Evening star., 1939-04-23
By David Lloyd George.

reveal beyond obscurity their ultimate
aims.
Something was to happen in the
Mediterranean. There were troop move
ments in Spain and Spanish Morocco.
Something might happen in Portugal.
The German fleet was to cruise in the
Atlantic on the coast of Spain. Perad-
venture 1t might pay a friendly visit
to Lisbon. In sailing past the estuary
Of the Tagus it might turn in to greet
the Portuguese dictator.
Mussolini, in defiance of the Anglo
Italian pact, was not just yet withdraw
ing troops or material from the penin-
sula. On the contrary, he was dis
patching more troops there ito take part
in the victory march" He still adheres
to his promise that he will withdraw
his troops from Spain. But that prom
ise is to be redeemed "after the victory
march"
March Postponed.
That march has already been twice
postponed. It has now been put of
until May 15-another month. Much
may meanwhile happen to excuse
further delay. In the meantime, one
strong contingent of the Fascist army
has moved toward the Straits of Crib
raltar, another toward the Pyrenees.
and third into Spanish Morocco on
the frontier of the Tangier enclave.
Alpine troops recently arrived from
italy are being sent up to the French
frontier.
But there IS now a most significant
and sinister omission in the last Mus
solini pledge. There is no reference
in his recent declaration to any re-
moval of Italian war material from
Spain. The Germans never entered
into any pledges on that subject.
The most formidable reinforcements
received by the Franco army consisted
not of Italian infantry but of German
and Italian guns especially heavy ar
tillery), tanks, airplanes and the enor-
nous quantities of war material of all
kinds which have passed into Spanish
ports from Italy and Germany. Ger
man and italian experts by the thou
sand are there to advise and direct
methods and machinery. None of these
will depart.
These it was who crushed the Span
ish Republic. Since the civil war came
to an end, preparations for the great
war have been accelerated in men, ma
terial, and notably in maneuvers,
Everything that has happened in Eu-
rope during the last few months and
particularly during the last few weeks.
points to an agreed plan adopted by
the two dictators to challenge de-
cision without delay on the issue of their
territorial ambitions against the demo-
cratic powers.
The building up of colossal arma-
ments and the raising and training of
huge armies has gone on for six wears.
But the latest process has only been
apparent to obtuse statesmanship in
the course of the last few weeks-the
securing of territorial positions which
will afford the authoritarians a supreme
strategical advantage over the demo-
cratic States.
Command Mediterranean GATEWAY.
The conquest Of the Spanish PENN
sula has given the aggressors the COM
mand Of the gateway of the Mediter-
ranean, historically the most important
seaway in the world. This threatens
all the Atlantic routes for commerce
or war to every quarter of the globe,
It forces France to watch and fight
on three frontiers, instead of one as in
1914.
The conquest Of Albania almost COM
pletes the blockade of the Mediter-
ranean. 1t not only gives the Italians
control OF the Adriatic, but converts it
into . retreat and . shelter for the
totalitarian navies, with their deadly