Evening star., 1938-06-15
FRANCE BLOCKS
ARMS TRAFFIC
Spanish Frontier Is Closed
in Move to Clear Way
for British ParIey.
BY PERTINAX.

PARIS, June Is (By N.A.N.A)-
The French Pyrenean frontier Is nov
closed again to the trafiic in arms and
ammunitions toward Spain. A close
watch by French officials has been
resumed.
It was about last March IS that
Leon Blum and Joseph Paul Boncour
then premier and foreign minister
respectively, and their ministerial col
leagues resolved to suspend strict ap-
plication Of the rules agreed to In the
London Nom Intervention COMMITTEES
in order to compensate to some extent
for the importations OF German and
Italian war materials into Spain
which continued on a huge and in
creasing scale. Their decision meant
that they refused to recognize the
practical monopoly Of Intervention in
the Spanish civil war that was held by
Rome and Berlin.
Under yesterdays decision, the same
administrative regulations are en-
forced which obtained until three
months ago. But the Pyrenean from
tier will be replaced under inter-
national control only If the British
plan for withdrawal OF volunteers
can be carried out. That change in
policy toward Spain, initiated by the
Blum cabinet, has been ordered by
Premier Edouard Daladier and For
eign Minister Georges Bonnet and
has been Endorsed by the whole min
istry. because they have deemed 1t
opportune to assert Franco British
solidarity on the eve of the important
meeting Friday by the London Non.
Intervention Subcommittee, when the
fate Of the British plan for withdrawal
Of foreign volunteers will be settled.
Chamberlain Reaction.
Moreover, the French rulers have
probably feared lest Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain should fnd in
their reluctance to comply with the
advice given in London and cut of
supplies for Republican Spain q suff-
cient pretext to appoint Immediately
a date for putting in force the Anglo
Italian treaty Of April Is and not wait
any more for conclusion of q Franco
Italian treaty on parallel lines. which,
according to ofiicial opinion here,
ought to be regarded as its necessary
complement.
Great pressure has been brought tc
bear upon French political circles by
British diplomacy. and finally it ha,
proved stronger than all consideration
Of home policy.
1t remains to be seen now whether
the Italian and German governments
which have so violently abused France
on account Of relaxation Of the watch
over the Pyrenean frontier, will show
some good will, whether they vii
really accept the recall Of their ma.
tionals serving under Generalissimc
Franco. including technicians, airmen
submarine crews and engineers
whether they will help the reconsti.
tuition of naval control and encourage
Portugal to close her land frontier
with Spain, as against the grantinl
Of belligerency rights to both Burgo.
and Barcelona, although Burgos alon,
will be able to make use Of them ane
set up a blockade on the high seas.
To Seek All Advantages.
The prospects are that Mussolin
and Hitler will try to obtain all thu
advantages provided for Franco ir
the British plan and avoid all thu
liabilities, although they are out
weighed by those advantages.
Moreover, If all the foreign vol.
unteers really went, it doesn't seem
so sure that the Italian-Germar
mortgage upon Spain would not be
perpetuated under the shape of an
alliance whereby an important part
would be assigned to the Spanish
Nationalist government in a European
WARRIOR instance, to throw into
Spanish Morocco some divisions in
order to provoke a rising of the
Moors against French rule.
Chamberlain complacently imaRines
that If only the Spanish civil war
were brought to an end through the
rout Of Barcelona. everything could
be quietly set right, and Italy, which
would then boast she had over.
whelmed "Bolshevism," might be
conciliated by the Western powers
Chamberlain is probably wrong.
A new international phase to be
opened by Frances triumph would
tax to the utmost the watchfulness
and energy of Britain and France
tunless they allow their most vital
interests in the Mediterranean to be
jeopardized), because then the per-
manent features of German and Ital-
ian intervention in the civil war would
be put in strong relief, and neither
in Paris nor London could a valid
reason be found to postpone the issue
copyright 1898. BY the North American