Evening star., 1959-11-24
Broudside at McGM

Ralph McGill's protest
against President Eisenhow-
er's visit to Spain reveals the
utter shallowness and despic-
able hypocrisy of the intel
lectual liberal of his ilk. Why
all this invective from the
subjective, sensitive mind Of
this hill-billy writer?
Is it because Franco hap
pened to defeat the Commu-
nists, including the French
liberals" and American Reds
of the Abraham Lincoln brl-
gade, and has given them
short shrift since?
Joyously McGill wrote of his
own experiences in Soviet
Russia last summer. He laud-
ed Khrushchev, liquidator Of
the Ukrainians, the butcher
Of Hungary. and pontif1cated
over the Red dictator's visit
to America, and gives of
great gobs of enthusiasm for
Eisenhower's possible summit
meeting.
But has he ever been to
Spain? If so, did he find
where Franco had slaughtered
his own people by the millions
like Stain did in the 1885
purges? Did he find Franco
conducting an active, sub
versive cold war against the
United States? Is he threat
ening his neighbors? Has he
kidnapped American flyers?
Franco defied Hitler in 1912
when the Nazi threatened to
invade Spain. He leased
America bases to defend her
self against the Soviet (no
doubt the real sore spot to
McGilD, and he has befriend-
ed US.
Charles p. BeazIey,
1t. Colonel. AFR.
Ralph McGill attacking the
Presidents one-day visit to
Franco asserts without docu-
mentation that there exists
less religious, press and in
dividual freedom" in Spain
than in Russia. One might
ask why it is that BIC and
Voice Of America broadcasts
are not jammed in Spain;
why hundreds of thousands
OF Communist subjects have
fled Russian domination,
whereas Spanish refugees
tsince the exodus of those
disenchanted with the down.
fall Of Spanish communism
have been relatively a drop
in the bucket? AS for the re-
ligious freedom enjoyed by
citizens of the USSR, is this
not a mockery in a country
where the creed of the state
has been for over AZ years
that of atheism?
No one will deny that Spain
does not grant full religious
freedom of expression to its
2 to 3 per cent of non-Catho-
lie citizens. AS an American
Catholic, I wish that it might
be otherwise.
AS to Mr.. McGill's conten-
ton that we owe Franco
nothing, I agree, but Franco
also owes us nothing. The
deals we made for bases there
were for our mutual self
interest. Spain needs our
money and we need their stra-
logically located bases. Has
Nehru offered us bases, or
anything at all really useful
in our struggle against COM
munism? Is he not guided
solely by his own Self-inter-
est in the gentle wrist-slap-
ping Of Chou over the recent
border incidents? Yet, McGill
says nothing of Eisenhower's
three-day sojourn in India.
Mr.. McGill writes mystic
riously of those groups" in
Spain to whom the Presidents
trip will be so repugnant that
they will turn to communism.
His illusions and his logic
are so obscure as to be mean
ingleSS.
Eisenhower's trip to Spain,
far from being an occasion of
"foreboding and sadness" is
long overdue, especially con-
sidering the White House
courtesies recently extended,
and to be extended, to those
who would determine the fu-
ture of the world"
The worlds future will be
determined by the strength
and coheSiveness of our strug-
gle against communism, and
in that fight, those who are
not with us are against us.
If we used this argument in
June 1941, to enable Russia
to defeat her most immedi-
ate enemy, 1t is hardly less
cogent in November, 1859.
John p. Rodler.