MILES SHEROVER AS A SALES AGENT OF REPUBLICAN SPAIN IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1937-1938

Abstract

The article describes the activities of Miles Sherover, an American entrepreneur, president of the Hanover Sales Corporation, who served as a sales agent of the Spanish Republic in the United States in 1937-1938. During the study period, M. Sherover, being authorized by the Government of the Second Republic, participated in a number of initiatives of the leadership of the Spanish Republic, such as Spanish-American negotiations on the security of the finances and property of American companies in Spain and the sale of silver reserves of the Bank of Spain to the United States in order to pay for the purchase of military equipment, civilian goods and raw materials with the proceeds. In addition to being as a middleman between the Spanish Republic and the United States in the trade, M. Sherover was actively engaged in political activities, the consequences of which discredited the Embassy of the Republic in Washington, as the Spanish Ambassador Fernando de los Rios, who was wary of the entrepreneur, regularly reported to the Prime Minister of the Spanish Republic Juan Negrin and Foreign Minister Julio Alvarez del Vayo. In general, the activities of Miles Sherover were contradictory: in order to help the Second Republic, he was engaged not only in issues of Spanish-American trade during the war, but also was carried out active political activities that went beyond his official powers and put the diplomacy of the Second Republic in the United States in a difficult position.

Keywords

• spanish civil war
• second spanish republic
• miles sherover
• fernando de los rios
• bank of spain
• national council on foreign trade
• policy of neutrality