The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-05-16
General Franco
Propaganda of Radio Speakers, Columnists on Status of Spanish Leader Evokes Interesting Comment From Editor of "The Founder"
 =. History Presented in
 Different Light.
Different Light.

Working on the principle that people will believe almost anything if you repeat it often enough, cer- tain radio speakers and newspaper columnists are doing all in their power to convince the American public that General Franco, the Spanish leader, should be deposed. The song has been sung all through the changing scenery of the World War. News commentators go out of their way to sing it, some of them almost every day. Of course, from certain quarters this is to be eX- pected. But when columnist of the class of Walter Appmann de- votes whole days effort to laying low the Spanish Caudillo-at a time when most people are thinking of peace and the end of war-one sus- poets that there is more to it than appears on the surface.
 Lippman wants Franco brought to heel by the United Nations. But that would be to interfere in the internal affairs of a foreign gov ernment; something which we pro- fess to be very loath to do. So we must be justified by giving as our reason for this contemplated act that Franco gave aid and com- fort to our enemy, the Nazis. But so did many other countries includ- ing Switzerland and Sweden. Why are these countries not singled out for punishment?
 The Spanish Civil War
 Franco came to power by way of revolution. Under his leadership the Christian elements Of Spain, in- cluding the army, rebelled against the typrannous rule of the com munistic democracy" Every edu- cated man and woman knows how these communists came to power and what they did with that power when they had 1t. Catholics will well remember the murdering oi priests and the raping of nuns which went on under this regime.
 In this civil war the United States sent the Abraham Lincoln Brigade to fight for the communists. Rus sia sent what help she could. French communists poured over the borde, into Spain by the thousands, te fight against Franco.
 Franco needed help. When il was not forthcoming from England or America he took it where ht could get it, from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. They had theil reasons for wanting to get intt this war. reasons which appeared later. With their help, Franco Wa. able to overthrow the communist and take the government of thu country into his own hands.
 The Spanish Civil War was fol. lowed almost immediately by Worle War II. Through it all, Franco has kept Spain together. She has been officially neutral. If We coulo imagine what the United States would have been like had our owr civil war been followed by a world war, we would have some idea oi Spain trying to feed and clothe and heal herself these past five years.
 The Dress Rehearsal
 The Germans and the Italians were willing to fight for Franco be- cause it gave them a chance to try out their arms in preparation for World War II. then in the mak- ing. The Spanish Civil War was a dress rehearsal. Tn a certain sense 1t was a dress rehearsal. not only for the Nazis, but also for us. Be- cause there is parallel between the situation in which Franco found himself and the situation in which We now find ourselves at the end of the war in Europe. The better we understand this parallel. the less will we criticise the Spaniard. That Is. if we want to be just to him.
 The Parallel
 Franco went to war to save his country from communism. The United States and Britain went to war to save themselves from Nag ism. He accepted the aid of the Nazi in order to save himself from the communists. We accepted the aid of the communists, to help save ourselves from the Nazis. In both cases this was possible because of the rivalry between these two forms of totalitarian government.
 After the Spanish Civil War Franco found himself obligated to . ruthless tyrant who was much stronger than himself. The tyrant made demands upon him. Tn spite of these de- mands. Franco was able to keep his prostrate country out of the World War, steering tortuous course be- tween the democracIes (Tho left