14 JANUARY 1949, Page 16

RECOGNISING FRANCO

Sta,—The letter of Mr. C. A. Milward on the above subject in your issue of January 7th is another indication of the powerful underground forces of reaction working continuously to bring about the re-establishment of Fascism in Europe.

This debate appears to be purely academic, for in truth the progress of the war in 1944 depended not on Franco nor on the United States but on the Russians. Had the Russians been defeated the war would have ended very differently. If the Russians had been able to attack that year the war would have ended in that year. The fulcrum of the lever of victory was not in Spain but at Stalingrad—a fact that all pro-Francates and neo-Fascists choose to ignore. In 1944 the Germans were incapable of occupying Spain, and Franco was fully awareof that fact. His attitude towards the Allies was not at any time based upon any kind of friendliness towards them, as we well know from the record of his Blue Division and the facilities his ports afforded to the raiding German submarines.

The recognising of Franco the "non-belligerent" would be a major disaster to the cause of democratic government all over the world.—Yours