Evening star., 1937-08-19
PORTUGAL SEWERS
CZECH RELATIONS
Untitled Order for Machine
Guns Is Blamed for
Diplomatic Rift.
BACKGROUND

O~oS'NVssOUtAHto " b8yVutCu LuU VCQTS
ago IN Port,0dls order for machine
1uns from Czechoslotnktnn firm as
part OF her redrmdment program.
Dispute arose oDer types Of weapon
to b delivered by the Czech firm.
Recently Portugal contributed to
bredkdo1or OF or-interpentton
system BY the mthdrdndl At tn-
cil'ties tor the International patrol
on nor frontier.
Dy the Associated Press.
LISBON, August 1.-THE authori.
tartan Portuguese government An
nounced formally today it had sev-
cred diplomatic relations with the
republic Of Osschoslovakia over an
unfillsd order Of machine guns.
At the same time PorteuAl accused
Csechoslovakia OF yielding TO the "in-
1uenoes and pressure" Of an, uniden.
tined third party" in blocking full
fillment OF the arms order.
The newspaper Diario De Notictas
promptly declared, in Interpretation
Of the move, that Osechoslovakia had
received Instructions from an East-
ern power not to supply arms to 4
country which was = sure guarantee
against 4 Communist Iberian PENN
sula."
"Rvashn Stronghold"
In the same comment, the news
paper declared "CaechoslovAkia Ia the
Russian stronghold in Central Elrope
and perhaps the Soviets' largest air
base"
"Portugars attitude is 4 noble one !"
it added.
The oficial Portuguese communioue
bluntly attributed the PrAha govern
ment's reluctance to permit 4 Csecho-
slovakian armament Arm to supply a
larger order OF machine guns to Por-
tuRal to Portusars attitude on the
civil war raging within her neiehbor
state, Spain
Portugal, governed by q Fascist
inclined premier, Dr. Antonio de OIL
veirA Salazar, lies At the back door
OF the Spanish territory controlled by
the insurgent leader, Francisco Franco,
and several weeks ago wiped out the
international patrol Of her frontier
against arms and soldiers bound for
Spain.
Portueals statement today dis
closed that the Portuguese Minister
to Csechoslovakia left Praha for Vi
emma yesterday with the legation
stan. leaving the task OF looking
after Portuguese interests in the mid
die European republic to the Italian
Minister.
Thkd-Party influence Blamed,
Csechosiovakia's refusal TO permit
Portugal, the peninsular neighbor
OF Spain, to buy war materials was
due, the communique asserted, TO
third-party influences and pressure
exerted by those interested in de-
laying Portugals rearmament.
The dispute had its origin two years
ago, the communiQue continued. when
Portugal placed 4 large order for ma
chine guns with the Ceskoslovenske
Leorojovka factory in pursuance Of
her rearmament program.
But the factory informed the Por-
tuRuese Minister at Praha July %
that the C,echoslovakian government
had refused permission to supply the
armament because of the attitude
Portugal had assumed with regard TO
non-intervention in the l3-month- -old
Spanish civil war.
The Portuguese Minister expressed
his surprise. Several notes were ex-
changed, and finally demarches were
made, 1t WAS said.
Withdrew Patrol Facilities.
More than 4 month ago Portugal
contributed to the disabling OF the
27-nation Spanish non intervention
system by withdrA WING facilities for
\ patrol Of her frontier to prevent
arms and soldiers from reaching in
suraent Generalissimo Francisco
Franco.
Inc Lisbon communique said the
Praha government had offered several
different explanations of its attitude.
lncludie the statement that equiva-
lent measures had been taken re-
garding an order for arms placed by
Mexico.
CZECHOSLOVAKTA ASTONISHED
PRAHA. Csechoslovakia, August