711.53/43: Telegram
The Minister in Portugal (Norweb) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10 p.m.]
1605. Campbell undertook today to inform me concerning his interview yesterday with Salazar.
The talk lasted just over 2 hours and was described as being conducted in an atmosphere of great strain on both sides. Salazar was bitter in his denunciation of what he described as “hounding” on the part of the British and ourselves in the matter of wolfram. He defended himself at length and with no little acrimony and Campbell said that he found himself in a position of having to be on guard every moment. However, it is significant that Salazar neither said yes nor no but asked for more time to consider.
According to Campbell, Salazar referred to my visit on the subject of the Azores and the inference was drawn that he felt that he was being badgered on the one hand by the Americans and on the other by the British with difficult demands; that we should make up our minds as to who wanted what. Furthermore, that as to the use of the second field perhaps it would prove necessary an invocation of article 8 of the Azores agreement.90 In all frankness I cannot help [Page 119] but feel that the direct independent approach on the question of the second field is not viewed with wholehearted enthusiasm by the British.
For the first time during my rather extended conversations I felt that Campbell for reasons best known to himself found it impossible to give the fullest expression to his thoughts in connection with the Salazar interview. This leaves me somewhat uneasy in my mind and if the Embassy at London is able to obtain a more complete report on the matter it would be most helpful to us.
See our 1577, May 24.91
Sent Department; repeated to London as 245; to Madrid by courier.