THE WAR IN SPAIN

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22414, 30 May 1938, Page 5

THE WAR IN SPAIN

SO TXB BDITOB or TUB mtl. Sir, —From the report of the Interview with Nurse Sharpies at Wellington in “The Press” to-day It is evident that New Zealand is to suffer another propaganda tour by a nurse returned from red Spain. However much one may disapprove of the party they serve, no one could have anything but admiration for the courage and devotion of these ladies in facing the horrors of modern warfare to help the sick and wounded; but it seems quite wrong and unnecessary that they should be exploited on their return home for party propaganda purposes. If it is necessary for these nurses to spend their home leave raising funds for their work it is certainly not necessary to intersperse their accounts of their experiences with malicious comments calculated to inci’ease hati’ed and strife. The reported interview with Nurse Sharpies is cjearly intended to give the impression of a murderous horde of Italians and Germans (Jfliberately massacring peaceful Spaniards who desire only to be left alone. Yet it is a firmly established fact that these same peaceful Spaniards have murdered in cold blood 300,000 or more of their fellow-Spaniards; and that more than half the Spanish people rose spontaneously to support Franco in 1936. It is the expressed opinion of journalists who have recently visited Franco’s forces that less than 15 per cent, of his fighting forces are non-Spaniards. Franco’s defence of his Barcelona bombings Published in English, but not in New Zealand daily papers makes out a good case for his actions. There has been and can be no such defence for the red atrocities. Such facts as these make it intolerable that the experiences of ladies who have gone bravely to the relief of suffering in face of great personal risk should be exploited to rouse hatred against Nationalist Spain.—Yours, etc., G. F. SEWARD. Lincoln, May 27, 1938. tWe have re-read the report of the interview and can find no trace of comment in it—“malicious or otherwise.”—Ed., “The Press.”]

TO THB BDITOB OF THB FBCSB. Sir, —I was interested to reißl your leading article in “The Press” last Saturday, as it appears to confirm me in my belief that you for some reason find it necessary to do a certain amount of special pleading in support of the Government or Red forces in Spain—a proceeding at variance with your outlook so far as local affairs are concerned. You commence by saying that a necessary preliminary to the success of Mr Chamberlain’s ideas would be the dispatch of a British army to Spain, a remark which by itself needs no direct comment. I should like to remind you, however, that while admittedly Franco has had Italian and a small amount of German support, the Red forces have had the assistance of a large body of international volunteers and that Russia has supplied aeroplanes, guns, tanks, and other munitions. Their air force, both as to personnel and material, is almost en: tirely of foreign composition, some of the French machines being of almost the latest design and superior in handling ability, if not in speed, to any opposed to them. In addition, the Red forces are, and always have been, greatly superior in numbers to the opposing forces. It is stated that without the assistance of the International Force the Reds would have been completely defeated and the war over within three months. You say later that there will need to be many more Spaniards killed before they get there the kind of government Mussolini wants. You ignore that there are some Spaniards who do not want a Red Spain and infer that Mussolini can and is able to enforce his will there. Spain and Italy have previously been closely allied on religious and other grounds, but Spanish history shows, I think,'that no party in power in Spain, would brook quietly any interference or permanent occupation by a foreign nation. Mussolini would need half a million men to hold Spain. There is no suggestion that he intends adopting any such course. You also state finally that a great majority of the French people are incensed at the one-sided operation of the non-intervention pact. Is this correct? Surely the people who are incensed are the Communist Party and the redder branch of the Socialist Party, who together must represent less than half of the French people. They are supported for political purposes by the Labour Party in England. Surely your paper heed not support them also. Is not “The Press” forming its opinions from the headlines of the “NewsChronicle,” etc. A civil war between Spaniards is bound to be relentless and bloody, but to many of Franco’s forces this war is a new war of the

Crusades, a war to the death between religion and Communism.—Yours, etc., E.W.R. May 27, 1938.