In July 1951, the late Admiral Forrest Sherman, then Chief of Naval Operations, slipped off quietly to Madrid to scout the chances for a military-aid pact with Spain which would give the U.S. the use of key Spanish naval and air bases. At that time Pentagon planners, worried at the poor progress of Western European defense, were anxious to insure a firm U.S. foothold behind the Pyrenees, in case the Russians should overrun Germany and France. In October 1951 with U.S. military and economic missions already active in Spain, Congress voted $100,000,000 for Spanish military and economic aid.
Formal negotiations...
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