Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit MONDAY, JULY 29, 1940. SPAIN AND THE WAR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 249, 29 July 1940, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit MONDAY, JULY 29, 1940. SPAIN AND THE WAR.

According to a Rome newspaper Spain will enter the war out of resentment against Britain s action in regard to the stoppage of shipments of American oil to Spain for transport to Germany. The present importance, of Spain as a route to Germany is a direct result of the capitulation of France, forming a serious gap in the blockade. Thus action by Britain was the natural* outcome, but in placing the sole blame on her the Italians are making the usual misstatement intended to mislead neutrals and gain support for the Axis Powers. The ban on shipments was actually imposed by the United States Treasury and Maritime Board as the voyages were considered to be too dangerous for tankers, a decision that is a logical extension of the ban on American ships entering waters within the war zone. Bj' blaming Britain, despite Mr Morgenthau’s declaration that the action was taken without reference to Britain’s intentions, the Rome newspaper contributes to a campaign of propaganda that has been carried on ever since the war began, but intensified on the entry of Italy. The assistance that was given to General Franco during the civil war is naturally advanced as one reason for Spain affording help now. But the moral, or immoral, consideration is not the main argument. Territorial gain in North Africa and, above all, possession of Gibraltar are dangled before the Sapniards in order to arouse hostility to Britain. On the other hand, there are vital reasons why Spain should maintain neutrality. . Discussing this question recently The Spectator said: “It is of course conceivable that someone other than General Franco might determine Spain’s destiny; a report has been published that Herr Hitler has assured Signor Mussolini that at the proper moment he will overthrow General Franco and bring Spain into the war on the Axis side. But that is likely to be quite beyond Hitler’s power, despite the presence of Spain of disconcertingly large numbers of Germans. Germans, however, endear themselves no more to Spaniards than they do to anyone else, and Catholic Spain is as much revolted as the rest of the world at the pagan barbarities perpetrated by the German armies. ”. Spain has not recovered from the ruin caused by the protracted civil war. What she needs most is a period of unbroken peace to rebuild her national life. If General Franco places more value on restoration of his country than on territorial aggrandisement there is hope that, with Portugal animated by a resolve to maintain neutrality, the Iberian peninsula will remain outside the conflict.