The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-03-27

Franco Viewed as
Small Fry Seeking
Publicity

Small Fry Seeking
Publicity
Generallssimo Francisco Franco
OF Spain has been breaking into
the news quite noticeably OF late
His publicity has not been very
favorable for himself, hut he no.
toriously likes advertising and
probably prefers poor quality Of
II TO none whatever.
Franco got quite liberal allow
ance OF it the other day when a
committee OF the CLOS Maritime
Union called at the State Depart
ment. where Assistant Secretary
Breckenridge Long received the
organizations complaint that the
department is "appeasing" the
Caudillo (that means leader in
SPANISH by letting him import
quantities OF American oil, cotton
and other supplies, OF which
considerable proportion filters
into Axis territory. at huge profits
10 the generalissimo or the agents
he may designate to represent
him
or course, such international
transactions are impossible to
verify in days like these, How
ever, il Yankee officials are naive
enough to he convinced by Axis or
Caudillo Frances denials, they
will swallow almost anything
The theory is that Franco has
10 be "appeased' by the democra
cies to prevent him from going
into the war as a Spanish Axis
ally
The fact is that the Spanish
people are overwhelmingly. al
most exaggeratedly, pro-liberal
and had TO be murderously licked
into subsection. with Hitlerian
and Mussolinian aid
My notion is that Generalissimo
Franco is the limit as a would-be
dictator.
What essentially flatters him
in the proposition that he individ-
ually, has got to be "appeased'.
He Is figuring he says, on a
six or seven-year war.
1t is obvious that. initially. he
was for taking Spain into it, as
An Axis power. But that seems
far from the case, now.
Maybe Frances plan was to
make Spain a great power. as or
the long ago, in days just prior
TO the Inflated Armada. The
probabilities are that his scheme
was to bamboozle Herr Hitler and
Signor Mussolini into helping him
TO accomplish this program and
then double cross them later.
He is the type that emphatically
does not like playing second fid-
die to anybody.
Communism" says the Caudil-
10. lis the worst threat OF this
war"
That was his attitude Just after
Fuehrer Hitler had launched his
attack upon Russia 1t was when
he was still considering the desir-
ability OF taking a Spanish hand
in the fighting
Had he done so, the Russians,
rather than the Nazis or the Fas-
cists would have been the natural
folk for him to make his thrust at
for, undoubtedly, he assumed that
the Germans would make short
work of them, which would have
afforded him with just the oppor-
tunity to demand his share OF the
expected gravy. 1t might have
been forthcoming, too, in return
for acquiescence in an Axis move
ment through Spain into northern
Africa.
The Caudillo. however. evident
" was not behindhand in recogniz-
ing that Herr Hitler had an alarm
ingly large contract on his hands
in his campaign against the Soviet
forces.
Franco continues. apparently. as
matter OF consistency, to de-
nounce Communism, but now he Is
out with his forecast OF a six or
seven.year war. and an empha-
tic warning to Spaniards to keep
out OF IL.
That Franco really has tho
slightest personal feeling for or
against Communism is not the
least bit likely. Just before he
rather recently attained power,
though, a genuinely radical group
was maneuyering the control Of
the Madrid government, and the
present Caudillo took advantage
OF it to start a counter-moyement
in his own interest. And he won
out.
No publicity hitherto, however.
can have inflated Franco to com
pare with the intimation that as
powerful a government as Uncle
Samuels has assessed him as
worth "appeasing"
Assistant State Secretary Long,
Il lie true. disputes the story. His
version is that any American ship
ments abroad have been so routed