Evening star., 1943-10-03
Says FoIonge Agents
Work for Axis
By Marquis w. Childs.

Hermann Goering said that in 1896.
Out of this Nazi conviction grew the
Spanish civil war and it's aftermath,
Now, perhaps more completely than any
other author Allan Chase has docu-
mented the activities Of the Falange-
the Spanish Fascist Party-working
through Spain to undermine the United
States in the Americas.
He calls his book published by @. P.
Putnam's Sons) "Falange." and he says
that he has the evidence to back up
every statement he makes. Altogether
there are more than 1000 documents in
the Putnam safe in New York.
The picture he presents is sensational.
1t is not merely one of propaganda and
cultural penetration to discredit Yankee
Imperialism" The Falange operating
in half dozen Latin American coun-
tries has actually given military aid to
the Axis, particularly in the submarine
war. Ships have been sunk and sailors
have been lost because of the espionage
of Spanish Falangists.
In the Philippines they prepared the
way for the japanese invasion, infiltrat-
ing through the civilian defense organ
iZation of the islands and actually well
coming in the japanese. In Puerto Rico,
Cuba. Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina,
Mexico-throughout the Caribbean and
Latin America Falangist agents worked
increasingly for the Axis.
Frances Position Precarious.
The book has a particular interest now
in view OF the desire in some quarters not
merely to continue recognition of Franco,
but even to shore up his regime by send
ing in aviation gasoline and perhaps the
munitions that Franco seeks. It is known
here that his position in Spain is in
creasingly precarious. The State De-
partment, at the request of the Chiefs Of
Staff, placated the Franco government
to keep Spain neutral so that our forces
in North Africa would not now be out
f1anked The time for such caution has,
OF course, long since passed. Chase
even argues that it was never necessary.
The time has come" he writes. "for
all those whose destinies are bound up
with victory for the United Nations in
this war to turn the spotlight on the
menace Spain holds for just this victory.
We must begin to see falangist
Spain in its true colors. -. Hitler Spain
with its networks Of spies and hidden
war bases m the Western Hemisphere,
its Blue Legion Of 100000 troops fighting
against our Allies in Russia and its ter
rifying neutrality
This neutrality of Falangist Spain is
one of Hitler's richest Iberian bonanzas.
1t pays enormous dividends daily. To
thousands of United Nations seamen one
of the dividends Hitler gets from Spanish
neutrality has never been a secret. This
dividend is oil"
According to Chase, since the summer
Of 1899 feet of nearly 80 tankers and
merchant ships flying SPANS crimson
and-gold flag has carried oil to ports Oh
the Spanish mainland and Spanish is
lands. There Nazi submarines were re-
fueled and German and Italian tanks~s
took on oil. The Nazis. Chase declare-,
maintain naval fuehng stations at Ceut7,
Melilla, Cadiz and Tangiers, as we'll IS
emergency air bases for all Axis aircraft.
Frequently throughout his book Cha~e
pays tribute to the work of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation both at home
and abroad. FBI agents in Havana have
worked closely with the Cuban secret
police in exposing Falangist espionage
there. President Batista has been vigi-
liant in trying to root out the Falarge.
and Chase intimates he would have gone
State Department in Washington was
unsympathetic.
Spanish boats have dropped Gestapo
officers off the shore of Florida. Chase
tells of an instance in September. l94l,
when from the deck of the Spanish YES
sci "N-" a small fishing vessel was
lowered.
In the boat were two men dressed
like American vacationers. They spoke
perfect vernacular American English
and they carried fishing tackle made and
sold in America. Their clothes came
from American stores, and the small
fortune they carried was in American
currency.
Nevertheless, the two men who were
In the small boat lowered from the Span
ish N off the Florida coast in Sep
tember, 1941, were not Americans. They
were Germans. Nazi Germans. OFF,
GERS Of the Gestapo
When the small boat rested on the
water one of the GeStapo agents undid
the lines that bound it to the N. His
companion started the engine. pointed
the bow toward Florida and waved a
CHEEKY adios to the Spanish officers
lined up on the deck of the steamship.
Gain L. S. Citizenship.
Puerto Rico is bad spot. Chase writes,
because, AS in the Philippines, impor-
tant Falangists have infltrated in the
civil defense of the island They have
been intimidated by recent Allied VIC
tories and as result applied for Amer
ican citizenship. Astonishingly enough
they were granted citizenship by Fed
eral judge even though the record
showed they had belonged to an organ
lzatlon opposed to all democracies ard
specifically working against American
democracy in this hemisphere
Chase charges that the basic motiva-
ton and direction Of the Sinarouist
movement in Mexico have come from the
Nazls in the first instance and more re-
Gently from the Falange He says that
Slnarquismo now enrolls more than 500
600 members south of the border and an
appreciate number of Mexicans in the