SPAIN: White, Not Red

Pan Blanco was the big news in Spain last week: white bread. The reappearance of white-flour bread was hailed as a final sign of convalescence. More important, its reappearance was a sign that Spain is determined to continue convalescing, and not relapse into another war—of any one’s making.

Spanish nightmare of recent months has been fear that Germany and Italy would exact participation in a European war as return for their participation in the Spanish war. Last week the Soviet-German Pact gave Spain a perfect out, which she was quick to seize. How could Spain fight hand in hand with Communism, which she had spent three years stamping out? Last week General Francisco Franco took steps to insure absolute neutrality: closed Spain’s border with France, hastened demobilization of his troops, dissolved surviving branches of his General Staff.