Pressure and Propaganda

With the U.S. occupying Iceland, Germany's vital objectives in the Battle of the Atlantic are to the south: the French port of Dakar, Spain's Canary Islands, the Portuguese Azores and Cape Verde Islands. Last week in France and Spain the Nazis continued their advance on these bases, using for weapons (since their others were occupied elsewhere) pressure and propaganda.

All week France rang with rumors, mostly inspired, that Germany had called for a showdown with Vichy, had given Marshal Petain the hard choice of complete collaboration--including surrender of bases in Dakar and French North Africa--or complete subjugation.

Solemnly and secretly the French Cabinet met, announced after a two-hour session that it had discussed the hunting season, also "current affairs." Current affairs presumably included Nazi pressure, the attitude of the U.S. as presented to Petain by Ambassador Leahy just before the meeting. Same day Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles said that the U.S. attitude toward France would be determined by "the manifest effectiveness" with which France defends its territories against the Axis. Two days later Mr. Welles had an answer. France, said spokesmen, would not give up control of her African bases--to which probably should be added "not yet."

To U.S. observers at least, the propaganda that Germany had cooked up for Spanish consumption seemed even less potent than the pressure on Vichy. Headlined in the Falangist paper Arriba was a story that exiled Loyalist General Jose Miaja had been plotting with the U.S.

Embassy in Mexico City to lead a Spanish Republican army against the Canary Islands. This cabal, Arriba snarled, was conceived "under the bloodless standard of the movies and with puerile disregard of the vigor of free peoples." Not published in Madrid were the prompt denials of General Miaja and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Josephus Daniels.

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