Situation in Spain - Bilbao : memorandum of interview with Sir Robert Vansittart
1937-04-26 016a-0043-001 MEMORANDUM OF INTERVIEW. Date 21st April, 1937. SUBJECT. Situation in SPAIN - Bilbao Time10.45 am the Foreign Office. Reference WMC/KMS/460, Present Sir Robert Vansittart, and Sir Walter Citrine, I called to see Sir Robert Vansittart with whom I had already Made an appointme...
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| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
| Language: | English |
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21 April 1937
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/7BC4CAEA-AA65-4D35-AD39-7722CFDF52E8 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/CBFF3F15-CD1C-431A-A401-7F1438D29464 |
| Summary: | 1937-04-26
016a-0043-001
MEMORANDUM OF INTERVIEW. Date 21st April, 1937. SUBJECT. Situation in SPAIN - Bilbao Time10.45 am the Foreign Office. Reference WMC/KMS/460, Present Sir Robert Vansittart, and Sir Walter Citrine, I called to see Sir Robert Vansittart with whom I had already Made an appointment prior to my being requested to meet Mr. Eden yesterday, as reported on the Interview Sheet dated 20th April, 1937* I went over the ground already covered in that Interview Sheet, and said that I was very anxious indeed that the position of the Basque Government should not be made more difficult by the British Government adhering to a policy that I thought was based upon a misconception, I said that I thought the Government were Justified in warning British ships but not in frightening them, I said that I thought the risk of striking a mine, so far as one could gather, was no greater than that which existed round our own coasts during the Great war. I felt that if British ship-owners were willing to take the risks Involved, the British Government should encourage rather than restrain them* Sir Robert said that the Government were most anxious not to get into an international difficulty about the matter, and broadly took the same line as Mr, Eden had done in the House last night. He thought,' however, that Franco was making a profound mistake In attacking the Basques, as this autonomous government had behaved in the most exemplary fashion and that all they wanted was to be left alone. He summarised my request by saying that he understood me to desire that the Government should not take too firm a policy, and that while not shutting its eyes to the danger it should do nothing to discourage British shipping from being allowed to go to Bilbao, and that they should receive adequate protection up to the 3 miles limit. He said he would report this and discuss the matter further with Mr. Eden. I told Sir Robert that I had informed Mr Eden it might be necessary for the General Council to approach him again on the matter.
292/946/16a/44(iv) |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |