Splitting

Close to 100 Leftist soldiers per hour surrendered to the Rightists last week as they pressed their methodical advance in North Spain from captured Bilbao toward Santander. This city's normal population is only 85,000 and last week 400,000 retreating Leftists and hostages jammed it almost beyond bearing, with food running crucially short. Daily Spanish civilians escaped on British merchant ships convoyed by British warships. In Leftist Spain the situation was recognized to be so desperate that Leftist Premier Dr. Juan Negrin and his Foreign Minister Jose Giral Pereira piled into an airplane, flew to Paris and appealed in strongest terms to new French Premier Camille Chautemps for any and every sort of aid, then flew back to Valencia.

At London last week His Majesty's Loyal Opposition strongly identified themselves with the French and Spanish Leftist Governments. Declared prominent British Laborite Frederick William Pethick-Lawrence, M. P.: "I desire to make it clear that members on the Labor benches are ready to support any action which, without injuring our position, is of benefit to the other democratic nation across the English Channel!"

In the House of Commons, statements made by Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden last week gave everyone an impression that His Majesty's Government was going to recognize the Spanish Rightists as a true government having "belligerent rights"P:until suddenly this was postponed to enable the new French Cabinet of Premier Camille Chautemps to win needed votes from the French Communists (see p. 21). Exclaimed David Lloyd George: "Unless there is more courage and steadfastness, the foreign policy of Britain is doomed!"

In London the German and Italian Ambassadors fortnight ago showed the solidarity of Berlin and Rome by arriving together for sessions of the increasingly farcical International Committee for Non-intervention chairmanned by Lord Plymouth. In Italy meanwhile Dictator Mussolini caused nationwide advertisements to appear of an editorial about to be printed in his personal newsorgan Popolo d'ltalia. When this came out it definitely rejected on behalf of II Duce any proposal that Italians fighting with the Rightists in Spain should be withdrawn and asked with reference to volunteers fighting with the Spanish Leftists: "Who has sufficient power to recall that gang of Italian, French, Swiss and Jewish countryless ex-patriates?"

In Paris the new Cabinet of the Popular Front threatened to abandon French neutrality in the Spanish conflict altogether by throwing open the French frontier for arms sales to Spanish Leftists, while keeping it closed to Spanish Rightists.

High Pitched Whistle. In Spain it was clearer than ever that the extent of foreign intervention on one side or the other would decide the civil war. Except for the steady Rightist advance upon Santander, activity was at a minimum and correspondents had opportunity to fill in with colorful dispatches.

Some 2,000 youths from the U. S. are fighting for the Leftists in groups such as the so-called "Abraham Lincoln" and "George Washington" battalions. Last week they were calling upon U. S. sympathizers to send them necessities and comforts. From Manhattan sailed a 35-ton "by request" shipment, containing such eagerly demanded items as cigarets, chocolate bars, razor blades, soap, bottled fruit juices.

At Madrid last week United Pressman Henry Gorrell had fun with a typical visitor to Spain's war-torn metropolis, steered him into a cafe. "He was enjoying his beer," cabled Mr. Gorrell. "when the 'something' he wanted to see took place. There was a high-pitched whistle, followed almost instantly by an earshattering roar. Glass showered over the cafe tables as people dropped to their hands and knees. When the cannonading was over I took the visitor out into the street again.

"One shell had made a direct hit at the entrance of the cafe. There were pieces of flesh on the walls. The visitor and I looked down at the bodies of three girls and a man from whom I had bought a morning paper a few minutes before. The visitor did not return to the cafe. Leaving his beer unfinished, he ran to his hotel, checked out and left the city the next morning."

To match this from the other side of the war, United Pressman Reynolds Packard cabled "My greatest scare of the Spanish War" from Rightist-captured Bilbao. During the Rightist advance "I flopped down behind the first shelter I saw--a fat pig which was sleeping against a tree." cabled Mr. Packard. "I must have snuggled too closely for the pig's comfort, because suddenly it reared up, grunted and started to waddle away.

"I grabbed at the pig's tail, caught it and held on as tight as I could. Then the tail slipped out of my hands, and my barricade went squealing away.

"Bullets were still whining past at the rate of five or six a minute. "Suddenly I saw a mangy dog ambling down the avenue. Quickly I pulled out my lunch to tempt him to come closer so I could shield my head behind his flea-bitten body.

"I felt guilty for wanting to use somebody's forlorn pet for a sandbag, but I was so frightened that the feeling of shame soon passed away."

Atrocity of the Week. In captured Bilbao, the Irish Free State Minister to Spain, Mr. L. H. Kerney, reported after minute investigation the assassination by Anarchists, before they evacuated Bilbao, of Miss Bridget Boland, 56. an Irish governess employed for the past 37 years by a Spanish family.

Miss Boland had been visited by His Majesty's Vice Consul John Innes who assured her that so long as she retained and exhibited her British passport she would be safe. Just before Bilbao fell, retreating Anarchists accused Miss Boland of having packed her bags, explaining that this was a sign of Rightist sympathies and that they were finishing off all such "traitors." She showed them her British passport. Tearing it up before her eyes, they proceeded to slay Governess Boland, a crime to which numerous Spanish witnesses testified.

Bomb for Salazar. Friendly to Franco and Mussolini is the Premier of Portugal. Dr. Antonio de Oliveira Salazar. Last year German agents were reported plotting to overthrow his Lisbon regime. This year he permits Hitler to keep many German warships stabled in Portuguese ports as a favor to Mussolini. Last week, just as Premier Salazar was emerging from his private chapel, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, nearby houses shuddered with a deafening concussion, windows splintered. The bomb failed to injure anyone and as Premier Salazar strode out of the smoke cloud he was dusting off his suit, forcing a smile.

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