GENERAL GAOLED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 6, 7 July 1938, Page 29

GENERAL GAOLED

CRITICISED FRANCO

OVER BOMBING OF TOWNS

Reports that General Juan Vague, described as one of the; Spanish 'rebels' ablest military leaders, has fallen into disgrace have been confirmed by reports received by the French Foreign Office from informants in Franco territory, says a Paris message to the "New York Times." Not only has General Vague been relieved of his command, but it is stated he has been imprisoned at Saragossa for a speech in which he violently criticised , some aspects of Generalissimo Francisco Franco's policies, notably bombing open cities, "where his officers have numerous relatives, although he himself may have none.". .. . The speech was made on the anniversary of the merging "of the Faiange Espanola (Fascist) and Carlist. Parties. The merging was' effected after an. attempted Faiange coup in April, 1937, as a result of which several Faiange leaders were imprisoned for long terms. According to information available here, General Vague dwelt on "General Franco's foreign entanglements" and what he called "stupid,' one-sided propaganda methods" that only aimed to belittle his enemies' courage and stressed his foreign soldiers. "The enemy Spaniards, like ourselves, are fighting with admirable courage," .General Vague is quoted as saying, "and as for the Internationals on the other side, we take good care not to mention the Italians and Germans on our side who behave like beasts of prey. QUALITY OF LOYALISTS. "I don't see what benefit, we get from continually harping" on the enemy's being demoralised,' leaderless, and cowardly when in doing so we only belittle ourselves, as we have so far been unable to gain a decisive victory over that allegedly inferior enemy. Why not come out frankly, giving them credit for the quality of their resistance?" ' Apparently made to a limited gathering in Burgos, General Yague's speech nevertheless leaked out and was subsequently commented on in the Diario de Burgos. An ensuing inquiry led to the general's dismissal, although several Nationalist (insurgent) Cabinet members, including Pedro Gonzalez Bueno, Minister of Corporations, and itaimundo Fernandez Cuesta, Minister of Agriculture, are reported to have taken his side. General Yague's disgrace is seen in some Spanish Nationalist circles as merely a climax to a long rivalry between General Franco and the then Colonel Vague,. dating from the time the latter succeeded the rebel chieftain as Foreign Legion commander and leading to many explosions, even during the civil war. Only by his dynamic personality and strategic genius has General Vague been able to maintain himself within the Nationalist movement, and more than once he has been under a cloud and has had to take a back seat for less competent men. MADRID STRATEGY ISSUE. , One such instance was in the fateful days of November, 1936, when General Franco failed to take Madrid. General Vague asserted he-could capture the capital, but General Franco had disapproved bio clan jp favour of that of General Jose Varela, which proved an abysmal failure. General Varela wanted to and did drive a wedge into University City and never got further," whereas General Vague had a flanking plan which all but General Franco later/admitted was sound. After that General Vague temporarily withdrew from his part in the campaign, while General Varela, whose popularity the High Command found waning, was brought back into esteem by "being wounded in front-line action." Just before General Emilio Mola was killed in an aeroplane accident, there had been much soUo voce talk in Nationalist Spain about reshuffling the j rebel command. General Vague was stated to be behind the move to replace General Franco with General Mola in military matters, relegating the dictator to the background task of handling the political end. However, after General Mola's death, nothing ever came of the plan, if it ever really existed. l The news of General Yague's disgrace has fallen as a bombshell throughout Franco Spain, where he was hailed as the only military man sharing the distinction with General Solchaga of never having suffered: a defeat. His victories included Almendralejo, Merida, Badajoz, Orppesa, Talavera, Maqueda, Toledo, and recently Lerida. .