852.2221/435½
The Vice Consul at Valencia (Wells) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 9.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s instruction of April 24, 1937, with regard to this Consulate’s despatch No. 35 dated March 15, 1937, concerning American deserters from the Spanish army in which it was estimated that there are approximately 1,700 American citizens in the Spanish Government forces. The Department desires to be informed whether this estimate includes persons of dual nationality who were residing in Spain at the outbreak of the war or whether it includes only Americans who have come to Spain since that time.
The above estimate was intended to include only those Americans who have come to Spain since the beginning of the civil war for the express purpose of enlisting in the Government militia. Only four cases of persons of dual nationality serving in the Government forces have come to the attention of this Consulate, and I have no information on which to venture an opinion as to the total number in this category. In fact, only one of these cases dealt with an American citizen duly registered as such, the other three concerning persons born in the United States but who never had established their claim to American citizenship.
Since the date of the despatch mentioned this Consulate has taken occasion to inquire of several persons, newspaper men, American volunteers, and others who might have an opinion on the subject, as to the number of Americans who arrived in Spain to serve in the Government forces. The various estimates given have led me to believe, and I believe Consul Davis, who wrote the despatch on March 15, was inclined to the same opinion, that the estimate of 1,700 was perhaps too high. [Page 511] The consensus would place it nearer 1,000. It may be said, however, that the lowest figure I have heard mentioned was 600.
With reference to the last paragraph of the Department’s instruction under acknowledgment, there is being forwarded today as an accompaniment to this despatch a package containing the uniform discarded by the deserter R …, who claimed that the outfit was issued to him before he sailed from New York.
Respectfully yours,