A Brief History of the American Consulate in Bilbao

A Brief History of the American Consulate in Bilbao

By William R. Meara

Using documents collected by Jon Bilbao Saralegui

(with special thanks to Sr. Juan Olartecoechea)

Written in Bilbao and Algorta, Vizcaya during 1991

The new American Republic wasted little time in attempting to establish an official presence in Bilbao Spain. In 1791, Edward Church, who was at the time serving as American Consul in Bordeaux, was appointed as American Consul in Bilbao. In accepting his new additional duties, Church commented on the importance of Bilbao to the United States: he pointed to the large amount of U.S. exports sold here.

Unfortunately, Church was never able to take up his post. According to a letter from the American Ambassador in Madrid, William Carmichael, his appointment had not been accepted by the Spanish government because, "due to privileges conceded to the Vizcayans, no foreign consul can be posted in Bilbao." Church was never able to take up his post.

Our next attempt took place in 1818. Francisco Javier Ealo was a Bilbao businessman who, while on a business trip to New York, apparently came into contact with members of the American government. Ealo was quickly appointed American Consul in Bilbao. Several days after his appointment., he informed Secretary of State John Quincy Adams that he intended to sail immediately to Bilbao via Havana where he had business to attend to.

Once in Havana, Ealo got word that conditions back in Spain were not very favorable for business, so he decided to stay on in Cuba. Ealo did not get to Bilbao until May of 1824. His arrival marks the beginning of American diplomacy in Bilbao. Ealo was assisted in Bilbao by Vice Consul Francisco Gaminde. Soon Vice Consuls were appointed in Santander and San Sebastian.

Ealo didn't last long. By 1830 hardships brought on by the Carlist Wars had caused him to close the Consulate and return to Havana.

By 1833 Ealo had been replaced by another Bilbao businessman, Maximo de Aguirre. Aguirre reported to U.S. Ambassador Washington Irving on events surrounding the first Carlist War which was at that time in full swing. His reports were notable in their bias for the liberal cause (he was opposed to the rebels).

In 1834 Aguirre went to Paris for medical treatment, leaving his brother Juan Bautista de Aguirre in charge of the American Consulate. Juan Bautista died in a Cholera epidemic that swept the city during his brother's absence.

Aguirre followed Ealo's lead and appointed Vice Consuls in San Sebastian and Santander.

Consul Aguirre had a hard life as the American representative. During an insurrection in 1841 he was accused of taking part in the rebellion and was ordered to pay a two thousand dollar fine (he paid).  On the fourth of July 1843, Bilbao rose up against the Madrid Government and allied itself with the government of the city of Barcelona, Aguirre was suddenly named Mayor of Bilbao. This put him in a difficult situation because he was still the Consul of a country (the U.S.) that recognized the Madrid government.  Recognizing the conflict of interest, Aquirre attempted to resign as Consul. Ambassador Irving asked him to stay on until a new Consul could be named. In the interim a new mayor was appointed, so Aguirre was able to continue as Consul.  But for at least a short period, the American Consul was actually Mayor of Bilbao.

Aguirre added a Vice Consul in Gijon and it appears that he had another in Vigo.

Maximo Aguirre appears to have been a good and conscientious man. When approached by the British Consul General for help in establishing a cemetery for non-Catholics and for Brits who had died while campaigning with Wellington, Aguirre went out of pocket to help, and asked for additional support from the U.S. government. By 1856, old and sick, he asked to resign, but offered to stay on until his successor was named. Receiving no response he wrote again to the Secretary of State in 1859. His replacement wasn't named until 1861 and didn't get to Bilbao until 23 June 1862. Maximo Aguirre died in 1865.

Aguirre was succeeded by Daniel Evans, the first American to serve as Consul in Bilbao. Evans was from Philadelphia and was a resident of La Salle, Illinois. While Ealo and Aguirre had focused their work on commercial matters, Evans studied and reported on the full spectrum of Basque political, economic, and cultural developments.

Evans appears to have been an intrepid and dynamic man. Early in his tour he came across American tourists vacationing in the Pyrenees. The tourists commented that the American Consul in Bayonne could not speak English well.  Evans jumped right on the case and proposed to the Department of State that he -- Evans -- take over the Consulate in Bayonne and serve simultaneously as Consul in Bilbao and Bayonne.  He pointed out that there were regular ships between the two cities (a six to eight hour trip) and there were stage coaches.  Unfortunately the Department of State didn’t go along with the scheme.

After Evans we have a long gap in the historical record. If anyone would like to fill it in, please go ahead and do so…

In 1909, the American Consul in Bilbao was H.A. McBride. McBride went on to serve as Assistant

Secretary of State (Europe?). He was in this position in 1936 when the Spanish Civil War broke out.

For many years we maintained Consulates in Gijon and in Santander.  In 1919 the Gijon Consulate was closed. In 1925 the Santander Consulate followed suit.

On September1, 1925 Consulate Bilbao's office was moved from the Avenida de los Aliados to the first floor of the Hotel Carlton building at what is now Bilbao's Plaza Moyua. The Consulate had its entrance through the "back door" of the Hotel and bore the address Numero 8, Rodriguez Arias (today it is Numero 6). During the Spanish Civil War period, the Consulate shared the Carlton Hotel with the Basque government of Lehendakari Aguirre..

When Franco began his rebellion on July 18, 1936, the U.S. Ambassador to Spain, Claude G. Bowers, happened to be in Fuenterrabia, Guipuzcoa where is wife was convalescing. Bowers set up his offices in St. Jean de Luz. 

For a brief period during the actual hostilities, the Bibao Consulate operated out of a "Zona Internacional" along Avenida Zugazarte in Las Arenas. During the fighting a Spanish member of the Consulate staff was shot in the arm -- he was sent to the Consulte in Vigo to recuperate.

On September 14, 1936 Consul William E. Chapmen and Vice Consul Manuel J. Codouir closed the

post due to the war. They boarded the USS Kane and sailed to St. Jean de Luz, France. where they established a temporary office. During 1936 and 1937, the American officers visited the Bilbao Consulate several times, traveling on the USS Kane or the USS Erie. During the period that the Consulate was closed. part of its responsibilities were picked up by the U.S. Consulate in Vigo, Galicia.

In December 1939, Consul John S. Calvert arrived to re-open the Consulate. The office was officially reopened on January 5, 1940. In March 1940, Vice Consul David Smythe arrived. He departed in December 1940, having resigned from the Foreign Service (perhaps because of homesickness).

During the period July 1944 to September 1946, the U.S. Government also operated a Consulate in San Sebastian.

In January 1941, Vice Consul Alfred J. Pederson arrived to replace Smythe. Pederson was in Bilbao until May 1941 when he departed en route to his new post in Shanghai, China (with temporary posting in Chungking).

On August 19, 1941, Vice Consul T. Monroe Fisher arrived in Bilbao.

On December 1, 1942 Consul Harry F, Hawley succeeded Consul Calvert. Consul Hawley was one of the first Consuls to take up residence in Neguri.

During the war Consul Hawley was assisted by Vice Consul Temple Wanamaker, Wanamaker is remembered by the Consulate staff as one of the most impressive of the officers to serve here. Bilbao was one of his first posts and the war handed him some very unusual additional duties. Wanamaker reportedly went on to serve as U.S. Consul in Cordova Argentina where he was shot and seriously wounded in a terrorist attack.

Due to its position near the French Border, the Consulate in Bilbao was very busy and active during World War II. As a result of the German occupation of France, the Consular district suffered a great influx of refugees. At the outset of the crisis the Consulate took care of the refugees. Resort hotels throughout the district were used for their lodging. Vice Consul Wanamaker established a network of contacts at the border crossing points to facilitate the transit of those escaping the Nazis. The Consulate also maintained safe houses for use by refugees and escaping allied pilots. Some of the refugees were arrested by the Spanish police and placed in concentration camps or prison. The Consulate also tried to care for these persons. Finally, responsibilities for the refugees was taken over by the French Red Cross, working in conjunction with the Free French.

The Consulate also assisted third country refugees and resistance members who had crossed the border. On one occasion, ten Poles fleeing the Nazis spent the night in the Consulate, later to be surreptitiously distributed among safe houses in the Bilbao area. These Poles reportedly told Consulate personnel that the Polish officers killed at Katyn forest had been slaughtered by Soviet troops. In many cases the Consulate helped those fleeing the Nazis obtain false documents to facilitate their travel to Portugal or to North Africa.

During the Second World War, it seems that Bilbao became a minor hotbed of espionage activity. There was German Military Intelligence (Abwher) outstation here. In his book, "My Silent War," Soviet spy Kim Philby relates how British Intelligence foiled a Nazi intelligence operation in South America by intercepting a transmission from the Abwher station in Bilbao.

Basque soldiers (Gudaris) who had gone into exile after the Civil War entered into collaboration with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (Donovan's OSS). Some Basques opted to join the U.S. military.  Ramon de la Sota (brother of the current President of the Chamber of Commerce) joined the U.S. Marine Corps and won the Silver Star medal on Guadalcanal.

In March 1943, the Consulate moved out of the Hotel Carlton and opened offices on Calle Buenos Aires 3-2. This move may have been stimulated in part by the fact that the fifth floor of the hotel was being used by some sort of "German Social Club."

During World War II, the Consulate in Bilbao was deeply involved in providing assistance to American pilots who escaped to Spain after having bailed out over France. In some cases the pilots actually bailed out over the Bilbao consular district after struggling to get across  the border in damaged planes. During one of the first appearances of a damaged allied airplane over Bilbao, Spanish military anti-aircraft batteries opened fire on the plane and tried to shoot it down. Consul Hawley immediately called the Military Governor and insisted that the batteries cease fire.  This stopped the shooting.

In August 1943, Ambassador Hayes, accompanied by a person named Outerbridge Horsey came to Bilbao from San Sebastian. Ambassador Hayes also paid farewell calls in Bilbao before departing for retirement in the U.S. on the ship "Marquis de Comillas." At his farewell luncheon he was entertained by Marquesa de MacMahon, the Marquesa de Armiluce, representatives of Firestone Inc., and the Club Nautico.

In May of 1943 there was an outbreak of typhus in Bilbao.

In July 1944 an American Consulate was opened in San Sebastian. A Mr. Chomsky was there, perhaps as Vice Consul.  A Mr. Galbraith held the post of Consul in San Sebastian. He was eventually transferred to Bilbao when the San Sebastian Consulate was closed

At the end of the war, the Consulate, in conjunction with British colleagues, was charged with taking control of the assets of the defeated Axis powers. The metal box that we currently use to hold our Consular seals was part of these seized assets.

In 1949, the Consulate moved across the street to Plaza Venezuela in a building that is known as Navier Aznar. It remained there until 1977 when it moved to its current location.