Evening star., 1937-05-31
GERMAN ATTACK
'CRAVEST INCIDENT
She||ing of Port Latest in
Chain of Events Threat
ening Peace.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associat ed Press.
German warships today blew the
lid off the Spanish civil war trouble
chest.
Avenging an attack on the Nazi
battleship Deutschland, sister ships
shelled the Spanish Mediterranean
port Of Almeria, killing a score and
wounding many.
This is the gravest of a series of
Incidents which have kept world
statesmen fearful of European gen.
eral war.
Great as the tension was today in
European capitals, however, there was
nowhere any open official talk that a
general war was imminent. After SO
many previous alarms, foreign officials
have grown less impressionable than
they once were
Germany openly announced the
bombardment was a reprisal for the
bombing of the German pocket bat
tleShip Deutschland Saturday at IbiZa
by Spanish government warplanes
There were "a killed and 80 injured
on the Deutschland, which is one Of
the patrol vessels under the London
Non intervention Committee which is
seeking to isolate the Spanish war by
preventing foreign volunteers and
supplies going to either side.
Charge Law Violations.
Germany and Spain charged vio-
lations of international law. Ger
many said the Spanish airplane at
tack was without reason and the
Valencia government today denounced
the bombardment of Almeria as with
out justification. Spain asserted the
shelling began without warning"
For nine months the London Nom
intervention Committee of 81 nations
has sought to localize the Spanish
war with the hope of mediating later
The first big act was organization of
the naval and land patrol around
Spain to keep outsiders from joining
further in the war which admittedly
has been fought quite largely with for
eign volunteers or soldiers and with
foreign war equipment. Germany and
Italy were sources of supply for the
Franco. Aid for the Spanish Madrid
Valencia Socialist government came
from Russia, France and other coun-
tries. Some volunteers went from the
United States.
Bombing of the German Deutsch-
land and the shelling of Almeria
threatened to wreck the non-interven-
ton work on the very day it was called
to consider big steps toward peace.
France and Britain hoped shortly to
achieve the withdrawal of foreigners
from both Spanish armies and ulti-
mately to arrange a truce The sub
committee meeting called in prepara-
ton for full meeting tomorrow was
postponed.
Warlike Turn.
Instead. the non-intervention pro-
gram took warlike turn with con-
slderation OF what Germany and the
Spanish Socialist government consid-
cred acts Of war by the other.
There have been previous incidents
Germany January l, executed her
hrst reprisals against the Spanish
government by seizing two Spanish
treighters. This was retaliation for
the capture OF the Nazi freiRhter Palos
by Spanish government warships. Ger
many acted then in fulf1llment of
warning last August 20 that German
Varships would use force" against
"all unjustif1able acts of force" such
as the reported searching Of the Ger
man freighter Kamerun by Spanish
government forces.
The Spanish governments bombing
OF patrol ship was the gravest of
recent Incidents of the same nature.
-Four Spanish government aerial
bombs were reported by Germany to
have fallen close to the Nazi torpedo
boat Albatros last Thursday off Palma.
Mallorca. Germany took no reprisals
for that.
Six Italians also were killed bv
Spanish aerial bombs that fell on the
Italian naval auxiliary vessel Barletta,
also off Palma.
Statesmen everywhere were anxious.
because the Spanish war is regarded
as potential spark for the worlds
powder barrel through such incidents
as the present conflict. Their efforts
we're to halt the attacks and retalia-
tions. They had in their favor the
Berlin announcement that the bonn
bardment Of Almera was "reprisal'
and ended the affair Their present
hope is that they can induce the
Spanish government to prevent
further attacks on foreign warships.