Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎37v] (74/978)

16
September (see Summary No 411). The
preamble of the Bill to be laid before the
Cortes by the Minister of Justice, deals
wordily with the desirability of restoring
Carlist titles and creating titles of nobility
in recognition of services rendered to the
Nationalist cause in the civil war. General
Franco will also apparently be empowered,
as Head of the State, to annul the titles
of those persons whom he considers
unworthy to bear them. Not content with
setting up a pseudo-kingdom, it looks as
though General Franco is intending to deck
it out with a hand-picked nobility of his
own creation.
Once more syndical elections—claimed as
a representative feature of Spanish demo
cracy—have been recently held in Spain.
Great emphasis was laid by commentators
in the press on the “ immense enthusiasm ”
shown by workers, and it was claimed that
a high poll had been recorded.
Senor Prieto has not been letting the
grass grow under his feet. Following the
special congress of the Spanish Socialist
Party at which he set the cat among the
pigeons by sponsoring a plan for Spain’s
political future which means throwing over
the principle of “ Republican legitimacy,”
he was busy in Paris establishing contacts
with individual sympathizers among the
Spanish exiles and with French political
leaders. He then decided to come over to
London, and in an interview with the
Secretary of State on the 26th September
he was given an opportunity of outlining
his proposals. He emphasized that the
Left regarded it as essential that a Plebis
cite should be held immediately after
General Franco’s removal from power,
whenever and however this took place,
before a decision was reached as to the form
of the future regime in Spain. The
Republicans would co-operate loyally with
a monarchy installed by the will of the
people, but would not recognise such a
regime if it were brought about by a direct
transfer of power on the part of General
Franco or by a military coup.
While in London Senor Prieto has had
an opportunity of meeting Senor Gil
Robles, the chief political adviser of Don
Juan, and the two former political adver
saries in the course of friendly discussions
were able to compare notes on Socialist and
Monarchist ideas for the replacement of
General Franco. Senor Gil Robles also
had an interview with the Secretary of
State on the 17th October.
The official Basque reaction to the
Socialist Party programme, sponsored by
Don Indalecio Prieto (see Summary No.
404) is shown in the address by the Basque
President-in-exile, Senor de Aguirre,
which was broadcast by the ‘Voice of
Basque Resistance ” from France on the
7th October, the anniversary of a ceremony
held eleven years ago under the Tree of
Guernica, when the Basque Statute ^pf
Autonomy was inaugurated. Senor de
Aguirre claimed that no repeal of the
Basque Statute could be tolerated in a
democratic Spain. No reasonable person,
he thought, would oppose the efforts of
people of good will to open the road of
freedom in Spain. Only one condition was
required—that democratic unity should
not be broken. “ Our flags can be kept
hoisted, but we must always be prepared to
yield to the people’s verdict.” No one
could expect Don Juan to renounce the
Throne beforehand, but he could be asked
first to submit his claim to the people.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs an
nounced on the 27th September the signing
of a treaty of friendship between Spain
and the Philippines. No details were
given, but Arriba on the 30th September
added that commercial, shipping and con
sular treaties would follow.
ITALY
The creation of the ‘ ‘ Cominform
continues to have repercussions on the left-
wing parties in Italy. As mentioned in
Summary No. 413 the Communist Party
had warmly welcomed the “ Cominf orm ”
at whose birth it had been officially repre
sented. The Italian Socialist Party
(Nenni) however, found itself in a more
difficult position, but, on the 17th October,
after three meetings of the Executive, a
statement was issued to the effect that the
setting up of the “ Cominform ” had in no
way ruffled the Party’s relations with the
Communist Party and had not affected
their existing pact for a common political
platform. Nevertheless anxiety regarding
the reception of this statement by Socialist
Parties abroad was reflected in criticism
of the Silesian meeting’s charges against
£ ‘ some of the greatest European Socialist
Parties.” Nervousness was also indicated
by the series of discussions of the Directo
rate which began soon afterwards. For
some time there have been signs of an
incipient crisis within the Nenni Party,
and it is by no means certain that Nenni’s
continuing close association with the
Communist Party and his support of this
international body (whose creation has
helped to refute the Communist Party’s
contention that it is entirely a National