Our Friend Franco

Last Thursday Secretary of State Acheson talked about Spain. Acheson said that the U.S. was ready to send an ambassador to Madrid if the UN approved; that we had no objection to loaning Franco money for "justifiable" projects.

Acheson's statement was the latest U.S. retreat from our policy of 1946, when we strung along with a UN resolution asking its members to pull their ambassadors out of "Franco Fascist Spain." Since then, U.S. military men have been advertising Spain as a fine and friendly beachhead on the continent, although they admit that if we are going to fight in Western Europe it will have to be on the Rhine, not the Pyrenees. A number of Southern senators have claimed that Franco is not such a bad man after all, especially since his country wants to buy their cotton. Certain elements of the American Catholic Church are also plugging for Franco--the Church in Spain is helping keep his Fascist government in business.

Acheson's arguments are no better. He thinks Franco should get an ambassador because U.S. policy calls for sending an ambassador to a recognized government even if we don't like the government. Acheson's desire for a consistent foreign policy is probably admirable, but in Franco's ease it is miserable. There is active opposition to Franco's government, and the General is using the imminency of increased U.S. friendship as a talking point to stay in power. When a U.S. Navy task force visited Coruna last summer, Franco parlayed the occasion up to a national holiday. He would probably do the same if we shipped him an ambassador. A U.S. Embassy in Spain would antagonize our Western Europe allies, who strongly dislike the Spanish dictator. And the implied endorsement would cut us out, as it did in China, from the possibility of backing a democratic opposition movement. It would probably leave Communists as the only people fighting Franco's regime.

That regime is nearly on the rocks. Franco is so broke that he cannot even wangle food from his friend Peron in Argentina, and he desperately wants U.S. economic help. He has so far stayed in power largely by keeping one of the biggest armies in Europe well-fed and happy; now this army is getting hungry and may start shopping around for a government which would be more apt to attract U.S. aid. Acheson says he is afraid a continued U.S. cold shoulder might bring Spain a "costly civil war." A U.S. Ambassador and some aid will make sure that Franco and his bully boys can block that revolt before it ever gets started.