ITALY INDICTED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 71, 25 March 1937, Page 12

ITALY INDICTED

TROOPS TO SPAIN

"AKIN TO INVASION"

CHARGES BY U.S.S.R

SPECIAL INQUIRY URGED

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received March 25, 2.15 p.m.)

RUGBY, March 24.

At today's meeting, of the Non-in-tervention Committee the Soviet representative made an attempt to call attention to the military intervention in; Spanish affairs on the part of the Italian Government." The statement added that according to the U.S.S R. Government's most reliable information the number of Italians in Spain in the middle of February was not less than 60,000, and they had reasons for be : lieying that the" number had since been considerably increased.

The so-called Italian volunteers, it proceeded, arrived in military forma-1 tions under the command of Italian i officers and generals, and were well supplied with munitions of Italian make. The formations at least in considerable part were drawn from the regular Italian army. "All these facts justify us in regarding the action of the Italian Government as one of the most flagrant cases of foreign intervention ever known in history." he said, "and in fact, taking into account the magnitude of the forces employed, it is something akin to an Italian military invasion of a foreign country. It is a flagrant case of military aggression against a foreign country as understood by international law and the Covenant of the League." SOVIET PROPOSAL. The U.SIS.R. Government proposed asking the Non-intervention Committee forthwith to investigate the validity of the allegations contained in the i note of the Spanish Government of j March 13, and for this purpose to set up and to send immediately to 'Spain a special commission of investigation which would have as its task the investigation of all allegations regarding the landing after February 20 of so-called Italian volunteers' in Spain as well as the landing of war materials and munitions for General Franco from Italian and other sources; ' the investigation of all allegations concerning participation of the regular Italian army in the military operations against the Spanish Government; and to report to the Non-intervention Committee. The chairman, Lord Plymouth, pointed out that the question thus raised was not on the agenda, and no previous notice had been given to him. ANSWER FROM ITALY. The Italian representative said that the provocative statement by the representative of Communist Russia would have from the Fascist Government of Italy the answer it deserved. The German representative described it. as an amazing statement of hypocrisy. ■•' . The French representative suggested, and the chairman agreed, that it should be referred to the chairman's sub-committee. The Portuguese representative said that on a previous occasion the U.S.S.R. had brought forward unfounded charges. The .continuation of such procedure was highly to the work of the Committee and to the peace of the world. The U.S.S.R. representative claimed that the rules of procedure permitted the raising of any question relating to breaches of the agreement if there was reason for believing such breaches had occurred. THE GERMAN VIEW. The German delegate agreed that the matter should be discussed in the subcommittee. .He was anxious to prevent the present committee being turned into a propaganda committee, and feared that within a few hours a statement would be in the Press of the world for propaganda purposes. Germany held that Communism was the sole force responsible for all the present trouble in Spain. He raised the question whether the^work of the committee should be treated as confidential, and added" that the substance of yesterday's discussion at the sub-com-mittee had been given to the Press in an inaccurate form, even before the meeting was finished. He asked for guarantees that the work of the committee should not be misused for propaganda purposes or for unfounded accusations. Otherwise each should be free to give information to the. Press. He reserved the position of his Government regarding the insinuations against the Italian Government. MATTER FOR SUBCOMMITTEE. Lord Plymouth said he considered that the question raised by the U.S.S.R. should be referred to the chairman's sub-committee with the widest discretion as to the manner in which the question should be treated, including the question whether the proposals could be discussed in their present form. He recalled ■ that it had been agreed on mapy occasions that all the proceedings of the .committee and the sub-committee should ■■ be treated as strictly confidential.