Basque By ALAN KETTLER THE ASSASSINATION of Spain's President and Prime Minister, Admiral Luis Carrera Blanco, and its implications for Spain's politi- cal future are best understood by a look at the events leading up to the assassination two months ago. At the root of Spain's present political crisis is the organization that carried out the assassination, a group of 250 Basque terrorists who call themselves the Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna, or E.T.A., mean- ing 'The Basque Nation, and Its Freedom." Basque country, or Euzkadi, is made up of four pro- vinces in Spain and three provinces in France. Within the 1100 square mile French sector live about 220,- 000 people, while the 6600 square mile Spanish territory holds about two million inhabitants.+ For centuries and still today, the Basques have possessed a strong- willed desire for autonomy. In ear- lier times they were the only peo- ple who were able to thwart the invasions of Celts, Romans, Goths, and Moslems without losing their cultural identity. Following the in- vasions, the Basques retained their language while the rest of Spain activity stirs Spanish .. 0 . a- 0J 1. picked up different linguistic forms. AS LATE as 1936, the Basques lived in the autonomous state of Euzkadi under the presidency of Jose Antonio Aquirre. However, the Civil War put an end to this auto- nomy, politically and somewhat. culturally. Since the Civil War, the Span- ish regime has repressed the cul- ture of these people. Until 1960, Basques were arrested for writing nationalist pamphlets or raising Basque flags. Although Basque was the only language understood by many children, schools were pro- hibited from teaching it. Also, Bas- que folklore was limited to that told in the private home. Thus, the people of Euzkadi were under the rule of a government that was in- different and hostile to their so- ciety. These diffrences in what t h e Basques %,anted for themselves and what the government wanted for the Basques ultimately led to the birth of the E.T.A. from t h e Basque Nationalist Party in t h e late 1950's. THE YOUNG E.T.A. perfcrmed its first successful act of terror- ism in 1960 with the derailment of a trainload of Civil War veter- ans. In December, six years lat- er, members of the organization managed to outline their strategy. With the single goal in mind of freeing the Basques from Span ish rule, they decided to use vio- lence as their political tool. Real- izing the disastrous results tha . Generalissimo Francisco Franco, head of Spanish state, who must deal with the Basque separatists threatening to topple his regime. would follow from milicary resist- ance, they chose the use of selec- tive sabotage to undermine the economic and political foundations of Spain. The three-year period following 1966 was permeated by aver o n e hundred major operations by the E.T.A. Numerous tactics were used in their campaign agamist the, Franco regime. Local non-Basque businessmen were harangued by boycotts, threats, and even the bombing of a cafe. The blacklist- ing of collaborators with the gov- ernment and the blackmailing of wealthy citizens for money a n d support were also among their deeds. The E.T.A. did nor ignore the power of printed material, for it printed and distributeJ pamph- lets and propaganda leaflets. IN ADDITION to these acts were more serious terrorist missions. Except for attacks on police, they were limited to nonhuman targets. So, police vehicles were sabotag- ed, civil guard barracks were bombed, electric power supply was disrupted, and trains were derail- ed. These and other activities creat- ed a friction between the E.T.A. and police and civil guard units that led to the assassination on Augst 2, 1968 of Inspector Meliton Man- zanas. What followed was a trial of 16 Basques that was .>f para- mount importance to all of Spain. The summary trial in Drceniber 1969 of six defendants charged in connection with the slaying and ten others charged with pol*-ti,.al crimes bred trouble for Franci's govern- ment both from within Spain and from outside Spain. Everv aspect of the trial created controversy. For example, the militxi: 7 was ai- gered at conducting a trial f o r what it considered to be civilian matters, anddefense lawyers were no less pleased by this situation. THOUGH clouded by the vague wording of the Spanish press, 1he trial brought to light th use of torture by the police in obtaining confessions to crimes. Manzanas himself was hated becauta of his sadistic nature. Having learned tor- ture techniques from the Gestapo, he often used a trunche n that he had designed and male himself. Of the several defendants tortur- ed for confessions, even one of the two. priests on trial had been vic- timized in this way. ,The use of torture to butli up the prosecution's case, the con- stant dismissal of what the court called "irrelevant" questioning by the defense, and the thin evidence presented made the trial a sham. The six murder defendants were sentenced to death, and the others were given sentences ranging from 12 to 70 years in prison. Franco had wanted to make this trial an -example of the fairness of thy; le- gal system of his so-called changing Spain, but instead it was an exam- ple of Spain's myopic eye towards justice and dissent from within the country. NEITHER THE commuting of the death sentences nor Franco's Organic Law of 1967 (which would have allowed a gradual liberahza- tion of the government) soothed the wrath of the E.T.A. For last December, they let loose their fury by assassinating Carrero Blanco. Just what does the assassmation mean to Spain? First of all, it has signalled tile extension of Basque separatist activities into non-Bas- que territory. Before this time, all their activities had been confined to the Basque provinces of the North. Secondly, a shuffling of the Left and The Right has and will con- tinue to take place. Even through the Manzanas trial, Franca retain- ed left-of-center people in his gov- ernment, but the assassination has resulted in the elimination of these elements from the government. The most important losses in the gov- ernment have been all the Opus Dei ministers, whose thinking was working towards the integration of Spain into a democratic Europe. The gradual liberalization of Spain has taken a turnabout with the elimination of the Left and a hardening up of the Right in the government. THE HARDENING of the Right could have serious results if car- ried too far. With much of Spam opposed to theterrorist tactics of the E.T.A., they are hardly likely to assist in an overthrow of the government. However, if the 3as- PARAGR APHICS regime que separatists force the govern- ment into taking oppressive meas- ures against the whole populace, citizens may grow unhappy after having had a period of relative liberalism. In that case, enengh popular support might be gained for overthrowing the regime. The precision with which the assassination was carried out has hinted at the possibility of the E.T.A. having associations w i t h other clandestine organizations. If such associations do indeed exist, they will heighten the amount and degree of future terrorist activities in Spain. As E.T.A. activities continue, the question remains as to whether or not the idea of a fully auto- nomous Basque state is a reality. The answer is no. Economically, Basque country and Spain are in- terdependent. While the Basque provinces provide Spain with met- als and heavy industry, they need the demand for their natural re- sources and products that Spain provides. Also, too many family and social ties exist between the A time for vigilance ON WEDNESDAY, February 6, the House of Representatives voted 410 to 4 to grant the Judiciary Committee broad constitutional power to investigate Presi- dent Nixon's conduct. The House thus formally ratified the impeachment in- quiry begun by the committee last Octo- ber, and empowered the panel to sub- poena anyone, including the President, with evidence pertinent to the investiga- tion. The Judiciary Committee will now pro- ceed with its inquiry with the purpose of deciding whether or not the President should be impeached. If the committee should decide in favor of impeachment, TODAY'S STAFF: News: Bill Heenan, Mary Long, Jo Mar- catty, Judy Ruskin, Becky Warner Editorial Page: Clifford Brown, Paul Has- kins, Msrnie Heyn, Alan Kettler, Eric Williams its reasons will be submitted to the House, which will then initiate the next step in the process. . Our nation's system of searching for justice in its piesidential office has often been criticized as being too long and te- dious. While the method is painstaking, it must be remembered that it handles a most delicate matter. Because of the length of such legal- political proceedings, we urge all citizens to be continuously aware that the im- portance of future developments cannot be stressed too greatly. We, the people, cannot allow time to cloud the facts. In recent years, it has appeared that the common voice was rarely heard in Washington. Public apathy was a major factor in this. Now is the time to pay attention and take interest. If the citiz- enry does not speak, it is not heard. The Nixon Administration has consist- ently proven that it needs watching. Let us not once again sit by and observe fias- cos where there should be. justice, but in- sist that our government be just in the eyes of its citizens. The herd instinct By BOB SEIDENSTEIN SCOOP PORTER SAT in the "Newsmen Only" lounge of the Keep on Truckin' Truck Stop on I-94 yesterday and discussed his plight. "I'm a reporter, ya see," he told this reporter. "It's not easy making a living." The other reporters in the lounge sipped their Buds and agreed. "Why just this afternoon I tried to interview a trucker and was ambushed by 14 other reporters trying to inter- view him. There just aren't enough truckers for each of us to interview." The other reporters sipped, nodded and agreed. "I know how you feel," said another reporter, known as Ace. "Why I was all set to risk death and damnation by riding shot- gun on a cross-country rig to find out what those truckers are all complaining about. But when I got to the yards it seemed that all the trucks already had reporters in them." "I have a wife and two kids in college to support," cried ano- ther reporter. "If this trucker shortage goes on my editor isn't going to like it one bit. He'll fire me for sure. How am I going to feed my family then? And what with the cost of pencils and notebooks going sky high I just can't make ends meet." "I SAY WE shut this country down until they give us enough truckers to interview!" shouted one angry newsman. "Let's see how long this country can last without morning papers!" The reporters roared their approval. Just then a driver stopped for diesel fuel outside. In the mad rush to interview him 23 reporters were shot, 9 were trampled and two had their notebooks taken from them. Snoop had remained seated. "Well, I'm not going out there. No sir. I'll quit writing instead until this whole thing is settled. I'm not looking to get killed just for doing my job. I'll shutdown if I have to. Those boys are playing too rough for me. I only hope thengovernment ends this trucker shortage before we have the national guard in here!" "We better start travelling and reporting together," said a fearful and bloodied reporter. "I've got to get my story into the office tonight! We can't let this good fresh load of news rot on onr hands!" HE GOT UP and ran for the door with bullets whistling by hisrhead and knocking off and ear or two, but he made it. His courage was inspiring. Scoop ordered another beer, put a nickel in the jukebox and stared emptily at his notebook and pen. Adniral Luis Carrero Blanco, former President and Prime Minis- ter of Spain, assassinated last De- cenber by members of Basque Sep- aratist movement. two areas to make a cutoff favor- able to the nation. THE FUTURE of Frarnco's' re- gime, the E.T.A., and Basque country are all overshadowed by doubt. But one thing is certain about Spain's future - it will be a stormy one. Alan Kettler is a staff writer for The Dail?. Information for this cr- ticle was obtained from Professor Paul Ilse, Department of Romance Languages, who is a specialist in modern Spanish intellectual his- tory. Besides having written an un- published analysis of the Basque Separatist movement, he has coin- piled the largest private collection of news clippings and related docu- ments on file in the U.S. Arts Page: Ken Fink, Sara Zernow Photo Technician: Ken Fink Rimer, Doug Eighty-three years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104 News Phone: 764-0552 Lecture bla By BETH NISSEN MAYBE IT'S JUST more evident because of dreary Februariness and mid-mid-term boredom, but it seems like a long time since I've heard a stimulat- ing or even adequate lecture. In five semesters, I have had fewer competent professors than there are colors on my I.D. card. Professors with the ability to effectively "profess" are as rare these days as 30 cent gas and newsprint. No doubt those who stand at the lecterns are indeed learned and have passed some requirements of pro- ficiency in a subject, at least on paper. But know a subject bacwards doesn't necessarily insure the teaching competence of these academic magi. The best teachers aren't always the former students of greatest talent, or the authors of lengthy, profound books. The ability to teach is anunrelated talent to he ability to learn. Mark Spitz's coach can't swim a stroke, yet Spitz credits his coach with teaching him everything he knows about swimming, if not shaving. A surprising number of the University's mental wiz- ards have a third grader's sense of lecture organiza- tion and the speaking effectiveness of a sleeping sock. There is the economics professor that changes sub- jects mid-sentence and the political science professor that monotones with less interest than Rosemary's 18-minute hum. There's the Great Books professor that says "and . . . uh" more often than a nervous child making a first speech and the sociology professor that reads his book aloud to the class. STUDENTS DON'T stand in line at the Cashier's window paying tuition with their summer's sweat or their parents' second mortgage to listen to stumble- tongued professors limp through fifty minutes. No doubt, students trapped into such classes still learn - they first learn the bare minimum require- ments to get an A and they then learn to decide daily whether to spend an hour watching the clock or not bothering to attend at all. Gles flourish, Analyzing why such foggy muddleheads are allow- ed to continue confusing students, at the rate of 200 per day isn't easy. Many of the professors probably have tenure, making them immune to the necessity to think 'of anything new. And many of them probably qualified for that tenure by carefully avoiding the rocking of the academic boat by any new idea. And to some, it may be just a job with nothing more at stake than a monthly paycheck. Drilling holes into auto frames in a Ford plant and drilling moldy "Professors have a duty to put some recognizable meat on the bones of their lectures, instead of feeding students the cold academic oatmeal of yesterday." :. vtr- . " 0rt ;; i {;.."" ," tam::;; :" ?: . ..,..+o".v iS"y": FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1974 outdated sameness into sophomore minds in Hall becomes pretty much the same. Angell Letters to The Daily should be mailed to the Editorial Di- rector or delivered to Mary Rafferty in the Student Pub- lications business office in the Michigan Daily building. Letters should be typed, double-spaced and normally should not exceed 250 words. The Editorial Direc- tors reserve the right to edit all letters submitted. BUT PROFESSORS deal with more than market- able items. Students are a part of the future. Not every professor can be Eric Sevareid or be ex- pected to daily entertain the student troops. B u t professors have a duty to put some recognizable meat on the bones of their lectures, instead of feeding stu- dents the cold academic oatmeal of yesterday. Innovative and inspiring professors have always been the minority. But the rest should at least be competent. Without higher standards imposed on the teaching ability of professors to whom are entrusted a few hundred minds, the University doesn't deal with edu- cation of any significant quality. It becomes merely a company that sells diplomas for the price of tui- tion,; dispenses paychecks to its academic foremen and boasts a stadium seating of 100,000. I-, Letters to the Daily To The Daily: LAST NIGHT I attended a de- bate on Nuclear power presented by the people at PIRGIM. They billed their debate as presenting both sides of the fence on Nuclear power. m31P(_A4 "fmn"fmri amr tle idea what they were talking about. But the debaters arguing for Nuclear power barely touched on the outer surface of why N e- lear power is necessary and pra- tical. I HAVE BEEN a sunorter of true debate so we may be truA.v informed on this issue. -Fred Schneider February 7 correction In the February 5 issue of The ating of a picture and artic'e on the Editorial Page. The story con- cerned Housing Security, featur- ing interviews with two Housmg Security guards, Charles ,Justice and Hans Cozak. The accompanying pho.graph antr a rlnp t- T7 P f tz n ,ri s ;s ,:. ,;