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The article reports that Spanish claims to the historic fortress of Gibraltar constitute one of Great Britain's vexing problems in the Mediterranean. As in the Cyprian question, the claims are the manifestation of an aggressive nationalism present in many areas around the great inland sea. The ambition to repossess the Rock is also a political exigency logically associated with the dictatorial structure of the present regime. In the winter and spring of 1954 the Franco government launched a vigorous campaign for the recovery of the promontory, a campaign touched off by the scheduled visit of the British sovereign to the crown colony. Nor does the determination to attain the goal show any signs of vanishing. The revival of the issue was accompanied by the disclosure of new claims, based on Anglo-Spanish diplomatic relations during the Second World War. These claims justify a consideration of the role of Gibraltar in the light of past relations between the two countries and of its significance as an aspect of the foreign policy of the present Fascist regime.