Wolfram Crisis facts for kids

The Wolfram Crisis (Spanish: Crisis del wolframio) was a disagreement during World War II. It happened between Francoist Spain and the Allied powers. The Allies wanted to stop Spain from selling a special metal called tungsten ore to Nazi Germany. "Wolfram" is another name for tungsten. This metal was very important for making anti-tank weapons and tools used in factories. Many of the mines where tungsten was found, like the Barruecopardo mine, were in northwestern Spain and northern Portugal.

During the war, there was a huge need for tungsten. This made its price go up a lot, like an "economic bubble." Spain, which was still recovering from its own Civil War, made a lot of money from selling tungsten. For example, in 1940, Spain earned £73,000 from tungsten. By 1943, this jumped to £15.7 million! By 1943–44, tungsten sales made up almost 1% of Spain's total economy and 20% of all its exports.

Why Tungsten Was So Important

Tungsten was a "strategic material" during World War II. This means it was vital for fighting the war. Countries needed it to make strong weapons and machinery.

Tungsten's Role in War

Tungsten is a very hard metal. It can withstand high temperatures. This made it perfect for making armor-piercing bullets and tools. These tools were used to shape other metals. Without tungsten, it was harder to build tanks, planes, and other war machines.

The Allies' Demand

The United States and other Allied countries did not want Germany to get tungsten. They knew Germany would use it to make more weapons.

Oil Embargo on Spain

On November 18, 1943, the U.S. Ambassador in Spain told the Spanish government to stop selling tungsten to Germany completely. Spain refused many times. So, on January 28, 1944, the United States stopped sending oil to Spain. Spain needed oil for its cars, trains, and factories. Soon after, the U.S. also limited Spain's cotton exports. This threatened Spain's important textile industry in Catalonia.

The Secret Agreement

Spain and the Allies finally reached a secret agreement. This deal helped to end the crisis.

What Spain Agreed To

On May 2, 1944, Spain, the U.S., and the United Kingdom signed a secret deal. In exchange for getting oil supplies back, Spain agreed to:

• Greatly limit tungsten sales to Germany. They could only sell 20 tonnes in May, 20 tonnes in June, and 40 tonnes each month after that. This was much less than before.
• Close the German Consulate in Tangiers and send its members away.
• Stop helping German planes or ships in Spanish airports.
• Expel German spies and saboteurs from Spain.
• Solve a problem about Italian ships stuck in the Balearic Islands.
• Call back the last Spanish volunteers who were fighting with Germany on the Eastern Front.

Outcome of the Crisis

Spanish leaders said the deal was a success for them. They had managed to negotiate. The Allies had wanted Spain to stop all tungsten sales. But Spain only had to limit them to a small, "symbolic" amount. The U.S. was not happy that sales did not stop completely. They blamed British diplomacy for this. However, Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, praised Spain for its "services" later that May.

See also

In Spanish: Crisis del wolframio para niños