NEWS OF THE WEEK T HE crumbling of the Spanish Republicans'
resistance to General Franco is stimulating diplomatic activity con- siderably, and the British and French Governments are taking the initiative with some success. Mr. Chamberlain's statement on British support of France against any aggression was necessary and well-timed, for the Italian Press might well have convinced the people of Italy that in the event of crisis France would be left to stand alone. That illusion needed to be dispelled, and the attempt to conceal the chagrin the Prime Minister's measured words have created at Rome is not impressive; they appear to have caused some inevitable displeasure in Berlin as well, though in view of the Franco-German agreement Germany can clearly take no exception to them. The dispatch by the French Govern- ment of M. Leon Berard to Burgos, and the transport of an agent of General Franco to Minorca on a British cruiser may have important consequences, and it is not surprising that the contacts thus established between the democracies and the head of the new Spain should be looked askance at by Ger- many and Italy. If it is true that General Franco has given assurances that once the war is ended his foreign allies will go, the pledge is a good deal more convincing than Signor Mussolini's, for in the former case the undertaking chimes with the promissor's interests and desires. It must be recog- nised that diplomatic activity may lead to a diplomatic clash, and London and Paris must be ready to stand firm when firmness is required.
