Evening star., 1938-12-21
Criticizes LoyoIists'
Conduct in Spain
Says Civilians Were Bombed
By Government Pilots
In Russion Planes
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Since the Rev. Mr.. Guy Emery Ship
Ter, editor OF the Churchman, mentions
me no less than five times in the course
Of his remarks about Nationalist Spain
(The Star, December S, 1889, editorial
courtesy may permit me to analyze q
few of the reverend gentleman's state
ments.
The Rev. Mr.. Shipler claims that "the
republican government long ago gave q
formal pledge not to bomb open
towns y"
This pledge has been repeatedly vio-
lated by the Russian Communist avia-
tors in the pay of the Barcelona re-
gime. To cite but one instance out of
many, the so-called republicans in Rus
sian bombing planes killed number of
Ion, on the Mediterranean coast, on the
very day when Mr.. John v. Hinkel, a
native Washingtonian and New York
neWspaperman, and myself entered that
city last summer Due to the absence
OF Franco planes the Reds had temporary
control of the air and they exploited their
advantage to drop bombs upon the ci-
william population. 1t is evident that the
Rev. Mr.. Shipler has not visited Spain
recently or he would be aware of these
well-established facts. We who have
seen the torn, mangled bodies of women
and children killed by Russian bombs
have no illusion on this score
It NOV irtorect tho Dow N6r CIio1o,.
that both Mr.. Hinkel and myself saw
at Borriol the park of artillery, machine
guns and ammunition that had been
captured from the Reds in the course of
the Nationalist advance from the out
skirts of Saragossa to the sea. Most Of
this war material had its origin clearly
marked in Russian characters. We also
examined numerous Russian tanks that
had been captured from the forces of
the Barcelona regime
1t should be noted that whenever the
Rev. Mr.. Shipler or other leftist SYM
pathizers mention Basque priests as
among the friends of the Red govern
these priests for one reason or another
are suspended from the exercise of &C.
clesiastical functions and consequently
not in good standing in the Catholic
Church. If the editor of the Church,
man had been in Barcelona recently he
would know that the cathedral is an
empty shell, bereft of any semblance of
divine worship.
AS to the order which the Rev. Mr..
Shipler believes must prevail in repub-
lican Spain, I would simply quote from
the world-renowned biologist, DR.. Gre
gorio Marannon, president of the Madrid
Academy of Medicine and one of the
founders of the Spanish republic:
THE truth? 1t is an act of contri-
tion. Those intellectuals who were
lucky enough to be in the territory con-
trolled by the Nationalist were neither
threatened with death nor forced into
exile. Only one thing matters:
That Spain, Europe and the human race
rid themselves of a reign of blood, an
institution of murder, the advent of
which We now accuse ourselves of having
prepared through a tragic blindness"
The honest believers in democracy and
human freedom have long since re-
pented in the noble, patriotic spirit of
DR.. Gregorio Marannon. Neither the
Rev. Mr. Shipler nor other apologists
for the Communist-controlled atheistic
regime OF Barcelona can explain away
the attitude of those Spaniards who are
unwilling to permit Spanish Lenin"
to exploit their native land.
(DR) JOSEPH F. THORNING,
Chairman, Department of Social
Sciences, Mount ST. Mary's College,
Emmitsburg, Md.
nacarnhor