MEDITERRANEAN TENSION

Evening Star, Issue 22735, 24 August 1937, Page 9

MEDITERRANEAN TENSION

"AGGRAVATED BY ITALIAN NAVY" SPANISH GOVERNMENT’S PROTEST PROOF OF ATTACK ON MERCHANTMEN Press Association —Bj Telegraph—Copyright GENEVA, August 23. ' (Received August 24, at 1 p.m.) The Spanish Government has telegraphed protesting against “ attacks on Spanish and foreign merchantmen, including British, by Italian warships in the Mediterranean,” of which it is alleged that it possesses proof. It adds that tho tension in the Mediterranean has been aggravated by the open assistance afforded the rebels by Italian naval vessels, and says the whole Mediterranean from Marseilles and Barcelona to tho Dardanelles must be considered a zone in which a general conflagration may be produced at any moment. BRITISH STEAMER BOMBED PLANES WITH “ DEATH’S-HEAD ” FUSELAGE. PORT VENDEES, August 23. (Received August 24, at Ip.m.) The British steamer Noemi Julia, bound for Barcelona from Susa, Tunis, has reported that she was bombed off Ajaccio by two aeroplanes. The captain of the Noemi Julia declared that a plane with “ death’shead ” fuselage circled for 10 minutes, almost touching the ship, and another with the same insignia trained machine guns on the ship for 17 minutes. Later a bomber dropped two bombs in the sea 30ft astern. “ I protest emphatically that the cargo was harmless,” ho declared. “ We were flying tho British flag, and there were two non-intervention observers aboard.” BODIES IN LAKE FATE OP 3,000 MOORS. MADRID, August 23. (Deceived August 24, at 10 a.m.) ille Republicans, draining a lake in the Casa del Campo sector of the city, report that they have found in the mud the bodies of 3,000 Moors who apparely perished in the November' attack. GERMAN AMBASSADOR RESIGNATION TENDERED. BERLIN, August 23. After holding office for six months General Pilhemlfaupel, Ambassador to General Franco’s Government, resigned on the ground of ill-health. INTERNATIONAL COLUMN CASUALTIES LONDON, August 22. F. Copeman, aged 29, commander of the British battalion in the international column in Spain, informed tho ‘ Daily Telegraph ’ that 400 to 500 Britons in it had been killed in the fighting. Tho column included 2,000 Italians, Americans, 1,200 French, and battalions of Germans, Polos, Slavs, and Belgians.