European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1947, Darmstadt, Hesse As protest stirs in co seeks to Bunij up his own strength with training programs for Young fal ingists Spain resistance on a Tightrope a weekend report in the face of the Western Powers stand against How Long can Spain Republican with its Strong red keep its balance Spain eight years of waiting for the uprising of the anti Franco resistance have produced an atmosphere not unlike that of France in the Long period of wavering Hope before d the government which Generalissimo Franco launched into Power with the seating of the Fala Gist legislature 9n june has succeeded in weathering almost constant outbursts of guerrilla demonstrations of economic and slight exertions of psychological pressure from some republicans in exile and in the underground at Home have caught at the recent surge of Industrial disturbances a signs of a gathering others recall gloomily that there have been similar periodic omens throughout the eight years of Fala Gist Rule and that inevitably these signs have failed to Many who sympathize with the ant falange movement at tribute this failure to the inability of the resistance unify its various disillusioned by years of fruit less they predict that Lack of an organized Force will continue to paralyse Republican Hopes for a lately the problem of balancing the conflicting factions of the resistance has become even More delicate and the chances of mobilizing them perhaps even because of the current stand of the Western Powers against communism the Spanish resistance finds itself walking a Polit ical on one the republicans have hoped from the be ginning for Active support from great Britain and the United on the other they have also counted on the backing of the soviet on this Side they Are faced with the act that the communists have from the the strongest and most Active Force within the whole resistance communist guerrilla like the highly publicized guerrilla army of have been comparatively so in As to obscure the existence of the numerous other political groups represented the some the guerrilla bands Are not Only anti Franco but perhaps just As violently anticommunist there Are merely nonpolitical highwaymen who have been lured into the fight against the government by the Prospect of Spain communists like the guerrillas of most resistance fac operate in a manner quite different from the Stock idea of untamed bands roaming about a Moun Tain wilderness and hiding out among the most of the anti Franco warriors Are big City for there is too much Chance of detection in the open spaces there is More Freedom of move ment and More Chance of safety in the crowded cities like Madrid and Barce Here the who Are reportedly organized in a countrywide system of Are Apt to operate from a Flat in an old tenement build ing or the Back room of a cheap an additional motive inthe communists Affinity for City life is that it gives them better Access to the Urban labor from they draw their greatest the May Day strikes which halted the steel Industry in Bilbao and which resulted in severe economic reprisals by the was undoubtedly helped along by communist elements As a resistance a Fala Gist in stating the governments official argument for the reprisals against the strikers hinted at this when he said that toleration of a May Day labor Holiday in Spain would be comparable to celebrating july 18 in july 18 is the Date recognized by the falange to Mark officially the overthrow of the Spanish on the other it would be wrong to assume that the May Day strike and other recent disturbances Are entirely the Franco government has been Quick to Lay any possible disruption of order to communist influences As part of its defensive attacks against the Resis from the beginning Franco has used the device of red menace As a Means of uniting dissident ele ments in support of his own the real threat of the communists a a Strong Power within the labor move ment has been held in Check so fat largely by government control of the whole labor movement through the Al inclusive National labor the it might be remembered that Francos tutors in the Art of hitter and Rose to Power and held it partly through the same kind of bolsheviks care tactics and through emasculating the labor movement by absorbing it in a government in any attempt to keep purely economic protest from growing into Large scale political How Franco is faced with the Neces sity of keeping other resistance factions besides the communists under the signs of growing economic unrest Haven been confined to any single political for living conditions in spam have been growing obviously worse during the last whale wages for unskilled labor Mam even below ten dollars a week in Many cases and even skilled ers Are Apt to get Only about Twenty dollars the Cost of living has shot up rents were raised As much As 40 per cent at the be ginning of this Francos current calling for a huge increase m government particularly for necessitated a Steep boost in taxes on silk and other consumer income taxes and levies on capital issues also have been one result of this has been a weakening of pro Franco continued on Page 23
