[104-10209-10017.pdf — page 36]
# 8/4612SITUATION OF THE FRANQUIST REGIME - 80% of the Spanish people are against the Franquist regime. He says that to assess accurately the solution desired by this ninety percent is very difficult. Some wish, specifically, for the restoration of the Republic, but he maintains that what everyone is longing for is a change in the Regime, something to relieve the really chaotic situation in which the Spanish people find themselves. (He did not know life under the Republic, and therefore when he talked with people they always underlined the enormous difference there was between that life and life under the present regime). The Falangist unity may boast of is a myth. Division in the Franquist Camp grows daily. The Falangists write happens in the streets and so do the Requetes, but their slogans are contradictory. The Falangists accuse the rest - of being sure and traitors to the doctrine of the Falange. For example, he talked to a Falangist lieutenant who had come from Cuba to fight at Franco's side - in the cafe El Cate Negro in Madrid, a few days before embarking. He seemed to be ashamed of the present situation in Spain. He excused himself by repeating the Falangist tenet that the Falange had been betrayed. (This must refer to the Monarchists, Requetes, and other reactionaries). The Falangists are aware of the present situation in Spain. Perhaps that is the reason why they are seeking a solution which will preserve their class privileges. In his own phrase - the Franquist regime hangs from a very thin thread, which must snap very soon. (Perhaps this is not only the view of our informant, but also of some military and civil leaders with whom he was closely connected). For this reason, he says, they have tried to give the impression of a change, taking advantage of the Camara Corporativa, and, if it is true, with the restoration of a Falangist-Monarchy.ON THE MONARCHY - There is, he says, no public activity with this goal. There does not exist what we might-call psychological receptivity for this measure; but undoubtedly negotiations in this direction are being carried on by high officials of the Franquist Regime. He was in Madrid on the 22 - 25 June 1942, at the time of the visit of Don Juan. His visit was not given any publicity, but there were widespread police precautions. The streets nearest to the palace were closed to the public and a strict watch was kept. There were also arrests of suspicious persons, those who had been in prison etc. But the press gave no sign. The presence of Don Juan was public property. The people seemed completely indifferent. The monarchists displayed no activity either. Perhaps, he added, they took precautionary measures with some people characterised by their adhesion to the Monarchy. His impression is that if the monarchy were restored in Spain it would be in alliance with the Falangists, but the people would still have the impression that the situation had changed. He maintained that there would be the semblance of a coup d'etat, apparently directed against the Falange, but Franco would remain head of the army. If so, things would, fundamentally, remain here as they are; that is, the Spanish State would still be entirely subordinated to Hitler, and without changing the policy of "partiality" they now maintain, to one of "neutrality" in the war. They would take this step, in his opinion, only in the last resort, if faced with a second front in Europe, and on the approach of Hitler's defeat, which would, naturally have an immediate repercussion on the countries subject to the Nazis in Europe.ON THE COMPLETE SUBSERVIENCY OF THE FRANQUIST REGIME TO HITLER. - In Spain the Falangists do not speak of their position of "Neutrality" in the war but of "partiality". This is their attempt to justify the help they give to the Axis. There are German submarine refuelling stations in Vigo, Redondela, and on the Galician coast. This is public property, but every now and then the press publishes a complete denial that Axis submarines refuel in Spain. These denials are very frequent but they do not give much proof. Those who can see tanker-launches carrying on this work laugh at these ridiculous denials. Also on more than one occasion German submarines have been repaired in Spanish dockyards. In Galicia it is quite impossible to get a pot of jam. All the production, which is enormous, goes to the Germans. There are places on the frontier, through which trains pass with produce for Hitler. There are fortifications and artillery on the coasts of Galicia, where the Germans are in command. There are also new aerodromes, some already finished and some under construction by German technicians. They fear an Allied invasion in Galicia. Hitler is assisted not only with food and primary materials, but also with men.