Franco's Spain Salvador de Madariaga The Ultimatum Erskine B. Childers,
Anthony Mott,
Lord Boyd Orr and others
The BBC's Jugoslav Service Vane Ivanovic Indeterminate Sentences J. D. Benwell The Off-White Highlands David Cole,
Mrs. G. M. Lail, ,41i Al'A min Mazrui, M. D. Odinga
Public. Opinion Polls Henry Durant South African Protest
The Archbishop of Capetown and others. Brian Hodgson, Colin Thomas
Leaflet War John C. W. Field The Establishment Melvin J. Lasky 14 RANCH'S SPAIN
Sis,—May I offer my thanks for the publication of Mr. Gilmour's article on Franco's Spain? He and you have rendered a signal service to Spain. and to Europe also. Few among the persons that count in the official world seem to be aware of the gravity of the situation from the European point of view. To give but one example: the Spanish Army should be eventually an important clement in the defence of the West. It is thoroughly corrupted, and it is being alienated from the people by the mere fact that its officers accept to act in .military courts and to inflict savage sentences on students, workers and other civilians, for 'crimes' Which are in every civilised country considered as the normal and healthy activities of every citizen.
Mr. Gilmour's report is so accurate and so wise that any differences in coldur or stress that one might be tempted to put forward could be but secondary. I hope, nevertheless, that he will allow me to com- ment on one point. If I do not misinterpret him, he Would be inclined to prefer the attitude of those Socialists (mostly in Spain) who are in favour of collaboration with the Communists to bring down the regime, to that of the Socialists (mostly the exiled - ones) who are against such a collaboration. May .1 suggest three reasons for thinking that the second course is the more advisable of the two? :
No. I is that to collaborate with the Communists in order to turn Franco out is no better than to collab- orate with Franco in order to turn the Communists Out. Both amount to sweeping with a dirty broom. To the retort that Franco happens to be in and the Communists out.my answer is the same as that under. No.
No. 2 is that if we collaborate with the Communists to turn out Franco, and succeed, they will have an unanswerable claim to a share in the successor administration. As the example of the satellites and even those of France and Italy show, this would be too high a risk for Spain to take.
No. 3 is that the Communists do not want Franco to fall yet, since, as Mr. Gilmour has pointed out, he is indispensable to them and they to him. They need at least another five years of the regime so that he- tween the upper, or Franco, and the nether, or Communist., stone of the mill, the liberal opinion and organisation in Spain are thoroughly ground out of existence. Therefore, the Communists would only collaborate with us in order to sabotage our efforts.— Fours faithfully,
SALVADOR DE MADARIAGA Reform Club, Pall Mall „S'W 1
[Ian Gilmour writes: 'I am most grateful for Don Salvador's friendly comments. 1 did not mean to suggest that the Socialist leaders in exile were wrong to refuse to co-operate with the Communists, but that they sometimes showed insufficient understanding of the fact that such purity is much easier to preserve in Toulouse or Paris than in Barcelona or Madrid. If the Socialist leaders inside Spain are to retain the ails- glance of their followers they cannot automatically refuse to do something simply -because the Commun- ists are doing it too. On the dangers of Socialist- Conimunist co-operation I entirely agree with all that Don Salvador says.'—Editor, Spectator.]
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