865.30/59
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Counselor of Embassy in Spain (Beaulac)79
I reminded Sr. Pan80 that we had sent another note on the Italian warships in the Balearics (see enclosure No. 3 to despatch No. 1441 of October 12, 1943)81 and that we presumed that the matter was still open in as much as the Foreign Minister had told the Ambassador it would be kept open until he advised him otherwise. I said we confidently expected a favorable decision in the matter.
Sr. Pan said it was the Minister’s wish and intention to find a solution satisfactory to us. He had had to deliver so many blows recently to the Germans that he wanted to spring this one easily. He had turned down every important German request for a long time. He had notified the Germans of the withdrawal of the Blue Division. Spain had declined to have dealings with the Mussolini régime. Spain had made clear that its relations with Portugal were in no way prejudiced [Page 719] by the Azores agreement,82 et cetera, et cetera. He did not want the Germans to think Spain was turning completely against them. Nevertheless he wanted to release the warships, and it was his idea that the ships should leave the Balearics gradually, one by one.
I reminded him that fuel must be made available to them and suggested a small Spanish tanker proceed to the Balearics and deposit enough fuel to supply the ships. He said he thought the idea a good one.
I expressed gratitude at the Minister’s plans to release the warships, as well as our hope that there would be little further delay in carrying them out.
- Copy transmitted to the Department by the Ambassador in Spain in his despatch No. 1479, October 18; received October 30.↩
- José Pan de Soraluce, Spanish Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs.↩
- Note No. 1444, supra.↩
- Presumably reference is to the Anglo-Portuguese Agreement of August 17, 1943; for text, see British and Foreign State Papers, vol. cxlvi, p. 447.↩