INTERVENTION IN SPAIN

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22135, 3 July 1937, Page 20

INTERVENTION IN SPAIN

ro ras iditob or the peess. Sir. —In ren 1 y to the interesting resum6 of Valencia propaganda from Mr Edwards, the financial aid to which I referred was a direct grant from th, Russian Government, reported in your paper in the early days of the civil war.

Democracy is "government directly by the people coliectiveiy" (see dictionary). There is no such thing today. But taking "democracy" in its generally accepted meaning, the Valencia Government is not democratic. Zamora, former President of Spain, described the electoral system there as "As absurd as it is unfair. . . . Thus in one constituency the Popular Front, with 30.000 votes few. r than the Opnrsitinn, «- as fble to w ; n 10 out of 13 seats." He says the Popular Front -ctually won fewer than half the seats but before the results could be declared, anarchist mobs destroyed ballet boxes in many districts and substituted false returns. "In many districts," he continu. s, "where the Opposition had been victorious, all the mandates were annulled, and candidates who were friendly to the Popular . Front, although they had been beaten were proclaimed deputies." (Zamora's statement, published in the "Journal de Geneve," January 17, 1937.)

Moreover, this "democratic" Governm; nt could not govern. Anarchy was becoming universal over Spain when the army came in to restore order. Soon the army had morejthan half (to-day. three-quarters) of Spa'n at its back. A vivid picture of the anarchy which existed may be found in the reports of the committee appointed by th - Burgos Government to investigate atrocities in Southern Spain. An English translation of these reports, published by Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, has recently arrived in New Zealand. They are so thoroughly documented, with dates, places, -names of victims, and of witnesses that it is impossible to doubt their accuracy. On the other hand, numerous witnesses, including

Mr Theo. Rogers, who recently addressed British M.P.'s at Westminster, say that order and security are characteristic of the Spain under Franco's control, with rising wages and falling prices. In my previous letter my point was that it is unfair to emphasise the intervention of Italy and Germany for Franco, while ignoring the equal or preater help given to Valencia by Rus- j sia Frances and other nations. The i foreign volunteers aiding Franco have been greatly exaggerated. Competent witnesses say few r than one-twelfth of his forces are foreigners. No one seems to know how many foreigners are fighting for Valencia. Yes, we have read of the bombardments of Madrid, etc.. and simple people have believed it all, as they will believe what they read to-day about "rebel" atrocities at Bilbao. untrue propaganda, broadcast through the ne\- s agencies, can only be corrected weeks afterwards, when the truth gets through. For example, we now read of a soecial correspondent ~f Times" (London) who examined Guernica, found little evidence of aerial bombardment, and many craters, evidently caused by tend mines. But the lie was first in the field, and it is very difficult to catch up with it. Franco was not helped by Germans or Italians until long after the war started. Hence it was not the foreigners who saved him from early defeat, but the sunoort of the great majority of Spaniards. My tribute was to the effectiveness of Valencia's propaganda, and this applies to that of the self-styled Basque Government. As a matter of fact, most of the Basoues are with Franco. At Pamolona h° received 33 000 volunteers in three days. All the "Red" prooaganda in Spain is Russian trained, and Russian pro"ag"nda is unique, especially in its unbl'"-hing use of terminological inexactitudes.—Yours, „„,„.__ G. F. SEWARD. July 1, 1937.