SPANISH REPUBLICANS STATE CASE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5293, 4 January 1947, Page 7

SPANISH REPUBLICANS STATE CASE

^ DR. GIRAL HEADS GOVERNMENT IN EXILE The Prime Minister of the exiled Republican Government of Spain is a small, spectacled Professor of Biochemistry, Dr. Jose Giral y Periera. For a long time now he has been sitting in the United Nations Assembly • listening quietly to what French, British, Americans, Arabs and others have had to say about his tragic country without any sign of emotion except when the hypocrisy of some Latin-American obviously became too much for him. Then you would see Dr. Giral quietly leave the Assembly room.

Downstairs in the big- cfelegates' lounge you would find him chainsmoking strong cigarettes in the company of his son Antonio, his secretary or some other Spaniard and if you wanted to talk to them they v/ould smile with igreat politeness but warmly, and Antonio would repeat your question in Spanish to Dr. Giral, who would listen carefully and answer carefully, so that you felt exactly like a student cornering a professor aft-er a lecture. Looking at his mild spectacled eyes and creased leathery face while Antonio translated some questions for me, I co-uld not help wonderinghow many of these run of the mill democratic politicians who hang around do not understand that this apparently mild, harailess-looking professor is a passionate revolutionary. Dr. Giral was elected Prime Minister of this Go-vernment in exile by the unanimous vote of the Right, Centre, and Lef't elements of Spanish Republicans in Mexico in September, 1945. The popular belief here is that they put him there because his mild professional appearance would make him a good "front," but there popular opinion errs. He was elected because of his Republican "purity," a concept difficult for any but a Spaniard fully to understand. "n&mr-T' Former Political Prisoner Gaoled six times by Primo de Rivera's police, Professor Jose Giral, of Salamanca and Madrid Universities, -member of many international academic societies has been a tireless determined Republican since his earliest student days. He organised the military arm of the Republican movement, which caused King Alfonso's abdication, became a deputy in the first Republican Government, Minister of Marine when the insurgents attempted to cross from Morocco into Spain, then Premier and Foreign Minister entrusted with the task of securing arms for the Republican Army when it had to figh't against the Fascist armies. An intellectual, an anti-clericalist, but no Communist, he has had always the respect of Spanish Republicans of all parties. It was natural therefore that they should bring him out of retirement in Mexico when the defeat of Hitler and Mussolini made it seem that the time had come to deal with Franco. Dr. Giral was living in a humble Mexican dwelling with his family, teaching chemistry in a Mexican school, when they came to him with the news that tens of thousands of Spanish Republicans were assembling on the borders of France and Spain waiting to mo-ve in on Franco. Military Move Frustrated The news was premature. The Allies who still had military command of France, frustrated any impulsive move by the Republicans. Then, as time went on and France was beset with her own troubles, the Spaniards were left to work ' out their own problems. It became clear that any effort to enter Spain by force wo-uld merely result in a bloody civil war in which the Allies would take the same attitude as previously. So wiser Spanish counsels decided to proceed more slowly and legally. Prime Minister Giral was sent to France, where he worked with other Spanish leaders ^n preparing evLdence for the United Nations. Moderate po-licies were adopted. A committee of the United 'Nations was invited to supervise first elections in Spain. Spaniards would be free to register their preference for a monarchy or any other type of government. Full freedom would be given to the heirarcbies, institutes, and religious orders of the church. As a result Catholic representation was secured on the interim Dabinet and. Don Juan, pretender to the Spanish throne, moved his retinue from Switzerland to Portugal after a hrief interlude in London. In May this year Dr. Giral returned fco America to make his plea before the United Nations. He had 350 pages of evidence against General Franco, including Franco's famous letter to Hitler saying "the destiny of history has united you with myself and with the Duce in an indissoluble way." •It seemed that Dr. Giral had a good :'ase. But then suddenly the whole ?.panish question was ohscured in [egalistic argument. Mr. Bevin said le was not at all sure whether it was wiithin the power }of ■ the UjnifiEd Nations charter to deal with Spain. [t became necessary somehow to irove that Franco was an immediate ihreat to peace. Then Roissia, acting iggressively .and shortsightedly, vetojd the whole question. Caudillo's Allies in U.S.A. That Franco had many allies in the Americas was soon evident. Full page advertisements on behalf of the Snights of Columbus began appearing n the New York press attacking Giral and. the Spanish Republicans as Dommunists. iSpokesmen of South ■ American 3tates also took up the Franco case, Britain and America trotted out old

non-intervention arguments, and the Brtish delegate went to considerable pains to show that atomic experiments were impossible in Spain because there was no uranium there. What happened to make Franco's case suddenly feo good? The commonest explanation was that any effort by United Nations to unseat Franco could only produce anoth'er civil war. Another explanation often heard was that foreign commercial interests in Spain, such as British-owned copper mines, would be upset by a Republican Government, and that any disturbance in Spain would cut off the supply of oranges and other needed exports to Fhgland. , It is pi'obable that all these familiar reasons had something to do with the United Nations rejection of Dr. Giral's case, but it is even more likely that the general harassment of Foreign Secretaries under the ijfressure of post-war problems l^d i them to wish to defer any action about Spain iu)ntil ahother time. IJussia's belligerent support of the Spapish case only served to arouse their suspicions. J Ten Spaniards Executed But if the Foreign Secretaries thought they could shelve the Spanish question they" reckoned without the millions of people who have had Republican Spanish sympathies ever since Franco started. They reckoned without Franco, too. E1 Caudillo calmly executed 10 Spaniards who had fought with the French Maquis in the liberation of France. The result was an uproar among the French trade unions, which threatened immediately to raise force's and march in on Franco unless something was done. In Britain, too, revolting Left-wing •members of the Labour Party demanded that Mr. Bevin take action. So the Spanish question was revived at the United Nattions Assembly. It was not Russia this time which spoke, but B elgin m and France. "You talk of avoiding another civil war," shouted Leon Jouhaux, French trade unionist, to the Assembly Committee. "You seem to forget that the civil war in Spain has never ended, that Franco means continuing civil war." Barred From UNO But it was Britain's vote that finally bot the resollution its needed two-thirds majority. Britain rejected sanctions or warning declarations, and agreed only to the recall of heads of missions in Madrid. Spain will be barred from membership in the United Nations or from joining any international conferences "until a new and acceptable government is formed in Spain," and if such government is not soon formed the Security Council must take "adequate measures." "Well, what do you think of it?" I a&ked Dr. Giral. "It is a great moral victory," he said, smiling with the corners of his mouth turned downwards. "But wihat happens now. Is it just vvords ?" I asked. "'Naturally, we cannot guess what may happen inside Spain," said Dr. Giral, "but' the way is clear for the Spanish generals to demand that Franco step devyn." "And if he steps down?" we asked. "Many things can happen," said Dr. Giral. "A monarchy?" I suggested. "Possibly," said Dr. Giral. "Will you pall your gueip'illa and Rep'ujblican forces into action?" I asked. 'We do not desire civil war, so will not put any of our people into situations which may lead to unnece^sary violence," said Dr. Giral. You cannot press the head of an exile government into making statements which may he embarrassing to him or endanger his people. Dr. Giral looked almost cheerful. "I think Franco will be finished in a matter of a few weeks," he said. "Do you know, it is 10 years since the hattle of Madrid."