GRAVE FEAR

Taranaki Daily News, 27 March 1937, Page 7

GRAVE FEAR

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.

EUROPE UNEASY

FRANCE WARNS ITALY SENDING OF VOLUNTEERS DEFIANCE OF ITALIANS NO HOPE IN THE LEAGUE

Rec. 7 p.m. London, March sa. France has warned both Italy and Germaiiy that shc will not toleratc the sending of further so-callcd foreign voluntcers to Spain, says the Daily Telegraph's Paris correspondent. The French action followed reports from M. Corbin, French Ambassador at London, of the position taken up by the Britlsh Government and as a direct outcome of Signor Grandi's statement that Italian troops In Spain would not be withdrawn. The Paris correspondent of the British United Press alleges that M, Delbos : mformed the British and German Ambassadors that if more Italian troops were sent to Spain France might have to appeal to the League for coercive measures against Italy. These would be firstly naval. M. Delbos declared that the continued sending of Italian troops to Spain would be interpreted as the Italians desire to install themselves in Spain, menacing French communications with North Africa, which France would not permit. Intercession by Germany? It. was pointed out that Germany had sent no volunteers to Spain since January. France would therefore be happy if Herr Hitler would intercede with Signor Mussolini and prevent the dispatch of further Italians. v . Some accounts of what M. Delbos told Sir George Clerk, British Ambassador at Paris, misrepresent the facts. An Associated Press correspondent was informed that M. Delbos declared: "If the Italians break their word and send more troops to Spain a most serious position will arise which each Government will have to consider." M. Delbos did not suggest League intervention. Moreover, he did not propose a naval blockade ^ of •• the Spanish coast. The British say it is hopeless to invoke the League, which in its present ,weakness could not bear the burden. As neither Italy nor Germany was an active xnember of the League Britain did not contemplate any step at the moment apart from giving the control scheme a trial. The Paris correspondent of the Morning Post says the French Government does not conceal the fear that Signor Grandi s blunt identilViation of the Italian national policy with the presence of Italian volunteers in Spain threatens to undo all the long and patient efforts to prevent the Spanish war developing into an in- 1 ternational conflagration. 1 Spanish Note to Britain. The Spanish Government is dispatching a Note to Britain denouncing one-sided intervention. It states it is a moral and legal monstrosity to assume that any confidence can be placed in the promises of the totalitarian Powers which since the outbreak of the civil war have been giving armed assistance to the rebels. It declares that Italy as an aggressor should be disqualified from representation on the Non-Intervention Committee. "A pack of Communist lies," was the savage comment of the official spokesman regarding Italy's violation of the . nonintervention agreement. "If France , appeals to the League it will precipitate a serious crisis as Italy will refuse to participate in the discussions or bow to any decision reached at Geneva." A hundred members of the AngloIrish battalion were killed while defending Madrid recently. A large ntimber of German planes ftew over Switzerland last night, apparently bound for Spain, states a message from Berne.