REBELS CLOSE IN ON BILBAO

Southland Times, Issue 23228, 17 June 1937, Page 5

REBELS CLOSE IN ON BILBAO

Defenders Urged To Surrender

ALTERNATIVE “DEATH AND DESTRUCTION”

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright)

(Received June 16, 10.5 p.m.)

LONDON, June 16.

Slowly but surely General Franco is securing a stranglehold on Bilbao. Not a scrap of news came direct from Bilbao yesterday. All communications have apparently been cut, but the French Consul, who has arrived at St. Jean de Luz, said Bilbao was virtually surrounded by insurgents and the plight of the population was becoming graver every hour. The services were disorganized. Insurgent aeroplanes dropped thousands of leaflets over Bilbao, signed by General Franco, and saying: If you persist death and destruction await you; those who surrender their arms will be unharmed, provided they have not committed crimes.” A radio station at Durango warned the Basques to avoid streets and not to be tempted to make a general exodus to the west, which would inevitably lead to panic and carnage. A report from Salamanca claims that out of 8000 Basques cut off by General Valedo’s forces 6000 surrendered. . A Spanish Government communication, issued from Valencia, admits that the enemy has broken through the belt of fortifications and has succeeded in occupying a number of hills along the right bank of the river Nervion. An unconfirmed report from Bayonne says that fighting has broken out between communist and the less extreme elements who have been trying to prevent the Communists from setting fire to the city before evacuation. The Basques stemmed the rebel advance at Galdacano and the suburb of Begona. The British Consul (Mr Stevenson) and a cable engineer, Mr Rawlings, after signalling from the beach at Algorta with a hand lamp during the small hours, attracted the attention of the destroyer Kempenfelt. Mr Rawlings’s Morse signalled her through a dangerous channel, enabling her to lov?er a boat. A sentry spotted the manoeuvre and machine-gun bullets whipped the sea as Mr Stevenson and Mr Rawlings went aboard. They were transferred from the Kempenfelt to the battleship Resolution, which landed them at Hendaye. The Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. Eden) has sent the Basque Government’s appeal to the British Ambassador (Sir Henry Chilton) at Hendaye, asking him to tell General Franco that Britain hopes he will not destroy Bilbao before its is evacuated. Mr Eden said in the House of Commons that while reports were inevitably fragmentary and indefinite he understood the Basque Government was still directing the defence from Bilbao. The evacuation of refugees continued, and on Sunday the Habana left Bilbao with over 4400 refugees and proceeded under British naval protection to a French port. Britain would protect refugees from Bilbao if they were confined to women, children and aged hostages.

SAFETY OF PATROL WARSHIPS FOUR POWERS SEND NOTE TO SPAIN (British Official Wireless) (Received June 16, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, June 15. Britain has despatched to both the Spanish parties a quadrilateral Note from > Britain, France, Italy and Germany regarding the naval patrol. The Note asks for a specific assurance from the two parties that they will respect foreign warships on the high seas and elsewhere and also that they should come to an agreement with the four Powers on a list of Spanish ports to be made available for use as bases for the patrol ships and on definite safety zones vjhich should be established in those ports. The two parties will also be informed that any infraction of the assurances or any attack on patrolling warships will be regarded by the four Powers as a matter of common concern and, irrespective of any immediate measures in self-defence considered necessary by the forces of the Power actually attacked, they will immediately seek an agreement among themselves about steps to be taken in concert, taking into consideration the views which the Government concerned is naturally entitled to express about further appropriate measures.