711.52/357: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain (Hayes)
515. Your 573, February 18, 10 p.m. On February 21 the British Embassy here submitted to the Department an aide-mémoire70b outlining the discussions which had taken place between Sir Samuel Hoare and Jordana. The aide-mémoire states that as a result of discussions [Page 352] at Madrid the Spanish Government has given assurances that they are prepared now (1) to expel from Tangier the German military agents and German Consulate; (2) to put a drastic stop in Spain and North Africa to the espionage activities of the Germans; (3) to dissolve and repatriate Spanish units on the Russian front and not to allow any new units or reliefs to leave Spain; (4) to settle on terms agreeable to us and the British the question of the Italian merchant ships; (5) to refer to arbitration the question of the release of the Italian warships; (6) to give every facility for assuring a drastic limitation of the exports of wolfram. The aide-mémoire further states that Jordana has agreed to consider the possibility in practice that exports of wolfram to Germany should be reduced to a point which would in fact result in no shipments at all being made during the next 6 months. It is our understanding that the 6 months’ period would begin to run from the date of agreement with the Spanish Government and that between now and such date no wolfram will be exported. A definite undertaking on the part of the Spanish Government on the basis of the foregoing is acceptable to us, provided that practical and effective measures are in fact instituted through which we can be fully assured that no wolfram will be shipped or smuggled to Germany from Spain during the agreed-upon 6 months’ period. Immediately upon receipt of the Spanish Government’s assurances that all the foregoing undertakings will be carried out, authorization will be given for the resumption of tanker loadings.
The foregoing has been discussed with British Embassy officials and represents a combined and agreed position. You are requested to associate yourself with Sir Samuel Hoare in further discussions with Jordana with a view to obtaining Spanish agreement to the foregoing arrangements.
It is not our intention that agreement to these arrangements for the 6 months’ period shall in any way commit us to continue tanker loadings, should subsequent discussions fail to result in satisfactory agreement covering subsequent periods. We recognize, however, that with the progress of the war, conditions in Europe may undergo considerable change in the interim. Once the arrangements set forth above, however, have been agreed to, we will be prepared to examine with the British and Spanish authorities the possibilities of strengthening our assistance to Spain’s economy, particularly with reference to any supply difficulties from Axis sources which might result from Spain’s action.
Since drafting the foregoing your 601, February 21, has been received. The two references to Jordana’s proposal of limiting wolfram exports to Germany to a 10 percent figure are not clear. One reference refers to “10 percent of total 1943 exports”, the other to “10 [Page 353] percent of wolfram exports to Germany”. Furthermore, your telegram makes no reference to the exports licensed in January and whether the exports are included in the 10 percent figure. If the proposal relates to 10 percent of licensed exports in 1943 and not to both licensed and smuggled, and includes the January 1944 exports, we interpret the proposal to mean that in practice there would be no further wolfram exports to Germany in 1944. If this interpretation is correct you are authorized to negotiate on the basis of Jordana’s proposal. We are not concerned with form as long as we get the result we want—namely complete cessation of wolfram exports to Germany. We do not insist that the Spaniards call it a “total embargo”.
Sympathetic consideration will be given to Jordana’s request that we purchase Spain’s wolfram at reasonable commercial prices. FEA now has the proposal under study and we hope to inform you further within a few days.
Repeat to Lisbon and keep Lisbon currently and fully informed of further developments on this subject.
- Not printed.↩