352.1115/3117: Telegram
The Consul at Valencia (Davis) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 9—2:48 p.m.]
Department’s March 8, 6 p.m.,44 A … E …. Besides subject there are five other deserters here, one of whom was delivered to the Consulate by Spanish authorities. More are expected. A few days ago the French Consul expressed a willingness to evacuate them on French war ship. With acquiescence of the Spanish Government he has already evacuated 400 deserters who were French nationals. Last Wednesday a French naval vessel arrived to evacuate a party of 60 more deserters whose embarkation the Spanish authorities prevented and are still prohibiting in spite of strong representations on the part of the French Government. Today the French Consul informed me the case has reached an impasse, as well as a similar case at the French Vice Consulate at Alicante. A similar but less acute situation exists in connection with a small number of deserters of British nationality. The American deserters with the exception of E … have passports [Page 492] with valid French visas but no Spanish visa. This definitely marks them as having crossed the Spanish frontier with a convoy of volunteers.
In view of the foregoing there does not appear to be any way for them to leave Spain except by special authorization in each case. It is barely possible that the Consulate by requesting it could obtain such permission for some or all of them. Others coming later might expect like assistance. The only alternative appears to be to leave all of them upon their own resources which would expose them to grave danger.
Please give explicit instructions covering these and future cases. Do you authorize new passport for A… E…? Shall we facilitate appeals to relatives for funds, et cetera?
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