352.1153 St 2/9
The Chargé in Spain (Blair) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 30.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s telegraphic instructions No. 100 of December 7th last, 5 p.m., and No. 101 of December 9th last, 6 p.m.,32 in which the Embassy was instructed to make further representations to the Spanish Government in regard to the treatment which the Department expected would be accorded to American interests in Spain, to be taken over by the Petroleum Monopoly. I am enclosing herewith the text of the Embassy’s Note to the Spanish Minister of State under date of December 12th, 1927, which I believe conforms to the spirit of the Department’s instruction.
In my telegram No. 136 of December 8th last, 1 p.m.,33 I reported [Page 704] that the British Ambassador had been instructed to make further representations on the above subject to the Spanish Government and I am enclosing herewith the text of the British Note.33
In my telegram No. 136 of December 8th last, 1 p.m., I informed the Department that the French Ambassador had been instructed to make strong representations to the Spanish Government, such representations to be based on the apparent violation of the Treaty rights of French corporations and citizens by the Monopoly decrees, and the procedure which the Monopoly has adopted up to date. The French Ambassador informed me that his instructions left him considerable discretion in regard to the points he should raise in his Note, always provided that he based his representations on the above referred to principles. I am now enclosing herewith copies of the French text of the French Ambassador’s note to the Spanish Minister of State, together with the Embassy’s English translation thereof.33
In the Department’s telegraphic instruction No. 101, of December 9th last, 6 p.m., I note the Department’s desire to have the representations made quite separately from those which might be made by the French Government, and when I informed the Department in a previous telegram that I had been advised that a French Note was in course of preparation, I had no idea of associating in any way this Embassy’s representations with those to be made on behalf of the French Government. The French Ambassador had, in the course of a conversation, told me in a general way of the points which he intended to raise, and I believed that the Department might possibly desire to know the trend of the French representations before again calling attention to the points raised by this Embassy with the Spanish Foreign Office.
In my telegram No. 139 of December 13th last, 1 p.m.,34 the principal points raised in the French Note under reference are briefly reported, and it seems to me that the French have made a strong and able exposition of their case. In a subsequent despatch I am reporting on other developments which have taken place during the past week in connection with the Petroleum Monopoly.
I have [etc.]