SPAIN: Everybody's War

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Morocco in Revolt? Turbulent was many a Moroccan town last Week as news of Leftist successes seeped in from Spain, set natives wondering if now was the time to rise against the Rightists who to them are "just Spaniards"—that is, vile Christians hateful in the sight of Allah. Generalissimo Francisco Franco's life-long specialty has been understanding the Moroccans. He long commanded the Spanish Foreign Legion in this sphere of influence. Last year he made friendly gestures to Allah's people as soon as he set up his Government. One of these gestures was to invite several hundred prominent Moroccans to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca free on a Spanish Rightist steamer, and this most conveniently came steaming home last week. Up to thank the Generalissimo in Seville rushed the whole Mecca contingent of Moroccan dignitaries, overflowing with the grace of Allah and headed by their native Sultan's Grand Vizier.

Every tourist who has roamed Seville's romantic Moorish palace or Alcazar can picture vividly the scene of last week as swarthy, cloaked Moroccans entered to hail the Generalissimo with flowery thanks and extravagant Mohammedan promises which he returned in kind.

"When the springtime of victory comes," promised Franco, "you shall have the choicest blossoms."

The tribal dignitaries, to show they were doing the Generalissimo the same honor they would do a Sultan, walked past him expressionless and with "glazed eyes"— thus symbolizing that the person so honored is too great to be looked in the face by persons less exalted.

Meanwhile, were Italian and German troops in Morocco on the point of mutiny in some places, and at others, were Spanish troops so incensed by the "superior airs" of these foreigners that affrays were of frequent occurrence, Rightist discipline not up to scratch? Iron censorship hid the facts, but advices reaching Denmark from Morocco supported Leftist rumors to this effect. Rightists countered with rumors of mutiny among the dinamiteros or dynamite-throwing Leftist miners who ever since the start of the war have been trying to capture Rightists whom they continued last week to besiege in Oviedo.

On balance this week, reliable facts favored the Leftists throughout Spain and Morocco, but the Rightists were said at latest reports to have been joined via Cadiz by another 10,000 Italian troops and Spain's tragedy was still anybody's war, or rather everybody's. Last week in France batches of U. S. citizens attempting sneaks into Spain were being arrested, jailed, faced prison terms up to six months, fines up to $500.

Cordon Sanitaire? Not since the late great Georges ("Tiger") Clemenceau moved the Allies to draw a "sanitary cordon" around Germany and attempt the same with Bolshevik Russia, have such plans been made as are to go into effect this week to put a watchful ring around Spain on April 10.