BILBAO STILL DEFIANT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22121, 17 June 1937, Page 13

BILBAO STILL DEFIANT

Franco Warns City To Surrender GRAVE PLIGHT OF POPULATION BASQUES URGED TO AVOID PANIC (TOTTED PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.) (Received June 16, 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. Insurgent aeroplanes to-day dropped thousands of leaflets over Bilbao, signed "Franco," and saying: "If you persist, death and destruction await you. Those who surrender their arms will not be harmed, provided they have not committed crimes." The Basques have stemmed the rebel advance at Galdacano and at Begona, a suburb of Bilbao. Slowly, but surely, however, General Franco is securing a stranglehold on Bilbao. Not a scrap of news came to-day direct from Bilbao. All communications have apparently been cut, but the French Consul, who arrived at St. Jean de Luz, said that Bilbao was virtually surrounded by the insurgents. The plight of the population was hourly becoming graver. The public seryices were disorganised. The radio station at Durengo warned the Basques to avoid the streets and not to be tempted to make a general exodus to the west, which would inevitably lead to panic and carnage. A report from Salamanca claims that out of 8000 Basques, who were cut off by General Valido's forces, 6000 surrendered. Government Admits Retreat A Spanish Government communique, issued from Valencia, admits that the enemy has broken through the belt of fortifications and succeeded in occupying a number of hills along the right bank of the river Nervion. . . | An unconfirmed report from BayWine says fighting has broken out between the Communists and less extreme elements, who have been trying to prevent the Communists from setting fire to the city before the evacuation. The British Consul at Bilbao (Mr Stevenson) and a cable engineer, Mr Rawlings, after signalling from the heach at Algorta with a hand-lamp during the small hours, attracted the attention of the destroyer Kempenfelt' Mr Rawlings signalled her through the dangerous channel, enabling her to lower a boat, but a sentry detected the manoeuvre, and machine-gun bullets whipped the* leaasMr Stevenson and Mr Rawlings went on board. They were transferred from the Kempenfelt to the battleship Resolution, which landed them at Hendaye. DEFENDERS ACTIVE AT BILBAO EVACUATION OF REFUGEES PROCEEDING BRITISH NAVAL PROTECTION GRANTED (Received June 16, 11.55 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. A statement on the present situation in Bilbao was made by the foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. Eden), in the House of Commons. He said that while reports were inevitably fragmentary and indefinite, he understood the Basque Government was stUl directing the defence from Bilbao. . The evacuation of refugees was being eontinued,"and on Sunday the steamer Habana left Bilbao with more than 4400 refugees, and proceded under British naval protection to a French port.. _ Mr} Eden has sent the Basque .Government's appeal to the British Ambassador (Sir Henry Chilton), at fiendaye, asking him to tell General «anco that Britain hopes that he Will not destroy Bilbao before it is evacuated. .Britain will protect the refugees from Bilbao if they are confined to Women, children, and aged hostages. ARMS TRAFFIC EXPOSED FRENCH POLICE DISCOVER GUN-RUNNING PLOT ; PARIS, June 15. _ Arising out of a gangster fight on Sunday night, in which Maurice Jouhanneau was severely wounded, *he police found in his apartments documents adegedly linking up woughout Europe an arms-running organisation. This has at its disposal ** tanks, ?0 pursuit aeroplanes, 3000 rifles, and 30,000 machineSUns. aZh ese > *t is suspected, were S destined for Spain, but the newsP« "Humanite" suggests that per4kPs_they were for the armoury of ge French Fascists. _____