Evening star., 1943-03-06

cultivate friendly @S ~
relations with &
the Spanish peo- - -
pie, the larger David Lawrence.
part Of whom are believed to be
friendly to the cause of the United
Nations.
Thus, at this very moment, Hitler
Is doubtless considering whether ne
Will send his Pa1,zer divisions from
the French border through Spain
toward Gibraltar and Spanish Mo-
rocco in An effort to encircle the
American troops now in North
Africa. If the Nazi troops cross into
Spain, will Franco put up a token
resistance and appear to have been
compelled to acquiesce in the in-
vasiot1 Or will he offer real resist
a1ce7 The belief Is that he would
not offer resistance and, in that
event, the armies of the United
Nations would have to depend on
the friendship Of the Spanish peo-
pie. For the British, French and
American armies would promptly
cross into Spain from the south if
Hitler started to come down from
the north.
The complicated conditions that
would result from such a military
contingency can easily be imagined.
II Franco leaned to the Axis side,
the many elements Of the Spanish
nation which do not believe in fas-
ciszn would gladly take sides against
Franco and, with the force of q
British-American- French Army be-
hind them, would reopen the issues
Of the civil war.
Realistic Policy.
The policy Of the United States,
therefore, at this time is realistic
one-to cultivate the seeds Of friend-
ship With the Spanish people, look
ing toward the time when Spain win
be a ti1eater Of war. It Is true that
the policy may fail and that the
food ana fuel may be wasted, but
the total amount involved Is small
and the risk is worth while. because
If America can gain even 4 few
days Of time through the acts Of
friendly groups in southern Spain,
the lives of many American and
British soldiers may be saved.
Diplomacy cannot always diagram
It's detectives and issue statements
Of explanation to overcome skepti-
cism, but in time Of war our policy
IN respect to neutral country is
not simply that Of the Department
Of State. It is q policy which has
to be approved BY the joint chiefs
of stah as we'll As by the President
Of the United States.
Sniptne at the policy on the
ground that it may be as Inflated
as the sending of scrap iron to Japan
does not appear justified. For even
that policy, when the full story is
told. may prove to have been far
more damaging to Japan than to
America. The total amount Of scrap
iron shipped WAS a small fraction
Of our total scrap iron supply and a
small part Of Japan's production.
Yet, by keeping the miltarists
from forcing an early declaration
Of war, the United States and Brit
ain gained time to send into the
Pacific certain military and naval
units which, at least, prevented the
capture Of Australia and New zea-
land. Had the conciliatory policy
been abandoned too soon, Americas
task In recapturins the Pacific
areas might have been prolonged by
years-not just months.
Playing for Big Stakes.
It is easy enough to say that fuel
and food should be retained for
American tse and that none should
be sent to neutral countries. But
the success of a policy of infiltra-
ton, with food and fuel as the prin-
cipal instrument, will in due time be
demonstrated.
Meanwhile. it is essential that the
American people lend their support
to the program of aiding the Span
ish people, policy that is an in
tegral part Of our strategy in fight
ing the war in the Mediterranean
area. One glance at the map will
reveal how important it is for the
United States to protect the western
flank of her North African armies,
and any policy that seeks to reduce
the chances of Hitler attack on
that side is we'll worth the risk, even
If only partly successful.
There is every indication that
Gen. Franco must either play ball
with the Allies or face an internal
crisis that will sweep him from
power. But to stsrve the Spanish
people and withhold necessary items
like fuel at this critical stage Of the
war would be TO invite welcome
for the Axis troops.
The United States Government is
playing for big stakes-the friend
ship. of the people Of both Spain
and Portugal-and this will. pay
dividends later on no matter how
Franco may play his cards. Some
DAY We will be sending food and
fuel to the people Of Southern
italy. too, as part of OUR military
campaign.
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