TRANSMITTING MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN BRITISH AND AMERICAN AMBASSADORS, RELATIVE TO PORTUGUESE COLONIAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON THE ASORES NEGOTIATIONS.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000400260014-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2012
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: July 18, 1947
• Content Type: MEMO

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A.ug 6,19 4~q MAP DIVISION
PAJECT: Tranmni tting Vleteoi'etndum of sh
-'ION and American Ambassadors, H elatlve to Portu neee Colonial
. OR Problem and Their lhflvence on the .sores Negotiation.
L i s b o n , p ,A $ A
? No. 61 AU G 22 1947
Re ,
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FR
DCR
MAC
VIAR
NAVY
CIG
TNN HONORABLE
TM- SECT tTARY OF STATE,
8III9GiTON, D. C.
-0'-0-d 1R8
I have the honor to transmit herewith the meaorsndemm of a
ca vereation which Ambassador 111U W had with the British Ambaeaador,
Sir Nigel Ronald, an Ju]y,15, 1947, relative to Portugusee colonial
problem and their influemoe on the Azore's negottationso
M-
Respectfully yours,
For the Aabsaoador
J. ebb Benton
Counselor of Embassy
2I)o 2P 1,34
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map.
. I "called an the. British Ambassador, Sir Psigel Ronald, this morning
at.noon and brought his up to date on such events as had taken place in
respect of the Asores conversations. I made reference to the rather nn-
fortuete coincidence that the Azores conversations should coincide
with--acute Portuguese a:iprehansion having to do, chiefly with Macao and
poseeoelone in India, Sir Nigel replied that the Portuguese were very
troubled, particularly over xlcao and their Indian possessions as well
as the Fatriarehiat. Some, time ago, he edid, the Niean of, Hydemrabad unnd
the XaJabs of lVeore and Travancore had proposed a, plan thereby t
would buy out the Portuguese. The Portuguese Gov, rnmennt had replied
in the negative but had countered with a proposal bevinp to' do with
free port facilities at I&rsapc.. 'bon this came up to his Goverment,
Sir. Rigel went on to say, the Portuguese and the Indian rulers concerned
mad been informed that, since their territories were not contiguous, any
such proposal would have to be based on a treaty with the Goverment of
India. This apparently acted as a roadblock and no further progress was
made,.
I mentioned. to Sir Nigel that the Foreign !inister'had remarked
the other day that something like a month ago the Portuguese Government
had been obliged to make very urgent representations on the subject of
.Portuguese colonial possessions. I.asked if Sir Nigel knew of.these
representations, and to whom the representations, if any, had been ad"
dressed, Sir !igel replied first that he knew nothing; than, as an after-
thought, be ezplsineds "Yee, I think I know what they ore abort". He then
explained that the Indian Government bad caused wild denunciations of the
Portuguese Government to be publtahed in the press,-calling Goa a blotch
on the surface of India, a momament to bad administration, a haven of
refuge for anti-Indian agitators, and all kinds of other cbargei. there-
upon the Indian Government formulated all the foregoing into representations
which were sent to the Portuguese Gower., nt through the British Eftasay
in Lisbon. Sir Nigel explained that he had no discretion in the'metter;
that his Fabasay was acting only as a mailbox. Thereupon the aforesaid
note was handed, in.
Some time later on the Portuguese Governmvant replied, completely
rebutting these eoa~ggerated representations in quite temperate and
reasonable terms. Sir Nigel explained that the Indian Government had
left itself wide open. However, the Portuguese. Government had terminated
the note by expressing a certain amount of resentment that the Indian
Government had formulated such unfortunate and exaggerated 'eccusatiofs..
Sir Nigel thought that without a great stretch of the imagination the
foregoing could be the strong representations to which I had referred,
Sir Nigel then went on to discuss his own problems. He stated that
during the short time he bad been in Portugal he had greatly altered his
opinion with regard to the Portuguese Government, He described the cor-
porate state orgmfnisation of Portugal to being something utterly different
from what had existed in Ital. He found considerable decentralisation
of authority and not a one-man rule. He spoke of. the Government's sensi-
tivenees to public opinions Sir Nigel made it clear that his opinion of
the Portuguese Government had been greatly altered in flsvar of the
Portuguese. He complained that he had to struggle against the !hostile
indifference" of the Labor Government towards Portugal. He was deter-
mined to leave nothing undone in an endeavor to change this attitvmte to
one of
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frrm the
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we of "ben y ]eat curiosity", He then quoted to me at length from
Chapter lCIII of "A P'.istory of .;esterrt Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell,
The extract to attached herewith,
Men Sir Nigel makes his first call on Dr. a1aser he will, he
told not mks it quite clear that his main object in Portugal will be
the accurate representation of things as they are.. Sir Nigel. lamented
the fact that internationaa relation suffered so much from studied
eisrepresentationsa
Lisbon, July 15, 19470
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