Spain; Great Decisions 1963

great decisions nineteen sixty three the subject spain where is it headed in our world today this is john f lewis with the fourth in a series of documentary reports on behalf of the foreign policy associations nineteen sixty three great decisions discussion series in collaboration with the national association of educational broadcasters before we begin our discussion the day here is the voice of spain a voice that is so much a part of our own heritage in the americans patients nice job

thanks anthony the voice of spain today is the next one has now been many years since civil war resulted in the emergence of francisco franco the dictator of spain who aided by the re roman catholic church and the larger part of the army put down a rebellion of communist aided socialists and took his place to a limited extent the side of fascist leaders of nazi germany in italy however franco maneuvered spain into neutralism to whether the pains of world war two without engaging either spaniard or spain actively against the western powers and without getting overpaid and comfort to either hitler or mussolini when the war ended spain was an identified with either the free world victors or the

totalitarian were losers this in itself left spain out of the post or stream of history a kind of isolationism and let's now hear more about what has happened since sweet talked with h freeman mathews jr chief of the spanish affairs desk at the us state department who first read called spain's history and its historical connection with us spain is a country that at least since the early days of our country or has been linked to the united states in many different ways christopher columbus's voyage king's being originated in spain in our country is replete with examples of spanish tradition understand that only more recent attempts to show just what this tradition has been so be it the national commission

for the st augustine restoration which is going to take place in the near future and this will be as i understand it will be an attempt to do in st augustine when it's been done in williamsburg for inflation and scottish and from that standpoint but to come up to the present time of the spanish people american people have been linked since nineteen fifty three and a defense agreement which has contributed greatly to the security here both the united states and this painting and also the entire west these agreements have permitted united states to construct to use bases in spain which has been of great strategic importance and ian corporation which we receive from the

spanish authorities has has been excellent in addition i think that the reception that have been reported stations playing supporting the spanish people are encouraging our troops are stationed and this speaks the clintons for the fragments in the relationship between our people and the spanish people we're very gratified to see that over the last few years particularly in the last two or three years there's been a considerable increasingly there's been considerable improvement in me spanish economy is going to break through though this economic improvement expect them really to nineteen fifty nine

stabilization plan put into effect under some advice from international organizations and this served as planned stabilizing percent at sixty two the borrowers remain ever since that point that the black market spain's foreign exchange reserves this is remarkable progress very closely the world bank has just recently completed a report on the spanish economy and which has made a number of recommendations to the spanish government can understand the spanish government hasn't principal accept that spanish bbc

report once winter's just want to finish pushing many things anxious to see done in order to raise the spanish standard of living and the spanish people which is roughly three hundred dollars per capita air tourist to emigration to spain has been pretty heavy in recent years has a us so we knew the tourists from all over the river on the spine are no protected from the united states has shown remarkable increases over the last few years i don't have figures on this time the americans live in spain last year but there were a total of ten million tourists who go

to spain now to consider that spain's population is only thirty million years to show that this is a tremendous this is one of the things that has and a very powerful effect on the loss of payments and i think this an awful effect in an open the doors and spend ideas from abroad it's recently been suggested by news observers in spying that there seems to be a liberalizing trend at least indicated country was in iowa state do any such trend or no to any such trend in terms of domestic spanish affairs are the people are taking a more active personal interest in the politics of the country or not i was the courses and some wonderful the question to answer the question

evolution or liberalism were in court in spain is one that goes up to the spammers themselves to decide on their marriage we see as outside observers so watching what goes on the country there appears to be a two of them some some changes would be regarded as steps along route towards is in an evolution and spain says evolution without dr there has been no some increased freedom of the press regulations which will clarify the status of religious minorities in spain which has always been a problem there've been other science are very small so far but

they may seem to point in the direction down the road the region and cities encouraging to most americans the entire iberian peninsula is extremely significant and world affairs just because of its location geographically you've already indicated that we have maintained certain number of bases and heads of certain agreements with spain that regard these cars are under negotiation and re negotiation at this time we won't go into that but that i wonder if you could foresee and all now you don't have a crystal ball handy can you foresee and all the the importance of says spain and portugal are particularly spain in terms of the future as it develops and as this part of the world develops its crew launches such a long period of

strife and where you kind of got lost track of history would you say would you be willing to serve those as freely climb out of the cup may be headed towards a parole real leadership in world affairs first the good news i agree with you know your statement that backwash of history and whenever that phrase was used to for some time they would not dispute that but nevertheless it is true that job attorneys have at least ten times during the century have to form a barrier and the rest of the world was approved

isolationist and after the second world war this situation says a barrier is changing stay tuned the three amigos as time passes it it will become increasingly clear that spain and portugal are parts of european continent their rightful place as with europe and in addition what spain portugal a rich history of extending to our own country and to south america is tasmanian spain will play a larger role in world affairs than would be the case and considered spain an isolation cell these two countries

mr zhou yes thank you then we talk with say our police lopez ballast us new chief of information councilor of the spanish embassy in washington well done some significant changes taking place in spain economically politically and socially in recent years the

change has been enormous and don't say it is a change of recent years i would say that is a change from our nineteen thirty nine on what's in the slow evolution what's with all the difficulties of jason ward they were oral and international isolation or have been overcome and slowly but stated they would have been able to produce in spain and almost a comical change an enormous social change economically spain has industrialized powers but a reason which is incredible we are now producing more than ever questioning more than ever and leaving of the highest on that they reached in spain socially i think there has been a real shift in spain pacific revolution were the social structure of the country has

changed completely nowadays to spend it is better off as a high estimate of living and to the social conscience of the people of mosul government hasn't understood that nothing can become a citizen with the people and for the people i think now we have them when we are experiencing a very interesting moment a very interesting phenomenon which is that a new generation is taking over in spain that means that all the important posts in politics in industry economics in art in every way of life is being taken all but people now thirty five to forty five which are people oh were killed during the war that is going to have no recollection of the civil war or lift it as

very young children and i think that this though i would say if you like to call it like that non comedic generation has proved to be that they can make that generation that is a donation who is ready to go along with the export ban and make it flow and go to great success you feel physically even in spain now that this new generation is eager to have sex is easier to the things is needed to a brink's panther even greater heights in progress and so what is important in cooperation in the ideal of a free western world and i think that's isn't that important moment and that is really interesting to watch how this generation is taking over from the generation who fought and won the war and what are they doing about well could you elaborate a little more on what he's saying cause this to take place where again some of the things that the government has

done which it made this possible in this social field for instance the most important thing is a complete new social legislation which started from the beginning after all the social program of the government has been improving over time and the social legislation has been advancing in the most progressive way producing for the workers' masses was when middle class at social security the social stability and a social say in all the affairs or spinach as we have for instance i think we are the only country which has one third of its members of parliament belonging to unions therefore never in any other country ali workers macias so well represented in the pages of the floor and off the state and therefore no i have faced such a stay in the lead normal

driving off the political affairs of the country one of the story of spain's dramatic economic development described by some as the fastest growing in the world today and economy boasting a billion dollars in gold reserves still having a long way to go with lots of unrest domestically we say spain that girl is nothing that which has not a bit of good intent and to the disadvantage of being hurt but what country in industrial sense and economic sense before seen war also was made possible that when starting industrializing in modern times the base might be quicker because we have not all things to keep and maintain and we have we can start from scratch with the most modern things for instance aetna ready popular example in television we have delusions or revered rather recent one

and it is the best because we have the most modern equipment so are in several industrial branches as we had nothing before we have now started with the most modern and best equipment possible and this is what we have an ego that we get technical help we get also interest in that other foreign countries for investment in our country and therefore we can build up our industry and to increase our industrial output and our industry extension in the best way possible that the weakest base possible so for instance before divorcing war spain produced with a few cars are practically non and after the war and nowadays they're practically maybe a spanish production multiple cars is insufficient tourist the nation needs and you see that you're mine the streets has changed completely from seeing in the traffic practically all foreign cars to see the

traffic ninety percent of spanish produce cars or family made of media to cause heavy cars station wagons trucks abbas is everything is produced in spain now all this has been done in twenty years spain had much to value of that too much foreign and the we have no difficulty with foreign investment if you could talk about difficulties which is a reward to say it could've been because we want more because we want not only interesting the voice deep interest of spain to get more money from pro mop other people not in only increase interest are great distances is that people in this moment and in the world well we are all interdependent take an interest in spain and cooperate with us for benefits off or not for the benefit of spain who don't want the foreign money because we aren't just chronically if they stick we want the people interested in spain to build up

in a sense of what is happening on the world and make it into the tendons for the benefit of war so we are full chances for a foreign capital which will benefit us but would also benefit the foreign capital invest <unk> spain which to become a part of the european common market notes on what terms of course we are many the enterprise which might support the waste and might support or so foreign interests us in the common market we have already asked for negotiations and we have expressed our wish to form part of these economically integrated europe and so we think that we should of course perform part of any movement which is for the benefit of europe but that doesn't mean that we will only accept an

entry in the common market on any conditions it means that we envisage the common market of the european affairs nas and no more has in effect off the school that group politically or economically we want to think that we are working for the west and for europe as part of the west to the extent that you can comment on in this connection i would like to think of your karma as one who has traveled widely as a newsman and diplomat one has had a chance to observe the shape of things in europe in the world in general what effect if any as the change that's taken place in africa and particularly the recent change in north africa with respect to morocco algeria and tunisia where factories that had on spain

you know the tour of spain when the moment came and gave or freedom and independence so that part of morocco for instance which was on the spinach predictably you know that this happened without any pleasure whatsoever in the plot which was on the politically though spain never well mayor educational riots or demonstrations or anything so our friendship with enough left on people's is traditional and we had no problems at all in these certain states where independents is going to put on the country especially in africa we also welcome all new nations proof of that is that we have never opposed to the united nations to the entry of any new african nation we have also always get now support and all will come in the united nations that any nation the new in africa our eyes you anywhere

of course it affects us in the sense that we think that in africa at least new nations are as all the list of your patients as well the bottom laid out the moment in a world off great interdependence in a world where anyone needs everyone and therefore cause we think that they will suffer from the pains of both say there will be moments of vegetation and moments of difficulties and mormons also of extreme nationalists which is a big old of great melodies but we also think that these nations have a great future if they understand that the most important thing is peace of the world and prose of the peoples and that peace can be achieved the best in a corporation with our western world which is the only world which is free to progress and free to decide what the

points mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm and then noting our own puerto rico which may someday be air fifty first state plus the emergence of all the americas one of spain's role in this regard with respect to the western hemisphere first we saw a comment from send your body a stir us i think that the whole continent an old spanish speaking continent and portuguese speaking with brazil off what we call either america is i think that the twenty two

nations which have passed to us and have a spanish editor tj are the countries of the great future if you see what can be done in new nations in africa i think that these spanish speaking nations have more than a century of existence are based on a century old culture the possibilities of a limited if they help themselves and if they all helped them we asked the same question of mr matthews this is true that the wig the great influence of spanish culture and heritage in south america and also in our own country that is helpful to know about the basic spanish idea of thinking come over perhaps these countries

somewhat differently david greene reporting yes that thing more and more spain becomes a part of our world and in the more optimistic mind closer to partnership in the free world regardless of the future of general franco regardless of its historical background since the dark days of bloody revolution this has been the fourth in a series of documentary reports on the foreign policy see associations discussion series great decisions nineteen sixty three presented in collaboration with the

national association of educational broadcasters written produced and narrated by john lewis if you would like more information on spain or any of the subject for discussion in the great decisions series contact your local world affairs council or the foreign policy association three forty five east forty six three new york seventeen new york no no radio network