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Such an outburst by the Spanish Lenin loomed this week as of capital importance to Anarchists, Socialists, Trotskyists and Stalinists as well as to neutral observers of Leftist and Rightist Spain. Defense Minister and Boss Indalecio Prieto of the Leftist Government is in origin a Spanish middle-class politician of the old school. That he should be bossing a regime which in Socialist eyes is featured today by a ''reign of terror," secret police activity as in Russia and a betrayal of the "revolu-tion"* as originally conceived by such Spanish Leftists as Largo Caballero, provided Europe last week with its No. 1 political paradox.
Another paradox is that the Communist allies of Boss Prieto have been tentatively drawing nearer to the Catholic element in Leftist Spain by permitting young Catholics to join the Leftist youth organizations —hitherto 100% Marxist. This tendency the Spanish Lenin has especially denounced. Last week, appeared a third paradox, a manifesto issued by Rightist Generalissimo Francisco Franco as the civil war entered its 17th month: "Our victory will bring a healthy redistribution of wealth! We are carrying out a profound revolution of the social order, inspired by the principles of the Catholic church. The number of rich persons will diminish and there will be less poverty!"
Thus the professed aims of The Revolution (Rightist) have begun to approach those of The Revolution (Leftist)—while fighting each other in a war which up to now has cost Spain some 230,000 lives.
*I.e., before the start of Spain's civil war. *Not to be confused with the other revolution that of the Spanish Rightists.