Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, The British Commonwealth, The Soviet Union, The Near East and Africa, Volume III

881.00/1777: Telegram

The Chargé in the United Kingdom (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

London, November 7, 1940—9 p.m.
[Received November 7—3:20 p.m.]

3672. My 3654, November 6, 8 p.m. An official of the Foreign Office informed me today that according to secret and reliable information the Spanish were impelled to take the action they did at Tangier to forestall Italian occupation.

While Sir Samuel Hoare has been instructed to put an official protest on record with full reservation of all British rights under the international agreements governing Tangier, I gather that the Foreign Office does not view the Spanish action with any undue apprehension as far as the fact of occupation is concerned. They dislike the high-handed way the Spaniards acted without consulting this country as required by treaty commitments and as the Spaniards had specifically promised to do last June when the British consented to Spanish troops moving into the International Zone.

Johnson