Foreign News: Sweet Partings

The people of Andalusia, in Southern Spain, who voted Leftist when Spain had elections, have usually been cool toward the Italian “volunteers” brought in by tens of thousands to help Rightist Generalissimo Francisco Franco in Spain’s civil war. Last week, as some 12,000 Italian infantrymen prepared to return to Italy in a “token” withdrawal of Italian troops, controlled Rightist newspapers and spokesmen whooped up enthusiasm to show Rightist Spain’s official gratitude to Fascist Italy.

Over the historic old waterfront of Cadiz, scene of one of Columbus’s departures for the New World, Andalusians who had thrown few bouquets at the Italians when they arrived 20 months ago cried “Viva Italia! Viva Mussolini!” as 4,000 of the departing Latins gave a farewell salute to tough, boastful General Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, Commander of the Rightist Southern Army.

Most interested spectator of the Italian leave-taking was a Britisher, Francis Hemming, secretary of London’s Non-intervention Committee. No secret is it that by this “token” withdrawal both Dictator Benito Mussolini and Generalissimo Franco hope to persuade Britain and France to grant belligerent rights to Rightist Spain. To New York Times Correspondent William P. Carney, however, Mr. Hemming said that Italian aviators, artillerymen and technicians as well as infantrymen ought to be withdrawn.

On Spain’s northern frontier a smaller, less spectacular withdrawal of foreign fighters also took place. Into France went 350 cheering men of the International Brigades, until now a part of the Leftist Army. Surrounded by French Mobile Guards, they exchanged fists with French Leftists, shouted: “They didn’t need us any more. They can win all by themselves!” Arriving in Barcelona to witness the complete evacuation of the remaining 8,000 International Brigade men was a League of Nations Commission of 19 members, which included Noel Field, U.S. member of the League’s Permanent Disarmament Commission.