853B.7962/8–2547: Telegram
The Ambassador in Portugal ( Wiley ) to the Secretary of State
671. Faria told me last night immediately subsequent to interview he had with Salazar—he gave same story to Zanthaky1 the previous day following an earlier interview with Salazar—that the Doctor was pleased with our talk August 20 (Embassy’s telegram 654, August 20). Faria stressed fact that he is convinced that an agreement satisfactory to US will be reached but stated it could not be exactly like the May 30 agreement but that the new agreement would have to be “attenuated”. For example he mentioned matter of reduction in American personnel and substitution by Portuguese, and said that even on this point the Portuguese did not wish to hinder our efficiency and safety at Lagens [Page 1038] and that they will base their estimates on a “factual” study of Portuguese possibilities in furnishing Portuguese personnel wherever possible.
Faria apparently uses the term “May 30 agreement” loosely (the gist of that agreement is of course contained in article (B)) and what he really means is the ancillary Kissner-Cintra document of September 7.2
Department will recall that under numbered paragraph 13 of that document the US undertook to lessen drastically our technical staff at Lagens and although the Portuguese have been unable to effect replacements (Embassy’s telegram 531, July 123) our army nevertheless accepted at that time the broad principle of reduction of our personnel and substitutions by Portuguese—which incidentally we agreed to train—and this tenet is now coming home to roost.
Department’s attention is also invited to numbered paragraph 8 of this document which stipulates that operations, services, et cetera, including radar would function under control of Portuguese authorities.
Salazar apparently is harping on our commitments under existing agreement and insists on tying them into any new agreement. I expect to see Bianchi shortly and shall reiterate that new agreement shall indeed be “new”.
- Apparently the reference is to Theodore Anthony Xanthaky, special assistant to the Ambassador in Portugal.↩
- See telegram 794, September 7, 1946, from Lisbon, Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. v, p. 1020.↩
- Not printed.↩