Evening star., 1936-08-26
Desperate Battle Is Waged
in North as Government
Troops Resist Offensive
Aimed at Irun.
LETTER LINKS ALFONSO !
WITH FASCIST REVOLT
Victory Is Ours" Former King
Is Quoted as Saying in Message
Confscated by Officials in Ma
drid-France Urges Committee
to Push Embargoes.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Since reuole fdred in Spanish
Morocco, July IS, Fascist rebels
haze been making SloU but steady
progress in their driUe on key po-
sittons of Spdtn's loydlist forces
Insurgents haze pushed foruord
until they dominate Western Spain
from, Gibraltar Dirtually to French
border. This ueek they claim neU
uictories uhich place them in po-
sition to dominate roads to Madrid
and indicate approaching doUntaH
of Irun in north. Socialist gopern-
n1ent, meanwhile, uoices condolences
in its troops and insists its position
is gaining strength.
By the Associated Press.
Rebel Spaniards smashed power
full offensive at the Governments key
positions on the Bay of Biscay today,
while Socialist Madrid, through con-
fiscated letter, linked former King
Alfonso with the Fascist revolt.
A rebel army of 1000, with tank,
armored cars and big guns, struggled
a mile closer to Irun in desperate
fighting, with three miles to 60. Re-
treating government militiamen, blow
ing up roads, sent their wounded back
to Irun. Government planes impeded
the onslaught.
The Alfonso letter." seized in a
Madrid house, was quoted as inform
ing the rebels: Victory is ours!" and
You can count on me for any assist
ance you may need"
It is no secret Alfonso favors the in
surgents and despises the Socialist
Communist Anarchist bloc which
seized power in Spain last February.
He has, however. disavowed sugges-
tions the rebellion was a monarchial
movement.
Alfonso quit Spain, on request, five
years ago.
Alcazar Shows White Flag.
A white flag. f1uttering from the
long-beseiged rebel garrison in Toledo's
famed Alcazar, caused the widest Of
excitement among loyalists.
However. after Loyalist trucemakers
had been greeted by shots, the govern
ment concluded the 1,700 rebels were
fighting among themselves within the
Alcazar and that only one faction,
weary of the long siege, had hoisted
the flag.
Fighting also was reported west Of
Toledo and government war planes
moved again on the rebel cities of
Oviedo, Zaragoza and Teruel.
Jose Giral Pereira, Spain's premier,
exuded new confidence He said 'the
military situation gets better for us
every day." and declared only the
rebels would cause international COM
plications.z
Grim products of the bloody war,
executions went on. Four rebel officers
died before firing squad at Loyal, au-
tonomous Barcelona. Already France
and Great Britain have conferred on
diplomatic proposals to stop the shoot
ing of prisoners and other incidents Of
ferocity.
Minister Sides With Rebels.
Madrid's Minister to Tokio-not the
first to take such action-announced
he had sided with the rebels. There
was no official Japanese comment.
In the last analysis, Japan likely
would be lined up in sympathy with the
rebels, along with Germany. Italy and
Portugal. The French and Russian
tendency is to take the side of Madrid
in any Rightist-Leftist showdown.
With Great Britain, however, France,
Russia, Italy and Germany have agreed
to a hands off Spain" accord.
To make this agreement and its pro-
posed arms embargoes effective, France
| lCaa SpAIM pana A-Al