OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN

AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS



Record of conversation during the call by the Foreign and 

Commonwealth Secretary on HE General Franco at the Pardo 

Palace, Madrid at 1.00 pm on Tuesday, 29th February 1972.



Present:



The Rt Hon Sir Alec         HE General Francisco Franco

Douglas-Home, KT, MP        HE Sr Gregorio Lopez Bravo



HE Sir John Russell         HE el Marques de Santa Cruz

                               



1. The conversation began with social niceties which 

pass on to a discussion of salmon fishing, the poaching 

in Spanish waters by Danish boats and salmon disease in 

Scottish rivers.



2. Polite generalities were then exchanged about 

Anglo/Spanish relations in general and the continued need 

for improvement and rapprochament.



3. Sir Alec Doublas-Home then broached the question of 

Gibraltar and developed the basic principle of HMG's 

position, namely that they could no coerce the Gibraltarians 

into accepting transfer to a third power against their will. 

That will, at the moment, was steadfastly set against 

incorporation in Spain whose Government, the Gibraltarians 

felt, had shown itself hostile over the last few years, 

particularly in the restrictions imposed.  Sir Alec wished 

to ask General Franco personally and directly whether some 

gesture could not now be made towards the Gibraltarians in 

the form, of an at least partial lifting of those restrictions.  

Sir Alec added that he already knew from  the Spanish Foreign 

Minister that this would be difficult; but he still wished to 

put it to the Head of State.  When the interpreter reached 

the word "difficult" General Franco interjected "impossible". 

At this Sir Alec said that surely nothing was impossible for 

the Head of State?  "This is" replied General Franco.



4. In the course of further discussions on the same point 

Sir Alec Douglas-Home suggested that the Spaniards might 

welcome a visit by a small group of responsible Gibraltarians, 

including perhaps some civil servants, who would be able to 

see for themselves how pleasent life is in Spain and how 

agreeable the Spaniards can be. General Franco neatly 

sidestepped this question.



5. A further 10 minutes or so were then spent on a general 

discussion, during which Sir Alec Douglas-Home explained 

that he would be going home to consult his colleagues on 

his exchanges with Sr Lopez Bravo but that he felt that 

it would be difficult in present circumstances to make any 

progress on the matter of sovereignty.



6. The interview concluded with further complimentary 

exchanges of a personal nature and an invitation from 

General Franco to Sir Alec to return to Spain for some 

shooting.