Cortes and Restoration

In Madrid last week Dictator Francisco Franco ordered the creation of a new Cortes to help him manage hungry, impoverished Spain. His announcement, ostensibly timed to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Spanish civil war's beginning, coincided with Berlin reports that 29-year-old, non-hemophilic Don Juan of Bourbon would soon ascend the throne abdicated by his father, the late King Alfonso XIII. Taken together, the two developments led to one conclusion: Franco needed a whipping boy to share the onus of governing his hate-ridden people.

For centuries the Cortes was an advisory body, sometimes powerful, sometimes a rubber stamp for kings. The last one, which died in the draughty vaults of a Pyrenees castle on the eve of Franco's victory, was a republican legislature. The new one will be composed of members of the two directing bodies of the Falange, provincial capital mayors, captains-general of the army, academy presidents and other Franco sycophants. Its enactments will be subject to the Chief of State's approval.

As a prop to totalitarianism, the new Cortes appeared to be no barrier to Juan's restoration. Possibly it is an evasion, but quite as likely it is a prelude. As king, Juan obviously would have to front for a sorely beset dictator.

Franco admitted Spain's dissatisfaction last week. "Interests are still afoot working against us," cried he, adding that Spain could mobilize 1,300,000 fully equipped crusaders to fight Communism.

Once Adolf Hitler was believed leary of onetime Midshipman Juan of the British navy. But Juan jilted his English sweetheart to marry, in Rome in 1935, his Bourbon-Sicily cousin, Princess Maria Mercedes. There he lived under the fascist wing until World War II sent him discreetly to Switzerland.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.