852.00/4085: Telegram

The Consul General at Barcelona (Perkins) to the Acting Secretary of State

I received last evening an invitation from the Councilor of Economy to attend this morning a meeting of the Consular Corps at which there would be broached a project for the construction of a free international zone in this port. Since I did not have time to seek the Department’s instructions and since the proposal seemed likely to contain ulterior motives [I decided not to attend in person or to send a representative].9a

An official announcement was made this morning saying that the consular body welcomed the proposal; that the zone would be distinguished by special flags and by lights at night to spare it from bombardment; that it would serve to assure the provisioning of Catalonia and that the Government was making extraordinary efforts to restore international trade.

Perkins
  1. Corrected on the basis of despatch No. 146, December 14, 1936, from the Consul General at Barcelona, received December 31, 1936.