811.341553B/6–2246: Telegram
The Ambassador in Portugal (
Baruch
) to the Secretary of
State
secret
Lisbon
, June 22, 1946—9
p.m.
[Received June 23—12:40 a.m.]
549. For Culbertson. British Ambassador has just handed me following
aide-mémoire delivered by his Counsellor
to Mathias this afternoon without previous consultation with us:
- “1. The Air Ministry wish to [send?] out soon a
mission of eight experts headed by an officer of Group
Captain rank and including a [Page 1000] representative of the Ministry of
Civil Aviation to discuss with the Portuguese
authorities:
- (a)
- Future policy for the use and development of
the military air field at Lagens;
- (b)
- The disposal of Royal Air Force material and
installations at Lagens;
- (c)
- The programme of Royal Air Force withdrawal
and replacement by Portuguese during the 4 months
interim period;
- (d)
- The arrangements necessary for the training of
Portuguese personnel in connection with (c) above;
- (e)
- The size of the Royal Air Force long term
contribution in key personnel for the operation of
Lagens air field;
- (f)
- The status conditions of service etc., of
Royal Air Force personnel employed in connection
with (e) above;
- (g)
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation’s contribution
in civilian key personnel at Santa Maria.
- 2. It is proposed that the mission should leave the
United Kingdom on July 5th, stay one day at Lagens to
study the present position and arrive in Lisbon on the
7th. It is hoped that the Portuguese authorities would
be prepared to start discussions on July 8th and would
by that date have prepared their principal proposals for
the future of the air fields.
- 3. The United States authorities will, it is assumed,
have very similar problems to discuss with the
Portuguese authorities in respect of Santa Maria and
will presumably also wish to ascertain what American
military personnel the Portuguese Government wish to
employ at Lagens. Furthermore, the number of British
personnel to be employed at both Lagens and Santa Maria
must depend to a large extent on the number of American
personnel being employed at both places and vice versa.
For all these reasons it would seem desirable that any
discussions concerning the future use and staffing of
Lagens and Santa Maria should be on a tripartite
Anglo-United States-Portuguese basis.
- 4. His Majesty’s Government are therefore suggesting
to the United States Government that they should, if
possible, arrange for US representatives to take part in
the discussions in Lisbon on July 8th.49 In view of the
short notice, however, it may not be possible for the US
representatives to be made available quite so soon. In
that event, however, there would not seem to be any
reason why the discussions should not be begun on a
purely Anglo-Portuguese basis and concentrate first on
the questions concerning the disposal of materials,
etc., at Lagens in which the US Government are not
directly concerned.
- 5. It is hoped that the Portuguese authorities will be
prepared to hold the discussions on the lines suggested
and that the tentative dates suggested will be
convenient to them. It is presumed that the Portuguese
Government would not object to members of the proposed
mission wearing uniform.”
I refrained from discussion or any comment awaiting your advices.