MILITARY PACT DISCUSSED

Southland Times, Issue 23841, 12 June 1939, Page 7

MILITARY PACT DISCUSSED

SPANIARD’S VISIT TO ROME ITALY EMPHASIZES PART IN CIVIL WAR (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received June 11, 7.30 p.m.) ROME, June 11. The Spanish Minister of the Interior (Senor Suner), who is General Franco’s brother-in-law, visited Signor Mussolini today and it lis understood discussed the possibility of a military treaty between Italy and Spain. It is officially announced in Rome that 5699 Italian airmen participated in the Spanish civil war and carried out 5318 bombardments. Twelve Italians were killed and 192 wounded. The Italians lost 86 aircraft and they claim that they brought down 903 enemy aeroplanes in 266 air fights, and hit 224 shins. The newspaper Armed Forces says that 40 Italian warships took part in 226 naval actions during the Spanish civil war, including the occupation of Ibiza Island, the defence of» Majorca

in 1936 and the disablement of the Republican cruiser Miguel de Cervantes and the destroyer Churruca. The article boasts that Italian submarines spread fear in the Mediterranean and that a fleet of armed motorboats torpedoed various enemy vessels off Sicily and in Spanish waters. A total of 149 Italian ships was placed at General Franco’s disposal. The war material supplied included 4370 lorries. Four hospital ships .transported 14,858 wounded and sick to Italy in the course of 29 voyages. The article received the official blessing. General Franco has sent telegrams to Herr Hitler, Signor Mussolini and the Portuguese Prime Minister (Dr Oliveira Salazar) expressing the Spanish Falange’s friendship and solidarity with Italy, Germany and Portugal. GERMAN ECONOMIST TO VISIT SPAIN CLOSER TRADE DESIRED (Received June 12, 1.10 a.m.) BERLIN, June 11. Dr Helmuth Wolthat, chief of the Foreign Office commercial department has gone to Spain to discuss Spanish economic relations and closer trading with Germany.