America Dooms Loyalist Spain

The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939--a proving ground and dress rehearsal in miniature for World War II--was a painful object lesson in the folly of neutrality -by-legislation. Spanish rebels, who rose against the left-learning republican government in Madrid, were headed by Fascistic General Francisco Franco. Gener9ously aided by his fellow conspirators Hitler and Mussolini, he undertook to overthrow the established Loyalist regime, which in turn was assisted on a smaller scale by the Soviet Union. THis pipeline from communist Moscow chilled the natural sympathies of many Americans, especially Roman Catholics.
Washington continued official relations with the Lo...