The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-05-18
Observations
Franco Bid For
Peace Viewed as
Desperate Move
BY Charles p. Stewart

10 get the present spanish govern
ment agreed on to negotiate a hur'
ry.up peace between the United
Nations and the Axis.
j will be recalled that. not long
ago. such a suggestion was made,
rather vaguely. By the Madrid re-
gimes foreign secretary, CoNn,
Francisco Gomez de Jordana, In a
speech at Barcelona. Neither Wash
ington nor London paid any official
attention 10 the counts proposal.
FRANCO BID ... .... .... ....
The Yankee and British press. how
ever. ventured 10 wonder Il the
AXIS. worried by the outlook.
mightn't have been trying Indirect
~ 10 inspire move in the dlreC-
ton of truce as soon as possible
II this was good guess neither
Berlin nor Rome, naturally. saw IT
TO admit II. thus revealing their ap-
prehension a s 10 the future.
Moscow gave the notion the ha-
IA. for the obvious reason that the
count had dwelt upon the AWFUL dan
gers of communism to the dem
ocracIes as well as to all other
folk, II hostiities were permitted
TO string out Indefinitely. -.s-.
Japan INDUCED in no comment
whatever, probably not taking much
interest. except for its own purpos-
es. in the Occidental part Of the
world conflict
In short, the counts alarm COR
sppeaD pretty completely fizzled
The other day, though. Madrlds
Csudillo. Generalisslmo francisco
Franco. took crack a the subject
IN a broadcast to the United Ma
tons (minus RUSSIA from the town
of Almeria.
The impression given was that
the Caudillo disappointed by Count
Jordauas failure to create a seusa.
ton, had taken matters in hard per.
sonally, TO stir up some excitement.
He did. indeed. succeed in getting
himself better listened 10 than the
count did-as might have been ex-
pected. since a lifesized dictator, or
Caudillo. is more OF a parsonage
than mere foreign minister.
The generalissimo didn't predict
an AXIS victory. but he did predict
a stalemate or draw, which, he as
serted. will mean the Communiza.
ton Of everywhere.
How'll the democraCies like that?
he inquired.
He tried TO rub it into the dem
ocracies even more vigorously than
Count Jordana did. lnasmuch as the
best betting is on the democracies.
the conclusion appears to be that he
intended only to convey tip to the
Axis. but TO scare the liver out OF
the democracies.
Parenthetically, he's Of the same
school Of thought as Fuehrer Hitler
and ruce Mussolini.
The bulk of Spain is closer %
Communism than 1t is TO Nazism or
Fascism. In fact, its more radical
than Communism is. When Franco
was fighting, against local odds, to
establish hi dictatorship. Fuehrer
Hitler and Duce Mussolini helped
him and Comrade Stain helped his
opposition, the democracies re-
naming neutral at that stage of the
game. II would have paid the dem
ocgacies 10 plug for Spanish Anar-
chism. but it was too soon for EN-
10 realize Il.
Far be it from me to accuse Senior
Franco of gratitude toward Adolf
or Benito.
1t isn't anti-democracy or pro-to.
talitarianism that he's trying TO pre-.
serve. It's his own Caudillo-ship.
I'm not so sure that he'd like a VIC
tory by Nazism or Fascism. II the
AKA wins he foresees that Herr
Hitler and Signor Mussolini Will
presently be trying to gobble spain
over his head, one or either or both
OF 'em.
And the cuss occupies something
OF an advantayeou5 strategic posi-
ton, If he can effect compromise
which he cant DO. OF course.
Ii he COULD do It, he'd make
himself internationally conspicuous.
The United Nations would be
under a certain amount of obliga-
tons TO him. As a fixer. the AXIS
would be thank ul, for being ticket
a little les than flat. as he eyi-
IDENTIFY anticipates.