Threat From the Southern Tier

Southern Europe has long been an area of extremes--in poverty, in religion and in politics--as well as an occasional source of anxiety to its more affluent neighbors in the north. That anxiety has been notably increased by exceptional changes that have shaken countries of the south in recent months. There is a notable fear that these nations, in some cases after decades of right-wing rule, will veer sharply to the left, perhaps to the point of embracing Communist, or at least Communist-dominated governments (see following stories).

In Portugal, the Communist Party of Alvaro Cunhal, backed by leftist-minded officers of the ruling junta, has emerged as the most zealous and disciplined political group in the country since the April 1974 revolution. Some observers fear that something comparable may eventually happen in neighboring Spain, where the reactionary government of aging Dictator Francisco Franco totters from crisis to crisis.

In Italy, where the Communists have been the nation's second largest political organization (though always remaining in opposition), party leaders are thinking seriously of seeking a share of power through the ballot box. In Greece, the Communists gained only 9% of the vote in last November's elections, but they too are disciplined and may do better next time.

The move to the left is bound to have an impact on other European nations. As former French Premier Pierre

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