24-                             
 
 
and definitely indicating Germany's alignment with any action whatever
which she believes is necessary in any country or situation in
combating Bolshevism- a new angle to German foreign policy.
 
 
Short of formal military assistance, Franco may now expect whatever aid
he may need, as his defeat would mean too great a blow to German
prestige in particular and the Fascist group in general. As long as
Franco's success is in doubt, a German gain or loss in Spain cannot be
registered, but the complete unanimity of thought on the subject
between Germany and Italy would seem to preclude the latter
eventuality.
 
 
2 (d). Last, but probably most important of all, in that it furnished
Germany with a powerful and the only active ally on the anti-Bolshevik
front, was the at least temporary parallelism with Italy cultivated
carefully for some time previously by an endless interchange of
official visits, consummated in a gentleman's agreement between Hitler
and Count Ciano at Berchtesgaden on October 25, 1936, and manifested in
the striking similarity of the texts of official announcements from
both countries relative to international developments. Although this
parallelism included many other important aspects in regard to the
policies of the two countries in Europe, anti-Bolshevism was the flag
under which they were united.  Certain fundamental opposing interests
and an underlying distrust of each other make the union appear somewhat