NO RIGHT TO JUDGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 May 1946, Page 7

NO RIGHT TO JUDGE

SPANISH VIEW OF INQUIRY

BY UNO WHO THREATENS PEACE ? MADRID, May 28. A Spanish Foreign Office spokesman revealed that Spain had sent a Note to Allied diplomats in Madrid indi- ! eating that she would receive with ■ indifference any decision by the Unitjed Nations sub-committee which is ■considering the Franco regime. 1 The Note declared that the subi committee had no right to judge Spanish affairs. Spain had a perfect right to investigate atomic energy, and she “cannot recognise the competence” of the United Nations in matters affecting Spain, said a Spanish Foreign Ministry statement quoted by the Madrid correspondent of the Associated Press. The statement added: “Although the Spanish Government, like all other countries, has a perfect right to provide itself with adequate means for national defence, including the investigation of atomic energy, diplomatic missions accredited to Madrid have proof of the falsity of the statement that such investigations are being made.”

■ Charges against Spanish neutrality I were answered by a claim that during • the war Spain had given refuge to j Jews expelled or escaped from Germany. Spain had always tried to reimain friendly with all other nations, j “The Spanish Government rejects i the suggestion that there should be an i inquiry into Spanish policy,” said the [statement. “Spain is accused of being I a threat to peace, but the whole world [ knows, though they will not say, [which nation is the biggest threat to peace to-day.” Giral’s Admission The United Nations Security Council sub-committee on Spain to-day resumed its interrogation of Senor Giral, President of the Spanish Republican Government in exile. Questioned on the Nazi school system in Snain, Senor Giral said that although General Franco had promised to close German schools they continued in disguise with mixed Spanish and German staffs. He added that there were hundreds of these schools in Spain, directed by Germans in the German

spirit. Questioned on whether he possessed any information that uranium was being mined, Senor Giral declared that mines were being exploited at present, but admitted that he had no precise information on this nor on the manufacture of atom bombs or any other utilisation of uranium. Senor Giral explained that he -only spoke lol’ the possibility of such activity in Spain because various favourable elements were present. Asked about General Franco's persecution of political opponents and I the suppression of free political life lin Spain, Senor Giral declared that there were 25,000 persons condemned to death in Madrid’s prisons alone. Republicans and War There were many other political prisons scattered throughout Spain Even at the present lime Republicans were being gaoled by thousands and subjected "to atrocious tortures/ The victims included teachers, professors, Roman Catholic priests, and members of Parliament. He said there were [three Roman Catholics in his Government. „ . v „„ Senor Giral said the Republicans did not desire civil war, but weie afraid is would happen if the present conditions lasted much longer. The Franco regime could be made to disappear if the United Nations applied the Charter’s principles, particularly economic sanctions. GERMAN-OWNED PROPERTY

IN SPAIN NEW YORK, May 29. The United States, which complained to the United Nations Security Council last week that the Franco regime was obstructing, or was at least not co-operating with Allied efforts to track down Nazi capital m Spain, plans to send a special mission to Madrid early in the summer in a final attempt to gain possession of German-owned property in Spain. The New York Times correspondent in Washington says it is understood that Government officials feel that this method offers a better prospect of attaining success than formal negotiations similar to those with the Swiss Government. German assets in Spain are estimated between 1.00,000,000 and 200,000,000 dollars, and are so far virtually untouched. The American investigators will, it. is believed, also attempt to expedite the surrender of German assets in Portugal. The United States is also discussing the recovery of Nazi assets in Sweden, which are understood to total 110,000,000 dollars.