Evening star., 1938-10-29
PLANE SHIPMENT
BRINGS z PROBES
U. S. and Canada Look Into
Illegal Sending of 40
Craft to Spain.

Federal agents and the Canadian
government are investigating the ille,-
gal shipping Of about 40 American air.
planes to Loyalist Spain.
The State Department disclosed last
night that the shipments had been
made despite the neutrality law which
forbids sending war materials to Spain.
1t said this was accomplished by use
Of what 1t now appeared were forged
documents.
The aircraft were among so Grum-
man planes which were ordered from a
Canadian company by Paris agent
OF the Spanish government, the de-
partment said, explaining that the
agent presented with the order docu-
ments to show Turkey was the destI.
nation Of the shipments.
Export licenses for the planes we're
revoked when the depa rtment learned
their true destination was Spain, but
most Of the order already had been
sent The planes were sent from the
United States to Canada in assembled
and lRassembled form.
Canadian law requires license TO
ship certain war materials and equip
ment from Canada.
Planes for Greece.
The State Department also dis
closed that attempts had been made to
obtain export licenses for % Bellanca
planes on the representation that they
were destined for Greece, but that
licenses had not been issued because
the Greek government informed the
department the ships we're not in
tended for use there.
A shipment of military airplanes,
purportedly to Turkey. was made fromA
Canada about six month sago, it was
reported in Ottawa last night.
The department said it first issued
export licenses to ship the Grummsn
airplane engines and parts TO Canada
for assembly on assurance that the
planes would remain in that country.
Then the department was informed
that the parts were merely passing
through Canada. At that point the
Turkish government told this govern-
ment it had not purchased the planes
and that they had not arrived in
Turkey.
The Turkish government declared
the Spanish agents documents to be
'forgeries,' the State Department said.
Is at Ellis Island.
Meanwhile. another phase of tho
Spanish situation occupied immigra-
ton authorities as Is men who left
this country to fight for the Loyalists
awaited at Ellis Island the result of an
appeal to Washington from a ruling
forbidding them to re-enter the United
States. Indications were the appeal
would be denied.
Immigration Commissioner James L.
Houghteling yesterday told a deepa-
ton Of young American members of
! the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln
Brigade. headed by Carl Bradley of
San Francisco. that the law excluding
aliens without proper visas must be
applied and those held at Ellis Island
would be deported.
On their return from Spain. most OF
the men tried to enter this country as
stoUaways
Mr.. Bradley, executive secretary OF
the veterans organization and a
former captain in the Loyallst Army.
, told the commissioner the group was
seeking the right of permanent resi-
dence in the United States He urged
that they be given at least a tempo
rary haven to gain time to straighten
out their status.
The group at Ellis Island includes
Germans. Italians. Greek. Mexican,
an Estonian and members of other
nationalities They lived in the
United States from to 20 years be-
fore their war service Some married
! Americans and have children born in
this country.