Evening star., 1946-05-23
Franco Has Decreed
Armingfor Red Attack,
GiraI Informs u. n,
BY the Associoted Press

BY the Associoted Press
NEW YORK, May 23.-Jose Giral.
premier of the exiled Spanish Re-
publican government, told a United
Nations subcommittee investigat-
ing Franco Spain today that the
Franco regime has told every
Spaniard he could arm himself to
defend Spain against an attack by
Russia"
Mr.. Giral, appearing before the
United Nations Security Council
subcommittee in it's first public
hearing in the month-long inquiry,
said that:
Two months ago the Franco re-
Tgime decreed that every citizen
could arm himself to defend the
fatherland against an attack by
Russia" He did not explain his
reference to IAN attack by Russia" !"
Entitled to Be Armed.
All Entitled to Be Armed.
concerning the armed forces of
Spain, Mr.. Giral said 1T is difficult
to set the armed strength since the
whole population is entitled under
Law TO pe armed.
Paul Hasluck, chairman of the
subcommittee, had called attention
to voluminous report on Franco
Spain submitted by Mr. Giral in
which the armed forces of Franco
were set at 100000
Mr.. Giral said the $4,000 figure
included colonial troops.
The five committee members and
Mr.. Giral sat at the translators'
table in the Security Council con-
ference room instead of at the
,horseshoe-shaped Council table Mr..
Giral spoke in Spanish, one of the
five official languages of the United
Nations. English and French are
the working languages.
The subcommittee is inquiring
into Polands charges against
Frances regime, which include the
contention that refugee Nazi scien-
fists are conducting atomic research
inside Spain.
Mr.. Giral said Spain was import
ing arms from other countries, but
he did not name them.
He declared that Franco had 250,-
600 troops along the French border.
However, he said, a cable today from
unimpeachable sources said Franco
now is putting many of them in
civilian clothes and is camouf1aging
gun emplacements in anticipation
of visits by United Nations OBJ
servers.
a. dispatch from Madrid yes
terday said military attaches of
the United States, Britain, Ar
gentina, Chile and Italy had
completed an inspection of the
frontier from the BAY of Biscay
to Barcelona at the invitation of
the Spanish government IT re-
ported the trip was believed de-
signed to show the attaches that
Spanish activity in the Pyrenees
did not threaten France
The cable quoted information
from four Basque soldiers who de-
serted from the Franco army to
the effect that orders were given
last Sunday in the frontier regions
to "clothe the soldiers in peasant
costume"
Gestapo Messages Charged.
For this purpose, the cable added,
workers and peasants clothes were
requisitioned and ornaments were
hidden In the woods"
Answering queries on the German
Gestapo agents and Fascists report
ed in Spain, Mr.. Giral said there
were French Fascists. including for
mer Vichy diplomats, who had not
been turned over despite requests OF
the French government.
He said the German GeStpo agents
had their own portable radio trans
mitters and receivers hidden in
wooded areas and that secret Re-
publican stations in Spain had in
tercepted Gestapo messages.
Mr.. Hasluck asked Mr.. Giral to
come back for another public meet
ing next Monday afternoon and the
subcommittee adjourned. The meet
ing lasted nearly two and one-half
hours
Mr. Girals charges were somewhat
at variance with a memorandum
submitted by the United States Gov
ernment. which set the present
strength of the armed forces at over
100000 and said the forces 'at pres
ent appear to lack the material and
trained personnel to fight modern
war" Regarding research, the