Evening star., 1938-10-08

cOndlttoned on settlement" OF
Spanish Dnr issue, Which is taken
to mean beginning OF italian with-
drdUdl.
BY the Associated Press.
ROME, Oct. 8.-The government
announced today that Italian troops
with more than 1s months service in
Spain would be recalled to Italy.
The announcement<was made in the
form of communique from Insurgent
Generalissimo Francisco Frances
headquarters at Salamanca, Spain,
and was distributed by the official
Italian news agency, Stefani
The communique, without stating
the number of troops actually to be
withdrawn, said:
Gen. Franco is preparing imme-
diate repatriation of Italian legion
naires who have more than IS months
uninterrupted campaigning in Spain.
Nationalist Spain, in effecting this
substantial withdrawal of volunteers.
is contributing in an eficacious man.
ner to the re-establishment of inter-
national confidence and at the same
time satisfying in this manner the-de-
sire. manifested by the -interven-
ton Committee"
10000 Believed Affected.
Private sources estimated 10000
men would be withdrawn.
Italian Jegionnaires who took part
in the Malaga and Guadalajara Of
fensive early in 1887 would come home
under the withdrawal order.
Their numbers were never officially
announced but official casualty figures
show they were reduced by 2,489 killed
and wounded by June 13. 1887.
The question of removing Italian
troops from Spain has complicated
Italo- British relations for nearly
year.
1t was understood to have been a
primary theme of intensive conversa-
tions this week between the British
Ambassador, the Easl of Perth, and the
Italian foreign minister, Count Gale
azzo Ciano.
An Italo- British accord negotiated
last Easter to eliminate friction be-
tween Italian and British interests in
the Mediterranean has not become
effective because it was made depend
ent upon settlement" in Spain.
Settlement Is Withdrawal.
Settlement" has been interpreted
generally to mean the withdrawal of
Italian forces from the civil war.
At the time the accord was nego-
tlated, it seemed likely this end would
be achieved automatically by the VIC
tory of Insurgent Generalissimo Fran
cisco Franco. Continued Spanish gov
ernment resistance, however, upset this
prospect.
Diplomatic circles have expressed
the opinion during the course of the
Ciano-perth conversations that Premier
Mussolini might be willing to with
draw at least part of his infantry
from Gen. Frances armies, permitting
aviation, artillery and other specialists
to be retained if Britain would regard
this as an acceptable settlement.
Force Put at 10000.
Although some foreign observers es-
timated 10000 Italian troops were
fighting for Gen. Franco at one time,
the Fascist government insisted 10000
was the maximum.
This figure was announced in an
official bulletin october 18. 1887, and
communicated to the governments in
London and Paris.
Britain complained to Italy August
that, far from withdrawing troops
from Spain, Italy was continuing to
send reinforcements and supplies.
1t was understood the Italian reply
to this declaration, while not admit
ting the accuracy Of the charges, as
serted If replacements and supplies
were being sent it was because troops
already in the field could not be aban-
doned to their fate.