President Roosevelt to the British Prime Minister (Churchill)6
529. Personal from the President for the Former Naval Person.7 Your 649.8 As you say, the only point which divides us on Spanish policy is whether to resume oil shipments concurrently with the resumption of wolfram shipments from Spain to Germany to the extent of 60 tons over the three months of April, May and June, or whether to do all in our power by a united effort to continue the suspension of wolfram shipments until July 1 in the hope and belief that thereafter shipments in the second half of the year in the amounts agreed to will not be practicable. It seems to us that to agree to the resumption of wolfram shipments prior to July 1st would frustrate the efforts which we are jointly making in Sweden and Turkey and would impair our position in dealing with Switzerland and Portugal. To these negotiations we attach great importance, as I know you do also.
Furthermore, our public attaches the greatest importance to Spanish shipments of wolfram and is most critical of oil supplies going to that country while these shipments continue. They are most insistent upon a policy of firmness in this matter and a contrary course on the eve of military operations would, I believe, have the most serious consequences.
[Page 397]The Duke of Alba’s repudiated proposal to which you refer required shipments of only half the wolfram now proposed for the rest of 1944 and even in that case we said that only as a last resort would we consent to shipments before July 1st.
We have gone a very long way to meet your difficulties as you describe them in your long cable to me. Will you not, therefore, reconsider an instruction to our two Ambassadors to join in a determined effort to settle the matter upon the basis of a suspension of shipments during the first half year. I do not believe that we have yet done all that is possible along this line.