Evening star., 1944-01-15
Spain and Soviet Russia

The widening ramifications of
Moscows foreign policy are strik-
ingly exemplified by its current
attack on the Franco government
OF Spain. made known in this coun-
try in the official information bull
letin issued by the Soviet Embassy in
Washington. This pronouncement,
rejecting faithfully Moscow's atti-
tude. denounces the Franco regime
as an ally of the Axis, despite its
protestations Of neutrality in the
world conflict. The bulletin backs
its condemnation with a series of
specific charges, among them being
assertions that Spanish troops are
still fighting against Russia on the
eastern front, that Spain supplies
strategic raw materials to Germany,
and that it facilitates the smuggling
OF similar materials for Germany
from South America in Spanish
merchant ships.
The significance of this diplomatic
move is heightened by a parallel
denunciation of the Franco regime
issued almost simultaneously by the
Spanish underground" the revolu-
tionary opposition which has func-
toned illegally in Spain ever since
the victory of Franco and his Ma
tionalist armies which ended the
Spanish Civil War in the spring of
1889. only few months before the
outbreak of the greater European
struggle. This manifesto calls on
the Spanish people to sabotage
FRANCOIS aid to the Reich, extermi-
nate his lieutenants, and finally to
overthrow his regime.
These demonstrations are, of
course. not new. They represent a
revival of the bitter feud which has
existed for generations within Spain
between ultraconservative and ultra
radical factions. and which acquired
international Importance with the
civil war which f1ared up there al
most decade ago. The Nationalist
revolt headed by General Franco
was abetted by Fascist Italy and
Nazi Germany, while the radical
republican government was similarly
aided by Soviet Russia. francois
eventual triumph left him deeply
indebted to the Axis powers, and the
authoritarian government which he
established was obviously Fascist in
character and avowedly hostile to
the Soviet Union.
The logic of Francois policy was
obscured by the Nazi-Soviet under
standing reached in August, 1899.
The European war that began imme-
diately thereafter was one between
Germany and the western powers,
Britain and France, which had ON
cially kept their hands off the Span
ish upheaval. Despite much SYM
pathy for Germany and Italy, Fran
co Spain remained nonbelligerent
toward the western powers. But
when Germany attacked Russia in
the summer of 1941, Franco Joined
in the venture and has made no
secret of his belligerency toward the
Soviet Union. The result is another
OF those one-sided participations
which keeps Russia neutral against
Japan, Bulgaria neutral toward Rus
sia and Finland neutral toward
America.
Moscow'S diplomatic attack on
Franco, coinciding with the mani
festo by the revolutionary under
ground. indicates Soviet Russia,s
implacable hostility toward Ma
tionalist Spain and may possibly be-
token pressure on Britain and the
United States to adopt sitter atti-
tude towards Franco. Although
Spain has not formally participated
in the general war, it's political des--
tiny will presumably be in question
when the peace settlement arrives.
Moscow will see to that.