852.2221/1446: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Vigo (Graves)
3. You are authorized to communicate on any consular matter, upon consular stationery, with appropriate officials at Burgos, without however addressing Minister or Ministry of Foreign Affairs as such. In other words, letters should be addressed, for example, to “General Francisco Gomez Jordana, Burgos”.
With reference to the subject of your telegram, you should point out increasing difficulty being experienced in obtaining release of American citizens from military service; that under Spanish law it has not heretofore been required that Spaniards obtain permission from Spanish Government to expatriate themselves; that any provision making such a requirement retroactive is unreasonable; that upon naturalization of aliens in the United States, except derivatively, allegiance to any foreign sovereign must be renounced, and that after naturalization [Page 800] of aliens in the United States they are considered by this Government to have status of citizens of the United States solely. You should therefore urge immediate release from military service of all American citizens within the categories in which you have heretofore been authorized to extend full protection. Report to the Department by cable the results of your efforts in pending cases.