The German reply to the Anglo-French note concerning the proposal mediate in the Spanish civil war servep {0 emphasise the points made in these columns on Saturday when the dimteulty'of arriving at any. sort of amicable arrangement in Spain was discussed. Germany agrees that the idea deserved sympathetic consideration, but points out that its oven recognition of the "National Government" was an expression of the Ger-zirian view that it sees no other faction in Spain which can raise a claim to present the nation. The present Spanish government, the German reply claims. had because of the manner of its fighting, murder of political "opponents. shooting of hostages, incendiarism and. other brutalities rendered reconciliation with it hardly conceivable in view of its obviously predominant anar~ christie tendencies, while it could not imagine the organisation of a proper plebiscite in Spain {o be possible in the circumstances. Apart from the fact that the allegations made against the Spanish Government might with equal truth be levelled against its opponents, the reply is a very fair statement of the facts. "Mediation in Spain, as this journal has already pointed out, is so difficult and fraught with such possibilities that it should only be undertaken in the event of some possibility of success appearing.
is clear that Germany would be reluctant to have the present government continue in office as the result of any peacemaking done by the Powers, and it is to be inferred that the same view would be taken by Italy. A mediation which merely re-established the old government in power would be just as unacceptable to those two nations as a result in favour of General Franco would be unpopular with certain other governments. That Germany has offered to ce-operate in certain circumstances is. decidedly welcome, and the stark reality of the position as she has described it may serve as an indication of the very stormy waters which will have to be encountered before Spain again can revert to normal.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.