The Admiral Steers to Starboard

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 Lopez Bravo, replaced by politically conservative, economically adventurous Laureano Lopez Rodo, formerly Minister of Planning and Development. Out was Interior Minister Tomas Garicano Goni; 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 3 1/2 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 Lopez 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 Lopez Rodo, 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. Lopez Rodo 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.

For Prince Juan Carlos, 35, waiting patiently in the wings to become King once Franco dies or retires, the new governmental setup offers a small additional degree of political authority. For the first time, he has the ceremonial right to approve new Cabinet members: Carrero Blanco's first act, after taking his oath of office, was to call on Juan Carlos at Zarzuela Palace and submit the list of new ministers. Predictably, there were no princely objections. The prince may now attend Cabinet meetings, another new prerogative. (In the past, he was briefed on discussions.) Most Spaniards who want change pin their hopes on the prince, whom they regard as being more liberal than Franco or Carrero Blanco. For the time being, however, Juan Carlos was simply faced with another wait. Was he bored? "The prince is very shrewd, very cool, very cautious," says a longtime friend. "Twenty years of eating thorns for breakfast makes a man very tough."

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