Ceremonial

Official slogan of Generalissimo Francisco Franco's adherents during Spain's recent war was Una, Grande, Libre ("One, Great, Free"), a slogan borrowed from the great Ferdinand and Isabella. Last week Generalissimo Franco held his thrice-postponed Madrid victory parade and showed the world that Spain was great--at least in arms and men--but not necessarily "one" or "free."

Escorted by his clattering honor guard of Moorish lancers in a driving rain, El Caudillo took his stance on a lofty tribune. Before him, almost all his generals, the soaked diplomatic corps and the dripping Catholic hierarchy, paraded some 160,000 picked troops, representing various divisions of the Nationalist Army. Overhead in the rain clouds moaned 700 fighting planes.

But the skeptical at the parade might well have wondered how "free" Spain was when they saw 10,000 Italian troops, led by the veteran General Gastone Gambara, and 5,000 of the German Condor Legion pass by.* And one look at El Caudillo's uniform would tell them that Spain was still far from "one." It was a "compromise" uniform. On his head was the red boina (beret) worn by the conservative, monarchy-loving Carlists. Under his Army campaign blouse was the blue shirt of the Falangists, or Spanish Fascists, deadly political enemies of the Carlists.

Europe's three leading Fascist dictators have much in common, yet each has his individuality. Neither Fuehrer Hitler nor Duce Mussolini would have organized the religious services which Catholic Caudillo Franco held next day in the little suburban Church of Santa Barbara. A choir of monks chanted age-old antiphons; 10,000 palms were strewn on the church steps; El Caudillo walked into the church under a white silk canopy held up by six priests. Before the high altar on which was placed a crucifix commemorating the great Hispano-Venetian naval victory at Lepanto in the 16th Century, the General surrendered his sword to Isidoro Cardinal Goma y Tomas, Catholic Primate of Spain, gave thanks for his victory "over the enemies of truth."

Three days of ceremonial ended when El Caudillo motored 30 miles west of Madrid to the vast and gloomy Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial. There, in a large hall adjoining what were once the monastery's royal apartments, Generalissimo Franco received the diplomatic corps. Thus ceremonially ended Spain's third and bloodiest civil war of modern times.

*Last week it was announced that General Franco's foreign soldiers would soon go home, leaving their arms behind them.

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