The Wanganui Chronicle. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1936. SPANISH TURMOIL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 277, 23 November 1936, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1936. SPANISH TURMOIL

DETWEEN the two contending parties in .Spain there appear; to be very little to pick and choose. It ■would be a bra\< man who would urge that the one side had more merit than tin other. It would perhaps be equally courageous to attempt L apportion the blame. France is striving to coniine the con flagration and well she might because she is in the next house to the one on fire. Italy seeks her own advantage and Germane appears to be doing the same thing. What has been given less notice, however, is the extent to which Russian influence ha: been exercised with the Spanish Government. According to the London Daily Telegraph. Portugal allege: that the Russian Ambassador, M. Rosenberg, dominates th( Spanish Government, even attending Cabinet meetings, while General Caballero was chosen for the Premiership at a nicotine M. Rosenberg himself called. Similarly, the Russian Consul, M Avseenko, dominated the Barcelona Government. M. Rosen berg was assisted by three notable revolutionaries, one of whon was an export on armaments, and 140 Soviet agents. It is alsc alleged that 55 Russian officers, whose names and activities an enumerated, participated in the fighting. Portugal alleges that the civil war is the result of Russian influence in Spain, and alleges also that in February the Third International planned the Sovietisation of the whole of the Peninsula. In how far these allegations are true is quite another mat ter, bid it appears that the Italians and Germans on the one hand, and the Russians on the other are achieving at least, one thing. I lie. extermination of a very large, number of Spaniards. One newspaper has stated that in the first twelve weeks of the wai 425.000 lives have been taken on both sides. The American Civil War, which lasted four years, resulted in 1 he loss of 600,000 lives but only 185,00(1 were killed in the actual fighting. Spain re veals the melancholy lesson of the efficacy of modern wai’laro.