REPORT ON FRANCO REGIME

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 197, 3 June 1946, Page 3

REPORT ON FRANCO REGIME

POTENTIAL MENACE TO WORLD SECURITY Severance Of Diplomatic Relations Urged (N.Z. Press Association-Copyright.) NEW YORK, June 2. Although the activities of the Franco regime do not constitute an existing threat to the peace, they are a potential menace to international security. This finding of the sub-committee on Spain is contained in a report it is submitting to the Security Council. The report declares that because the situation in Spain is not at present a threat to peace the Security Council do not possess jurisdiction to authorise the enforcement of sanction measures, but the situation can "* ibe dealt with by the Council under Chapter Four of the Charter covering measures of peaceful settlement. The sub-committee suggests that the Council lefei * the Spanish question to the General Assembly with a recommendation that unless the Franco regime is withdrawn and conditions of political freedom established in Spain the Assembly should urge the severance of diplomatic relations with Spain by all members of the United Nations. The sub-committee recommends the endorsement by the Security Council' of the principles contained in the declaration of March 4by Britain, America and France, calling on Spaniards to remove General Franco by peaceful means and set up a caretaker Government to rule until free elections are held,.and suggests that if these conditions are fulfilled it would be appropriate favourably to consider the Spanish application for membership of the United Nations. • • * •

Spain and Poland, which originally raised the Spanish question before the Council, and also Brazil, recorded reservations! on the findings and recommendations. Poland took exception to the finding that the Spanish regime was not at present a menace to peace. Brazil reserved its position “as a matter 1 of principle” on the recommendation that the matter be referred to the General Assembly. The report declares there is no question that the situation is of international concern. The Franco regime is a Fascist regime in origin, nature!, structure and general conduct, and had given substantial aid to the Axis. It was incontravertibly established that General Franco played a guilty part with Hitler and Mussolini in the conspiracy to wage war against what became known as the United Nations. General Franco’s full belligerency was postponed until a time agreed upon with Italy and Germany. General Franco failed to co-operate in removing all vestiges of Fascism, and Nazism from Europe, and there was evidence that he continued the persecution of political opponents. The number of men under arms in Spain was far larger than would be expected in a peace-loving country, suggesting the possibility of the expectation of a conflict.

The evidence did not justify the belief that Spain was preparing for an act of aggression, but it was plain that Franco Spain might again become a ready instrument of aggressive warfare. The fact that there were two rival Spanish Governments in existence was in itself a potential danger to peace owing to the possibility of civil strife and the possibility of intervention by other countries. The report adds, that although the Council cannot take enforcement measures against Spain without straining the intention of the Charter, the sub-committee felt that the matters brought before the Council in relation to Spain were so serious that the Council should not allow them to pass from its notice simply because

it could not take direct action as proposed by Poland. Investigation had convinced the sub-committee that international friction had occurred and was almost bound to recur. The British Government notified the United Nations Committee on Spain that it does not believe that the Franco regime threatens international peace and security. This view is: given after relations between London and Madrid have been steadily deteriorating with little prospect of improvement. Nevertheless, his Majesty’s Government did not consider that these relations could be described as giving rise to friction. Spanish production of arms of all types was negligible, said Sir Alexander Cadogan, the British representative on the Security Council. The country depended too much on imports of vital materials.^ Arrests in a series of raids against underground organisations swept almost all of the executives of the Socialist Party and the Anarchist National Labour Confederation into prison. The entire records of all meetings of the National Alliance and the democratic forces are reported to have been captured. The memorandum, disputed the assertion that the Franco regime was carrying on atomic energy research with the aid of German scientists, and minimised the possibility of such activities because of the lack of uranium deposits. The only known mineral deposits containing uranium would probably yield less than five tons of uranium oxide a year if worked regardless of financial and economic incentive. The only factories at Dcana, near Toledo, where is was alleged the German heavy water specialist, Dr. von Segerstaciy, was workingon atomic energy were a small brickworks and an alcoholic distillery, both of which had been visited by British consular representatives. The memorandum included specific instancesi of Spain pi-oviding refuge and refuelling facilities for German submarines operating against Allied shipping.