Franco's Blunt "Don't Meddle" Retort

Chronicle (Levin), 7 March 1946, Page 5

Franco's Blunt "Don't Meddle" Retort

Press Assn.-

o — WILL NOT LEAVE OFFICE UNDER ALLIED FRESSURE Moscow Radio Makes Charges Against Britain

'x By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Wednesday 9.40 p.m. ' LONDON, March. 6, Britain received a blnnt "don't meddie" retort from General Franco in reply to the joint British-American-Freneh declaration, says the Exchange Telegraph 's diplomatic correspondent. A ¥/ashington message says that a State Department official reported that Franco, in a Note received 24 hours bei'ore the release. . of the British-American-French declaration, served notice on the United States that he had no intention of leaving office under Allied pressure. The Note vigorourly asserted that Spain could run her own affairs without outside intervention.

The Madrid radio charged that Britain was carrying its anti-Spanisti campaign on to the United Nations world, "because they cannot agr-ea on anything else." The radio, without direct reference to the British, American and French de ciaratioiv said: "There doesn't seem to . exist any more urgent problems in thv international field for these politieais .on the banks of the Thames. It maue^ one forget the other questions ac cumulating unpleasantly on the politica. horizon — the Russians are not evacuat ing Persia and are not budging from j Manchuria. Don't Indonesia, indo ! Ohina, the Middle East, the far East ! Ggypt and Europe present grave- | political problems.? ' ' Shortly after the Madrid radio'.' . attack against Britain ended, th. Moscow radio claimed that the idea o; restoring the monarchy in Spain ' ' ha': been brewed in reactionary circles il Britain." The radio added that it was a British plane in which Don Juax? went to Lisbon. The speaker claimed -hai; the Vatican warmly supported th restoration of the monarchy because with other reactionary circles, it dui not want to see the rebirth of the re public. v "All these attempts to restore the monarchy must be resolutely defeat ed," the speaker added. The London Times' Madrid correspon dent says the Spanish Press publishc garhled official extracts from tiie join British, American and French declara tion, v/hicli is described as a piece c unwarranted meddliug. Editorial com ment dwells sarcasticaily on ' " tm short-lived ideals of non-interventi > cnd tho Atlantic Charter, which ha given place to bcmefaceP ingratlt ■ - and ruthless bullying by nations thc L'ecognised Franco before the war ari., curried favour with him while dangelasfced."

The correspondent says that tiu Spaniards generally understood th: I reasons for the Allied chailenge to : i neo-I'ascist regime which survived ti. , Axis defeat, but do not see bow thc | can alter the sifcuation. The Allic- | readiuess tc support an interim Govjc : I ment strikes them as an empty gesture i though it may satisfy public opiiixc- ; abroad. i FRENCH CIRCLES NOT SATXSFlExx Olficial French circles are not in th least satisnecl witn tne terms oi tn. j joint declaration on Franco, says KeaI mr's Paris correspondent. It is be ' lieved that if France alone issued Cxx ; declaration the terms would liave been much stronger. A Go\eriiment spo.ios ma.n said he believed that the United States initiated the declaration m a. . ; attempt to reach a solution on tn spanish quostion without recourse t-. : the United Nations.

Reuter's says it is reliahly rep'ortea in Paris to-day that Britam rejected a French proposal that Pranc'o should oe brought before the Security Jouncil The British view appears to be thax the Spanish regime is an internal matter for the Spanish people to deciue. The tripartite declaration on Spain is regarded in Washington as a com promise designed to keep Britain, America and France in step on Spanish policy, and to induce anti Franco politicians to cease quarrelliiig among themselves.. y American ofiicials believe that the mam hope of getting rid of Franco L unity among the major allies on the Spanish prohlem and greater unit« among Spanish Royalists, Communists. Sociaiists and Liheral -Democrats. Russia has already broken away from, the Big Four and favours direct action against Franco, while France was oh the verge, also, of hreaking away and foliowing a sharp unilateral policy. It was to prevent the latter de velopmen ^ and offer some inducement to the antiFranco forces inside and outside Spain rthat the present declaration was issued. If it fails to produce an anti-Franco coalition, however, it is unlikely thaV^ashington and London will he ahie tc prevent Moscow and Paris taking much more serious action against Pranco and appealing to the United Nations Secur ity Council. Russia favours an immediate diplomatic and economic embargo against Spain until the Pranco regime collapses, hut Britain and America oppose this, on the ground that it would produce civil war, in whicli Franco and. his henchmen would be the last to suffer. CHARGE THOUGHT UNJUST {

Speaking at Peoria (Illinois), Mr. Carleton Hayes, United States Ambassador to Spain from 1942 to 1945, said he would leave Spain to the Spaniards and patiently trust them to accomplish their own evolution. He said that when Mr. Roosevelt senc him to Spain his instrnctions were i~ accordance with traditional America. i policy, but nov; the United States seem I ed be foliowing a new line in which | he said, it must virtually invade an;v country in order t d hold democrati'elections. "Spain was at least indirectly heip ful to us in winning tiie war, and no.. Spain is charged with being pro-Axis,' he said. "Personaxly, I think the charge is unjust and untrue, and is contrary to the facts. Spain, during the war, permittecf 1200' Americans to pass across the country while German submarinc crews were heing interned. Passage also was allowed to 25,000 Frenchmeii on their way to the Free French Forces, and 7000 refugees of al; 1 nations. ' '