740.0011 European War 1939/11831: Telegram
The Ambassador in Spain ( Weddell ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:10 p.m.]
531. Department’s 289, June 5, 9 p.m. The following is submitted for the Department’s approval:26
Excellency: I have the honor to recall to Your Excellency that as long ago as April 25, in my note No. 1001, 1 informed you, at the specific request of my Government, of my desire to be received by His Excellency, the Chief of the Spanish State “at the earliest date possible, to make known to him personally certain aspects of my Government’s policy” and requested that you take appropriate steps to arrange this interview.
It was with growing astonishment that I observed that my notes of May 3 and May 9, reemphasizing my wish, remained without result, and in a final effort to press home to you the desires of my Government in the matter, I addressed you for the fourth time on May 19, repeating my original request. It was only on May 30 that I received your note of May 27 in which appears the surprising statement that it would not be possible for me to see His Excellency, the Chief of State. You further informed me that if the object of my visit was to make some special communication you would receive me and that I might transmit through you the communication in question.
I am now under the disagreeable necessity of informing you that the position taken in Your Excellency’s note is not satisfactory to my Government which instructs me to recall to you the right of an Ambassador—a right immemorially recognized in the relations of states—to be received by the Chief of State to whom he is accredited whenever such an interview is sought. I am also instructed to make clear to you the reluctance of my Government to believe that the Chief of State, were he cognizant of my request, would willingly sanction any undue delay in arranging an interview.
[Page 906]If I am to conclude that the position taken in your note under reference is to be accepted as indicating a change in the views and procedure of the Spanish Government on this subject it will naturally become necessary for my Government to reconsider its policy in the light of this extraordinary development.
In response to your suggestion I should say further that I have no hesitation in informing you that my request for this interview, made at the specific direction of my Government, was for the purpose of making known to the Chief of the Spanish State the policy and intentions of my Government in the present world conflict of which your own Government despite its attitude of non-belligerency should be informed.
I also proposed to recall to him the fact that in recent months your Government has in formal and in informal ways indicated a desire to obtain economic assistance from the United States: and that equally frequent requests have been made by representatives of your Government looking to a relaxation of existing export controls in order to make available products which the Spanish Government appear to have been particularly interested in acquiring in the United States.
It had been my further hope and intention, had I not been prevented from seeing the Chief of State, to discuss with him again the possibility of initiating discussions with a view to broadening and liberalizing the basis of mutual trade between Spain and the United States. I had anticipated that the outcome of such discussions could have been favorable and beneficial both to Spain and to the United States.
I now have the honor under explicit instructions of my Government to request that Your Excellency bring the foregoing to the notice of His Excellency the Chief of State, at the same time apprising him of my Government’s and my own astonishment that my desire to see him should, without adequate or justifiable reasons being offered, have been thwarted.
I shall be obliged by Your Excellency’s prompt reply to this communication. Accept Excellency, etc.
- The Department approved the note and authorized the Ambassador to send it.↩