer delegation believes this interpretation of the Russian motive is plausible but considers the issue should be regarded in the larger frame of an expanding Russian interest in the Mediterranean.
The Amer delegation suggested to Peake that as the most practical way out of the present impasse, the suggestion should be made to the French who will have the burden of replying to the Russian request that the USSR Govt detail from Moscow or better still from the Embassy in Paris an observer who would follow the Amer, French Brit conversations concerning the formulation of a provisional regime for Tangier. Such a Russian observer would fulfill the undertaking [Page 994] given to the USSR to be kept informed of the discussions and the French Govt might inform the Soviet Govt that this procedure was suggested pending final decision concerning the participation of the USSR actively in the discussions, (Sent Dept as 4005, rptd London 487, Madrid 242, Tangier 14). Peake has made this recommendation today to his Govt.