Abstract

The article analyses the diplomatic ef orts of Republican Spain, which, under the auspices of the prominent public and political figure Fernando de los Rios (1879-1949), were aimed at obtaining American aid during the Civil War (1936-1939). The author explores every aspect of De los Rios’ activities as the ambassador of Republican Spain in Washington in 1936-1939: efforts aimed at lifting the US embargo on arms sales to Spain; raising the awareness of the US leadership and the American public about the Italian-German intervention; waging active campaign in support of Republican Spain through public lectures, speeches and cultural diplomacy in order to foster solidarity with the cause of the Republic in North American public opinion. As a rule, studying the Spanish Civil War and the position of the United States Russian historians pay more attention to the drafting of American legislation on neutrality. Less attention is paid to the analysis of the policy of Republican Spain towards the United States during this period. The present article is the first in Russian historiography to use documents from the personal archive of Ambassador Fernando de los Ríos, namely, the records of the Spanish Embassy in Washington in 1936-1939 (deposited in Madrid). Some of the results of the diplomacy of Republican Spain in the United States in these years can be assessed as positive, while the others were partially or completely unsuccessful. Fernando de los Ríos’ active campaign in support of the Republic greatly contributed to the shaping of Spain’s image as a victim of fascist aggression and made a certain contribution to the criticism of the policy of neutrality. However, despite all the efforts of the ambassador and the sympathy for the cause of the Republic shared by President Franklin Roosevelt and the American public, the embargo on the arms supplies to Spain remained in force until April 1, 1939, as the United States remained f rmly committed to neutrality.