Evening star., 1936-08-31
Commanders Have Full
Power to Use Guns to Pro-
J tect VesseI-U. S. Sends
, Vigorous Protest.
>BOMBING ASSAULT MADE
UPON DESTROYER KANE
Secretary Hull Acts Promptly on
Telep phone Instructions From
President in Middle West.
Case Is Declared One of Mis-
taken Identity"
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Spanish ctpil uar in its sirth
Deek as Fascist and monnrchtst
rebels find difficulty in oUer-
throwing Socialist government,
holding fast to Madrid and key
cities of San Sebastian and lrun in
north.
United States, 1rarning its ma
tionals to erdcudte the troubled
area in and around Spain. has
maintained "hands-of" policy,
refusing epen to recognize a state
OF belligerency on the peninsula.
Conflict is betWeen popularity
elected coalition OF Socialists, Com
nunistS and Anarcho-Syndicdl-
lists, and land-holding ariStocracy,
in league Uith the army and mill
tant clergy, uho seek to prerent
1Uhat they fear as "comnunlzG-
ton" of Spanish government.
BY Iit Associated Press.
Naval officers, scanning reports OF
the attempted bombing of the de-
stroyer Kane, indicated belief today
that American war vessels in Spanish
waters would answer with renewed
gunfre any further attacks which
might endanger them.
Whether such action would be
necessary remained to be seen. The
American Government, startled by
Yesterdays attempt to sink the de-
stroser off the Spanish coast, already
has made swift and emphatic protest
to the Madrid regime and the rebels
calling on them to prevent another
such incident.
Although manifestly hopeful that Nc
new incident of that character vii
occur, Many Department attaches saic
a commanding officers first considera-
ton was the protection of his ship
and crew. and that he had full dis
cretion to proceed in any manner he
sees fit to insure that protection.
Has Authority to Use Guns.
Should the judgment of any of the
commanding officers of the five ships
now in Spanish waters be that! use
of the ships guns is necessary in an
emergency he has full authority to
resort to such procedure.
1t was said authoritatively that no
hard and fast instructions have been
sent along these lines to the vessels
now in Spain, the department relying
wholly upon the discretion of the
commanding officers to carry out their
assignment of evacuating Americans
from the revolutionary area.
The commanding officer of the Kane
was said to have acted on his own
Judgment in returning the fire of the
unidentified plane which dropped
bombs near his ship and officers here
generally praised his action as highly
creditable
Speculation was stirred in official
and unofficial circles over the possible
attitude of the United States Govern
ment had the Kane been hit and dam
aged by one of the bombs, but officials
declined to comment publicly. There
were private expressions of relief that
the incident was not as serious as 1t
might have been.
The Navy Department announced
today that the battleship Oklahoma
sailed from Spanish waters on its re-
turn cruise to the United States at II
am. eastern standard time).
Its departure left four American
vessels in Spanish waters. the de-
stroyers Kane and Hatfield, the
cruiser Quincy and the Coast Guard
cutter Cayuga.
Reports Still Awaited.
Thus far the embassy at Madrid has
not reported concerning the protest it
was directed to make to the Spanish
Government, nor has the American
Consul at Seville. who was instructed
to make similar representations to the
commander of the rebel forces, advised