Yes, I would like to receive periodic updates and information via e-mail from Commentary.

Recipient Addresses:

Separate each address with a comma.

Your E-mail Address: Message:

HEADLINES IN the Spanish press reported cautiously on July 11: "Reorganization of the Spanish gov- ernment; General Munoz Grandes named vice-president." Most Anglo-American papers, from the New York Times down, proclaimed: "Franco names successor." More accurately, the Paris Monde put the word "successor" in quotes.

Spaniards displayed little overt interest in the shuffle and were unimpressed by the revamped cabinet's policy statement- written, officials agreed, with an eye on the European Economic Community. The change most thoughtful Spaniards believe to be on the horizon would affect the whole regime, not simply a handful of medium-grade ministers. The appointment of General Munoz Grandes as vice-president merely formalized a transitional arrangement whose existence everyone took for granted; it contributed nothing to resolving the fundamental problem of the Spanish succession. On this score, officials and die-hard supporters of the regime are still apprehensive. The opposition is excited, and making an effort to thrust their tactical and doctrinal differences into the background. Even normally apolitical citizens-the majority-are listening more keenly than ever before to foreign broadcasts. On the other hand, Western diplo- mats in Madrid are unconvinced that the regime is approaching its climacteric. Their confidence in its durability is reminiscent of the complacency one encountered in the same quarters in places like Cairo and Baghdad on the eve of revolutionary change.

---

© 2009 Commentary Inc.