Evening star., 1947-02-23
Franco Rule
On the Skids
Spain Wants to Gust
Him Quietly If
Possible
By Constantine Brown
Star Foreign Affairs ANALYST.

seven political parties, ranging from
various shades of Royalists, who
want to re-establish either an abso-
lutte or constitutional monarchy, to
the Anarchists who want to do away
with all organized government. The
Monarchists are pretty well united
on Don Juan, son of the late King
Alfonso XIII, as the man for the
throne.
There is widespread agreement
that Generalissirno Franco has out
lasted his usefulness as far as the
Spanish people are concerned and
eventually must go. But there is
even more general agreement that
Gen. Frances retirement" must be
peaceful and most Spaniards would
rather see him continue in Office
than be ousted by revolution.
While the various political fac
tions-which for the most part are
regional in nature and antagonistic
to each other-discuss the best
method for quietly eliminating Gen.
Franco, there is only one organiza-
ton in Spain which has the means
to enforce that decision and there
fore has the last word. That is
the army, which dominates the
entire country.
The Spanish Army, reputedly 80O,-
900 strong, is not tool for FL
Caudillo. For more than a century
1t has been force only inside Spain
Every time it has been called on to
fight outSide-as in the Spanish
American War and the North
African troubles, during the closing
years of King Alfonso's regime-it
has been ignominiously defeated.
Every time it has become internally
split it has caused trouble within
the country. The generals, who in
no sense are under Gen. Frances
thumb, know this and therefore
Hesitate in deciding what kind of
regime should supplant Gen. Fran
cos rule, which unquestionably is
on its last legs.
Divided Over Successor.
The Spanish budget-such as it
ls-sets aside between 40 and so per
cent of the total expenditures of
14,o00,O0O,000 pesetas about $1,270,-
0O0,0O0) for the army. Exact fig
ures are unobtainable, and whether
the higher or lower percentage fig
ure is used depends on whether the
National Guard-Spanish equiva-
lent of the American State police
is considered part of the army.
Gen. Franco attempted to slash
the total budget by about 10 per-
cent, but met determined opposi-
ton from the generals. Ell Caudillo,
who is a professional military man
himself and knows the Army's
power, did not insist. He would be
the last in the country to want to
a1ienate the paramount political
factor in Spain.
The generals are divided in their
opinion of what-and who-should
succeed the present dictator They
are in contact with the Royalists
who openly advocate the return of
Don Juan, who is waiting for the
call in nearby Portugal. They are
also in touch with the Republicans,
who want constitutional coalition
government. The fear which unites
the Army leaders in their retention
of Gen. Franco is that a revolution
necessarily would mean the end of
Spain and would result in their own
summary executions.
In spite of the economic difficult
ties which confront Spain, much has
been done to repair the damage
caused by the devastating civil war.
According to Americans and other
foreign observers, there is definite
and increasing improvement in the
restoration of war -ravaged areas.
Prefer Hardships to Revolt.
Another revolution, in which the
Communists from the other side of
the Pyrenees undoubtedly would
participate, might mean the doom
of Spain. This feeling is said to
prevail not only among the Spanish
ruling and business classes, but also
among the masses who prefer the
present shortages and general hard
ships to open revolution.
Equally important in the generals
attitude is their conviction another
revolution in Spain would mean the
ultimate establishment of a Mos
cow puppet government and the
merciless liquidation by machine
gun of the vast Majority of the pres
ent officers corps.
According to foreigners who lived
in Spain throughout the 1936-1939
civil war, the Nationalists had no
monopoly on ruthlessness. On the
contrary, the Eoyalists early in the
revolution were harsher.
1t is impossible to arrive at a
close approximation of the actual
number of casualties during the
three-year period, but the figure of
100000 dead is conservative. Mass
executions of suspects-including
Liberals who favored a constitu-
tional monarchy, "high-born" men
apd women and clergymen-were
daily occurrences in Loyalist Spain.
Gen. Franco and musclemen of his
Junta became active in brutality
later and were moved in their
drastic handling of Loyalists by a
spirit of revenge rather than purge.
The present Spanish generals, all
of whom fought for Gen. Franco
in the civil war, realize that in the
event of violent change of regime
they would be the first to suffer.
Few Spanish officers in responsible
positions care for Gen. Franco. They