711.52/193
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The Spanish Ambassador32 called at his request. He said that he was returning to Spain for a visit of about two weeks and that he came to see if I had anything in mind that would be of interest for him to discuss with his own Government. I said in reply that this country, including myself, have warm feelings of friendliness toward the Spanish people; that we have sympathized deeply with them in their [Page 914] unfortunate experiences of recent years and have been thoroughly disposed to offer them any aid that would be helpful in their very great distress. I then said that with the view to aiding them in various ways in connection with their extreme privation and suffering, this Government has approached them many times, especially through Ambassador Weddell, with a view to discussing ways and means of assistance. I then said that I was familiar with the statement Mr. Ray Atherton of the European Division had made to the Ambassador yesterday and that I would not here repeat it but would consider it a part of our conversation.
I then proceeded to say that while it was most disagreeable even to recall our experiences in dealing with the Spanish Government, I must state that in all of the relations of this Government with the most backward and ignorant governments in the world, this Government has not experienced such a lack of ordinary courtesy or consideration, which customarily prevails between friendly nations, as it has at the hands of the Spanish Government. Its course has been one of aggravated discourtesy and contempt in the very face of our offers to be of aid. I said, of course, we could not think of embarrassing, not to say humiliating, ourselves by further approaches of this nature, bearing in mind the coarse and extremely offensive methods and conduct of Suñer in particular and in some instances of General Franco. I said that when I thought back about the details of the conduct of the Spanish Government towards this Government what had happened was really inconceivable. I remarked that I had little hope that the Ambassador could make the slightest impression on Franco and Suñer for the reason that if they are capable of adopting such an unworthy and contemptible attitude toward this Government with no cause whatever, when they should in fact have been thankful, I seriously doubted whether the Ambassador can appeal to any sense of reason or courteous conduct.
The Ambassador did not undertake to defend the course of his Government except to say that there must be some misunderstanding between our Ambassador and Suñer, the Foreign Minister. He said that in any event he would do his best to bring about better relations.
- Juan Francisco de Cárdenas.↩