He is, by all accounts, the very model of a modern Spanish admiral. Which is to say that Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, Spain's new President, is a conservative to the roots of his beetle brows.
In presenting his new Cabinet last week for the approval of the country's venerable Chief of State Francisco Franco, 80, he proved precisely that.
Gone was outward-looking Foreign Minister Gregorio López Bravo, replaced by politically conservative, economically adventurous Laureano López Rodó, formerly Minister of Planning and Development. Out was Interior Minister Tomás Garicano Goñi; replacing him was Madrid Mayor Carlos Arias Navarro, a tough, no-nonsense administrator who was formerly director of security of the National Movement (Spain's sole legal political party).
Of eleven new Cabinet members, five are closely identified with the movement or its predecessor, the Falange. So is the newly named Vice President, Torcuato Fernandez-Miranda y Hevia.
Overall, the admiral's crew seemed to represent a sharp turn away from the Europe-oriented Cabinet of technocrats installed by Franco 3½ years ago. Behind the changes, aside from Franco's wish to drop some of the day-to-day routine, was pressure from the right, which was unhappy with López Bravo's foreign policy.
The day after the government shifts were announced, the Madrid stock market jumped—a sure sign that Spain's rich and emergent middle class approved Carrero Blanco's emphatic reinforcement of authoritarianism. Other Spaniards—not necessarily all leftists —felt that the regime was on a collision course with reality in trying to ignore the country's yearning for more intellectual and political freedom.
Tough on Gibraltar. With few exceptions, the new Cabinet members are notable more for their loyalty than for their innovative tendencies. Perhaps the ablest of the lot is López Rodó, 52, a devoted member of the political-religious organization Opus Dei, to which he contributes his income; he does not drink, hates to travel and resides in an Opus Dei dormitory. López Rodó served as Planning Minister from 1962 to this year, and is one of the men directly responsible for Spain's current economic boom. He is regarded as anti-British but pro-American, and may be considerably tougher than his predecessor on the Gibraltar issue. Portending a resurgence of Falangist political activity is the appointment of Vice President Fernandez-Miranda, who retains his portfolio as minister secretary of the National Movement.