811.34553B/5: Telegram
The Chargé in Portugal (Kennan) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:46 p.m.]
2449. For the Under Secretary and Matthews. Department’s 1798, October 16. There are in my opinion compelling reasons why we should not advance these requests in the prescribed scope and at this particular moment. I believe that to do so would prejudice rather than benefit the chances—which are otherwise not unfavorable—of our ultimately coming to share the use of the facilities already granted to the British, and that it might cause complications in British-Portuguese relations not to mention our own.
I am reluctant to enter into a discussion with the Department or to ask the Department to do so with the President, over an instruction given me by the President. For this reason, I shall not cite here the various reasons for these opinions. But I should like to make it plain that I am willing to take full personal responsibility for this position; [Page 557] and I should welcome it if the Department instead of requiring me to proceed at once with the execution of the instruction would permit me to return immediately to Washington and to explain, if necessary, personally to the President, the reasons for my views.
If the Department should approve this plan, I could proceed to North Africa Wednesday93 morning by plane on the pretext—as far as Lisbon is concerned—of paying a visit to Algiers. I could presumably proceed at once from North Africa to Washington returning to Lisbon as soon as my mission is accomplished. It is not probable that much comment would be caused in Lisbon by a short absence. I would, of course, require specific authorization by return cable; and the Air Transport authorities at Algiers would have to be asked to cooperate.
As regards the delay in this case to the execution of the instruction, I may say that the Portuguese are not yet by any means sufficiently reassured about German intentions to provide the atmosphere envisaged in the instructions. It was only 3 days ago that they received the German note of protest worded in somewhat ominous terms and they are all gloomily awaiting some form of retribution. For this reason, I think that any delay is to the good.
The British Ambassador has been informed by his Government that I was receiving instructions of this general nature although his Government did not seem to have been aware of the full extent of our program. I have asked him to request his Government to make no comment to Washington this respect before I could have an opportunity to make my own because I have no desire to evade the direct responsibility which I bear for the execution of these orders.
- October 20.↩