U.S. MAINTAINS RESERVATIONS ON SPANISH ISSUE

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 May 1949, Page 6

U.S. MAINTAINS RESERVATIONS ON SPANISH ISSUE

NEW YORK, May 19.—The Secretary of State (Mr Dean Acheson) told senators at a secret meeting that the American policy towards Spain could not be changed until the Franco Government granted more basic civil rights to Spaniards, says the Washington correspondent of the New York Herald Tribune.” Mr Acheson said that the decision against a resumption of full diplomatic relations with the Franco Government was his. Mr Acheson stood firm on his assertion that Franco Spain was Fascist, and said that “any move to make friends was not for the United States alone.” Tn London, a British Foreign Office spokesman described as “absurd” General Franco's statement that Mr Churchill had pledged British postwar support to make spain a strong Mediterranean Power.

The spokesman said that General Franco’s other allegation that Britain aad agreed to a United States plan to invade Europe through Spain -hould be treated with scepticism.