Common Sense about Spain
There seems a good prospect that the United Nations Assembly will reverse its decision of 1946, declaring a partial diplomatic boycott of Spain, and open the door to the asso- ciation of that country with various technical agencies of the United Nations ; to the United Nations itself Spain cannot be admitted so long as Russia retains her power of veto. This decision, if it is in fact taken, will represent a return to sanity. There was never any better reason than a weak surrender to doctrinaires in the refusal of countries (like our own) which maintain full diplomatic relations with a totalitarian Russia, or for that matter with a totalitarian Yugoslavia, to maintain them with a totalitarian Spain. -The net effect, beyond question, has been to strengthen rather than weaken the Franco regime which it was desired to injure. There are, of course, compelling strategic reasons for reaching a satisfactory modus vivendi with Spain, and the United States is to be congratulated on abandoning the 1946 attitude and adopting one more consonant with the principles of co-operation and common sense. Very different must be the verdict on the British Government's decision. When the vote is taken Great Britain will abstain. Any more humiliating position for a Great Power to adopt on an important international issue it would be difficult to imagine. No doubt the Govern- ment is taking account of the violently anti-Franco views of its own Left Wing, and consequently advertises to the world its inability to take a line ons a question which quite mani- festly has a direct bearing on the security of all Western Europe. It is a lamentable attitude.
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