Evening star., 1942-07-29
Gen. Franco Believed
Pledged 10 Join Axis
i Nazis Take Suez
Such Move Would Put
increased Pressure on
France to Cooperate
BY PERTINAX.

On the strength of new diplomatic
information. the foreign policy of
Nationalist Spain can now be defined
with greater accuracy. Gen. Fran
cisco Frances settled plan is actively
to Join the Axis whenever the Suez
Canal falls to Field Marshal Erwin
Rommels forces, but not before.
AS long as the conquest of Egypt
by the Nazis has not materialized,
the Madrid government will stick to
neutrality and do it's best to MAIN
tain. II not to enlarge, its economic
relationship with the United States
and Great Britain. AS a qualified
observer on the spot lately put 1t
to the British government. in care
fully selected terms. Spain's relative
ly favorable attitude could not be
guaranteed to continue if the land
of the Nile passed under AXIS
control.
That warning deserves to be taken
all the more seriously as it must be
linked with trustworthy reports, re-
ceived last year, that Gen. Franco.
either at the time he met Adolf
Hitler October, 1940) or shortly
afterward, had to commit himself,
under pressure, to entering formally
the Nazi new order if the Central
British position crumbled in the
Near East.
In the light of such data, the
tremendous importance OF the
stakes for which Gen. Sir CLAUDE
Auchinleck fights his great battle
in Western Egypt can be adequately
appreciated. Those stakes are not
inferior to what is in the balance
along the Don River, from Rostov
to Stalingrad, although the number
of men engaged in the North
African warfare, on both sides. Is
merely q fraction of the forces at
grips in Eastern Europe.
Naxi Federation Is Aim.
All the evidence is that, once
Marshal Rommel had won Alexan-
dria and Cairo, Hitler would set
himself to shape Europe on the
pattern of a Nazi-controlled fed
Grafton. Then would strike for him
the hour which, he believed, was
near at hand last summer.
Gen. Frances policy gives a clue
to the inner significance and i'm
plications of Pierre Lavals maneu-
vering. Laval, even if he wanted
to keep clear from the Nazis' en-
brace (and we know that he always
strove to collaborate to the limit
could not afford to play for time
II Spain started to move with the
Axis.
Far-reaching are the ambitions
of the Spanish government as re-
CARDS French Morocco. Indeed. the
Spanish government always felt it
had been cheated Of its due share
of influence and expansion when
the French Foreign Minister of
1904, Delcasse, secured British ap-
proval to the setting up of French
protectorate over the major part
of the Sheridan Empire. Laval, of
course, would be able to argue with.
reluctant Frenchmen that Hitler
cannot be expected to keep Spanish
demands within bounds unless the
French people agree to fall in with
the German scheme of continental
reconstruction.
About two months ago, Gems.
Noguse and Orgaz, respectively
French and Spanish high commits
sioners in Morocco, discussed the
existing state Of affairs. The re-
tort of Gen. Nogues was that the
whole issue had better be post
poned. But no delay would be
booked the moment that Gen.
Franco, perhaps against his own
wishes, had to dance attendance on
the Fuehrer.
Auchinleck Has Big Task.
Prime Minister Churchill, when he
discussed the Libyan reverse in the
House Of Commons early in July, re-
ferred to the serious consequences
which might ensue in Spain, North
Africa and Vichy- France. What he
had in mind then is today fairly
clear.
Fortunately, Gen. Auchinleck holds
his own. His is a very heavy task.
The lay of the ground favors
Marshal Rommel Were the Ger
man military leader to force the
passage east of Ell Alamein, he
would find before him open country
IN which to deploy his troops, an ad-
vantage for which Gen. Auchenleck,
IN any advance westward, could not
have any equivalent. Nevertheless.
the British Army, with the help of
American air detachments, harnesses
the enemy. With every day that
goes by, Gen. Auchenleck makes
good the losses in heavy armaments
suffered in Libya on June l8.
Meanwhile, Gen. Franco still ad-
heres to his delicately poised policy
When he received the new Mexican
Ambassador, DR.. Carlton j. Hayes,
six weeks ago. he repudiated eco
nomic autarchy in the speech he
delivered for the occasion and in
sisted that Spain laid great store on
exchanging goods with the New
World. Moreover, the press was
allowed to publish comments favor
able to the United States.
Subsequently, public pronounce
ment Of the dictator In relation to