Evening star., 1956-12-30


How much will all this cost?
There are various estimates
The Air Force says the total bill
will be about $3.50 million. Since
the bases agreement could not bt
carried out without som e
STRENGTHENING of Spanish de.
fenses and the Spanish economy
and since a foreign aid program
is the only way of doing this
observers also add the aid cost
t$316 million in gifts. so far
project a few more hundred mil
lion dollars into the future anc
come up with a grand tota,
Spanish bases cost of about 81
billion.
I. Certainly some Of the aid pro-
gram should be charged off tc
the bases. but it should be re-
membered that some countries
get aid from Uncle Sam without
bases and also that go per cent
of the aid money returns to
America in the form of Spanish
currency counterpart funds and
is used for the bases. So to refer
to our Spanish enterprise as the
billion dollar bases" seems
something Of an exaggeration.
What's 1t Worth?
But whether the taxpayers are
paying $3.50 million or 81 billion
for these bases, they want to
know. What will they be
WORTH"
To answer that, one must
know what the bases are sup
posed to do under what condi-
tions and how long they are
supposed to do it.
First of all our Spanish bases
are expected to be some of the
most effective launching sites we
have for a retaliatory raid
against the Soviet Union. They
are far enough from Russia and
the intervening space is so well
scanned by radar that the
bombers will have an excellent
chance to get off the ground and
head on their presumably un-
stoppable way to the aggressor.
At the same time they are near
enough to the Soviet Union to
permit BATS to get there and
back with refueling and eventu-
ally the bigger. newer B-52s to
get there and back without re-
fueling.
1t could be a terrible blow
against the Communists in case
of war.
The Kremlin knows this, Of
course. This knowledge gives the
bases their second function
that Of an added deterrent of
war.
Agreement Vague
This brings up the question
OF the degree Of control over the
bases Spain will exercise in time
of war. The American Spanish
agreement on this is quite vague.
and Americans deny emphati-
cally there are secret clauses
up the vagueness.
But the agreements say the
bases are to be used to defend
"the West" so in case Of an all
out war there would be no room
to argue over how or whether
the bases should be used. Bomb
ers certainly would be launched
Immediately and Spain, in ac-
cordance with her agreement,
would be fully at war on the
NATO side even though she is
not a NATO member.
In case Of a small war, Spain's
role would be uncertain. But her
sovereignty over the bases would
give her perhaps the final say
in their use.
The time Is coming when
America will not need an elabo-
rate overseas bases structure.
Ballistic missiles and long-range
bombers will permit the United
States to retaliate against an
aggressor from the American
When this becomes
possible the Spanish bases will
sharply in Importance
Some observers guess this will
occur before 1868. Others say It
will come before the
end Of the second extension OF
the bases agreement in 1878.
The Spanish bases. then, are
from our point OF view a tenn
porary but important deterrent
and q possible weapon for about
war.
The bases seem destined TO
have q more lasting significance
to Spain. They truly represent a
turning point in Spanish history
Tomorrow: Eject on Spanish
life and aronanw