SPANISH WAR

Grey River Argus, 20 May 1938, Page 8

SPANISH WAR

REBEL OFFENSIVE. ' RESUMED IN CATaLONIA. | BURGOS, May IS. I After a partial lull for three weeks, the insurgents have again launched | an attack between. Teruel and the sea, , The rebels claim advances, dominatl ing Mosqueruela, and gaining 62 square miles of territory since May .15. Heavy rain brought the offensive to , a standstill, to-day. I The Republicans claim that they ( have captured Corbalan. FRENCH KEEP OPEN FRONTIER. MUSSOLINI REPORTED ! ANGRY. LONDON, May 18. 1 The Australian Associated Press learns that communications which reached Downing Street in the pas' I few hours indicate that Europe faces another crisis—-again over Spain. The central figure is Signor Mussolini, who is angry because General Franco has not yet .won. He is now further hampered by the French refusal to close the Pyrennean frontier. It is understood that the British Cabinet discussed the situation to-day. It appears that the Duce, in accord ance with the thesis that dictators are always right, is most uncompromising towards the French, the sequel to which, it is feared, may be the dispatch of Italian reinforcements to Spain, which would threaten the Anglo-Italian agreement. The “Daily Telegraph’s” • Barcelona correspondent says that the insurgents blame the weather for slowing up the advance on Sastellon, but the delays are believed to be due to the difficulty of replacing casualties. It is admitted that many hundreds of Italians have been killed, and as the average of dead to wounded is ; one to five, the Italian losses must have hampered General Franco. | Several questions on the Spanish situation and the French-Italian conversations were answered in the Commons by the Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Arthur Henderson asked for an assurance that the British Govern | ment would support the French Government in resisting Italian pressure to change French policy towards the Spanish Government. Mr. Butler, in reply, stated that the good offices of the British Government were always at the disposal of the French and Italian Governments, should they desire them, with a view to expediting a settlement of the ] Spanish situation. j

Mr. Henderson: In view of the fact that the policies of the French Government and the British Government in relation to Spain are the same, does the British Governmer.l intend to allow the Italian Government to drive a wedge between them on this question? Mr. Butler: I do not necessarily accept the interpretation Mr. Henderson puts on Signor Mussolini’s speech, and I cannot therefore give the assurances he desires.

Replying to another question, by Mr. Noel Baker, who wished to know whether he could define the circumstances in which His Majesty’s Government would consider that a settlement of the Spanish question had been arrived at, Mr. Butler said that he could' hot go further than the statement made by the Prime Min ister on May 2. Mr. Baker: Does the Government

accept or repudiate the definition Sig nor Mussolini has now given, that there must be a victory for General Franco, before a settlement can be arrived at? Mr. Butler: The Government policy is given by the Prime Minister, and not by anyone else. A question asked by Mr. Wedgwood Benn referred to the interview between the Premier and the Italian Ambassador. It was private, and he is not prepared to answer questions as to its nature The Right Honourable member must not assume that the Prime Minister gave an explanation of the words cited in his question. French Aid for Government DENIED BY FOREIGN OFFICE. PARIS. May 19. The Foreign Office denies the alle gation that Russian and Czech war material is now going to Spain by way of France. The Foreign Office also denies that the French General Staff have assisted the Republicans to prepare their defences. The Foreign Office likewise denies that Signor Mussolini had demanded that France should recognise that there is a Nationalist victory »n Spain.