CAB80-13 — Page 98

Page 98

Page 98

'THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNI MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT),

TO BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY.

SECRE T.

C.O.S. (40)

It is requested that special care may be taken to ensure the secrecy of this document.

COPY NO.

13th June, 1940

WAR CABINET.

CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE,

WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN AND ATLANTIC ISLAND PROJECTS.

Report.

We have been considering the military necessity of operations to secure the Balearics and the Spanish and Portuguese Atlantic Islands, under various conditions, and the forces which would be required in each case.

2.

The French have undertaken responsibility for plans to assist the Spaniards to hold the Balearics in the event of Italian attack (if Spain is hostile, neither we nor the French are in a position to seize the Balearics).

We therefore confine our remarks here to Spanish and Portuguese Atlantic Islands. The military commitments which would be involved are considered in more detail in the Annex to this paper.

3.

The groups of islands under consideration are:- (a) Canaries (Spanish) with defended harbours

in Grand Canary (La Luz) and Teneriffe (Santa Cruz) and an aerodrome in Grand Canary (Gando). There is also a landing ground at Teneriffe.

(b) Azores (Portuguese) with a lightly defended harbour (which is also a geaplane base) and a cable station in Fayal (Horta), a lightly defended harbour in San Miguel Ponta

Delagada) and possible landing grounds in Terceira.

(c) Madeira (Portuguese)

at Funchal,

(a) Cape Verdes (Portuguese)

with a cable station

with an aerodrome

in Sal, a harbour and cable station in St Vincent, and landing grounds in some of the other islands.

-1-

Page 98

83

Page 98

Page 98