Evening star., 1937-02-27
Spain
Continued From First Page.)

selves safe from bombardment because
of the cold, cloudy day, ran scream
ing for shelter. Children, playing in
the streets. scattered. Several pas
sersby picked up the wounded man
and carried him to a basement.
Meanwhile the Spanish government
pinned hope of cracking 325 miles Of
gum -bristling siege lines about the
capital on a drastic grant Of military
power to Gen. Jose Miaja.
Elevated to command Of the gov
ernment forces on the whole central
Spanish front, Miaja vowed "the
Fascists will never capture Madrid
because we have an enthusiastic army
and an enduring civilian population
ready for all sacrifices"
Enlargement of Miaja's authority
was in line with general movement
toward Capitalization by war
harassed government of all its scat
tered legions.
Miaja, whose Madrid forces have
held off an insurgent siege for three
and one-half months, recently was
given command of the entire Madrid
defense. The second order yesterday
placed him over far-outlying troops
hitherto commanded by Gen. Sc
bastian Pozas.
His new command, besides the
troops stationed at the very limits of
Madrid, now stretches to the north
west, including Ell Escorial positions,
the Guadarrama Mountain lines and
the guard at Somosierra Pass, and the
forces about Guadalajara to the
northeast.
Decisive Action Needed.
Government leaders here and in
Barcelona and Valencia declared that
approaching international supervision
to block outside military aid from
Spain called for united, decisive ac-
ton.
Imposition of the international plan
to cover both the French and Portu-
guese borders and establish naval pa
trolls, scheduled for midnight Of March
6, has brought the government face
to face with one Of the most delicate
phases of the war, they said.
The situation has for the moment
overshadowed, in the government
press, accounts of actual fighting,
which on the Madrid front was IN q
virtual Stalemate.
Another fusion Of government
strength was reported under way in
the Aragon territory in the northeast
"a combination of Anarchist and
Socialist Communist labor unionists.
A statement by Premier Francisco
Largo Caballero left no doubt that
still other developments of major i'm
portance were to come.
II am convinced we very soon are
going to experience the most delicate
moment of the war, and in the i'm
minence of control endorsements we
must make decisive resolutions" he
said.
The premier demanded above all
that action be taken against spy
system which, he said. "twines about
our feet like a reptile"
Position Not Altered.
It was announced that continued
fighting had not substantially altered
the positions about Madrid. Gen.
Miaja declared the insurgents had
failed completely to cut communica-
tions of Madrid"
His troops in the Jarana River
sector near the Valencia road south
east of the city still pecked away at
insurgent positions on the dominant
Pinzarron Hill. Government forces
in the Carabanchel sector, south OF
the city, machine gunned insurgent
positions but were unable to break
them.
The Madrid defense organization
tried to step up its evacuation OF
civilians, adapting Goya etchings to
modern slogans in a poster campaign
in attempts to move the nom
combatants.