Evening star., 1936-08-23

~ OME.-"No nation can hope to-
- day to obtain what she needs
unless she has powerful mill
u tary machinery. Therein lies
the principal reason for Italy's and
Germany's tremendous ornaments"
These words are quoted without the
name of the speaker because in Italy
only one man can speak for quotation
--Mussolini-and it was not he who
said these words; he was out of town,
flying about to avoid foreign diplomats.
The international upheaval created
by the Spanish revolution came as a
rather unexpected blow to European
war prophets. As recently as the mid
die Of July the French believed that
the next serious trouble would start
only in october, when Hitler might de-
velop q Czechoslovakian complex.
Even late in July nobody believed that
Spain would divide Europe sharply
into two camps, the Fascists and Nazis
on one side and the Communists and
Democrats on the other.
Today the Spanish affair Is con-
sidered as the most explosive question
Europe has been faced with since 1914.
Ofhcially. the fight might break out
because Of the principles involved: Law
and order as conceived in the unitarian
states, Germany and Italy, against the
chaos which must be created II the
Communist forces win in Spain and
line up with Russia and France.
Unofficially, it is admitted that the
fight will be for the carcass Of what
once was the mighty Spanish Empire.
Outside these two groups stands the
British Empire, ready to arbitrate and
act as go-between If the question of
political principles is involved; prob
ably prepared to throw whatever power
she possesses at the present moment to
prevent the dismemberment OF Spain
at this internationally critical time.
And far eff, temporarily in splendid
isolation, stands the United States-an
observer, We say, as she has been since
1919; a participant as she has been
since 1917. say the Europeans.
The fleets of the four naval powers
France, Germany, Great Britain
and Italy are gathering in the west
ern Mediterranean. The decks are
cleared, live ammunition taken on
board, torpedo caps unscrewed and
sealed orders given to every skipper.
No naval mobilization is necessary
these days: the fleets have been mobil-
lied since last october and the stand
by" order has been issued.
There Is already talk in Paris, Rome
and Berlin about who is the guilty
party, who is to be held responsible
for having changed purely internal
row between two political factions
IN q strife-ridden country like Spain
into an international crisis Of the
Hrst magnitude. --rs
Blum Government Blamed.
The government-controlledn news
papers in Rome and in Berlin throw
the entire blame on the Blum gov
ernment. "The Front Populaire is
acting as the Paris agent Of the
Third 1nternationale. It is the hid
den hand of that international
Bolshevist organization, which Is fore
ing the French government to assist
the Spanish Communists and An
archists. 1t is Moscow that wants
q war in Europe in order to spread
its doctrines with greater ease. France,
an obedient tool of the Communist
government, does not hesitate to obey
these orders" These newspapers pub
lish . wealth Of "unchallengeable"
details about the enormous quantities
of war material, airplanes and men
that are being sent every day from
all parts of France across the Pyre-
nees to help the Spanish Communists
against the patriots.
On the other side, France, with
equal vehemence, is denouncing Ger
many and Italy, not only for support
ing the Spanish junta, but for having
prepared and fostered it. Both coun-
tries are accused Of having been send
ing arms, ammunition and airplanes
to the Spanish rebels since long be-
fore the outbreak of the revolution,
and it Is charged that emissaries Of
Gen. Franco and Gen. Jurpo have
been in close contact with Mussolini
and Hitler since last April. France,
say those who admit that support
is being sent across the border, de-
cided to assist the Spanish government
only when it realized that If 1t al
lowed the Madrid government to be
crushed by the militarists from Mo-
rocco another Nazi-Fascist govern
ment would be established on its bor-
ders and the encirclement Of France
would thus be complete.
The truth Is that both are right.
Germany and Italy were sending arms,
ammunitions and airplanes to Span
ish Morocco long before the revolu-
ton broke out and France had been
doing the same from the very moment
when the first shot was fired in Ceuta
and Melilla. The Russians have been
sending gold.
The British were caught unawares
In this dance of death. Their efforts
late in July to estop the French from
lending the Spaniards their official
support were successful. But M.
Blum could act only in his official
capacity. Unofficially he could not
discourage his friends Of the Front
Populaire in helping the Spanish
Fronte Popolare. In an eleventh-hour
attempt to settle the problem without
coming to blows the Realistically
minded French. proposed another con-
ference between the various interested
nations to maintain . strict neutrality.
The Italians laughed; so did the Ger
mans. They accepted the principles"
Of the conference, but put in their
replies more loopholes than there are
holes in . Sicilian sponge.
The prevalent view in Rome and
In Berlin Is that the decadence Of the
Spanish empire which began several
centuries ago and took another dip
after the Spanish-American War Is
now approaching q state Of disin-
tegration. Spain still possesses prov
inces outside the mainland which
might he shared profitably between