Evening star., 1945-11-18
In Defense of Our
Wartime Policy
Toward Spain
WARTIME MISSION IN SPAIN

WAN 1NQL NllSSION I'm SI AIN.
BIZ Carlton J. II. Hayes. Mac
milan; 49,
The American Governments war
time policy in Spain, which aroused
about as much adverse criticism rs
any other one aspect Of the war,
gets its defense in this book by OUR
former Ambassador. The work is
an important record.
Carlton J. H. Hayes has been
since 1907 professor of European
history at Columbia University. He
was asked by President Roosevelt
to take the diplomatic post early in
1912. At the time, Spain was de-
cidedly pro-Axis. Mr.. Hayes re-
signed in January. 1945, to return to
his university work. Spain was then
openly on the side of the United
Nations. His story covers the in
tricate dealings which took place
between our Government and the
Spanish one in the critical period.
While he by no means claims that
his direction OF our policy was solely
responsible for Spain's swing to the
Allied side, neither does he consider
that it was theological sympathy with
Facism which first put the country
on the side of the Axis. What he
says and repeats is that Spain want
ed, above all things, to keep out of
the conflict, and that she simply
inclined to the side which she
thought would win. In the begin
ming, that was Germany. AS the
tide of battle began to flow in our
direction, however, she readily shift
ed and eventually showed the Unit
ed Nations more co-operatiyeness
than she had at any time conceded
to the enemy. The job of our Am
bassador was to persuade her of
American invincibility in the face
OF the German armies massed on
her frontier.
The Core Of the Book.
Prof. Hayes proceeds by describ-
ing the various issues which he had
to take up with the Spanish Foreign
ONCE. The core of his book lies
in his assertion that it is not the
business of a diplomat to undertake
reforms of the government to which
he is accredited but to serve the
interests Of his own.
That Is the core because Prof. |
Hayes had to be conscious of the
situation indicated by the state
ment. The State Department |
Spanish policy was subject to more
or less constant sniping in this
country by groups which disliked
the Franco regime and the force of
such attacks struck on his work.
Repeatedly through his book he
writes of how he was hampered in
carrying out projects of prime stra-
tegic Importance by the vociferous
press of Frances enemies in Amer
lea, refugees for the most part who
were enjoying our hospitality, as he
points out. But the blame also ex-
tends, as he says, to certain govern
ment agencies, the personnel of
which were inclined to express their
personal views through their official
conduct. He names specifically the
Board of Economic Warfare and the
radical wing of the Office of War
Information.
Selling Spain Gasoline.
The most criticized item of our
Spanish policy. of course. was our
selling Spain oil and gasoline. Prof.
Hayes explains this as an essential
to our overall policy, which was to
secure a maximum of Spanish CO.
operation. Had we not supplied
the oil, Britain would have done so.
Our action therefore was also die
tated by interest in good relations
with our ally. But none of these
considerations were taken into ac-
count by the groups which had
hatred for Franco as their sole
principle.
How the United States won con-
cessions in the treatment of refugees
and Allied airmen, how we secured
a virtual embargo on Spanish ship
ments of wolfram to Germany, how
we brought about the release of the
italian warships and other signal
diplomatic triumphs. Prof. Hayes
reports step by step. His book is a
sensitive and discriminating docu-
ment, one of the important records
of the war.