155. Telegram From the Embassy in Portugal to the Department of State1

327. Department pass SACLANT Norfolk for Freeman, CINCLANT and COMUSFORAZ Noforn. Paris pass USCINCEUR for Wallner and Knight. Subject: Azores Negotiations. Reference: Deptel 290.2 Am gratified that Secretary is sending message to Cunha about Azores since it is essential that our government go on record as being dissatisfied with Portuguese proposal.

I also hope that this message and subsequent conversation in Paris3 will succeed in bringing about change in Portuguese position between now and end of December. However in addition to shortness of time now left to us for negotiations, it has been consistent view that best chance of bringing about speedy change in Portuguese proposal of November 7 lay in by-passing Cunha and appealing directly to Salazar as head of Portuguese Government and fundamental determiner of Portuguese policy.

[2½ lines of source text not declassified] Believe that observations on Embtel 3024 (which I am now repeating to Paris as Topol 24) accurately reflect line which Cunha will probably take with Secretary. [2 lines of source text not declassified] To counteract this suggest that following Secretary’s talk with Cunha we have one of our military representatives give account of position taken by Secretary to Portuguese Defense Minister Santos Costa who will also be in Paris. (I am letting latter know privately today that Secretary will be speaking to Cunha about Azores.)

Bonbright
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.56353B/12–756. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to Paris.
  2. Telegram 290 to Lisbon transmitted four changes in the letter from Dulles to Cunha, supra. (Department of State, Central Files, 711.56353B/12–156)
  3. Dulles was in Paris, December 11–14, for the North Atlantic Council Ministerial meeting, which Cunha also attended.
  4. Telegram 302 from Lisbon, November 18, reported Lisbon press stories that Cunha would visit Washington in the next few days. (Ibid., 033.5311/11–1856) Cunha visited New York and Washington, December 3–10.