Evening star., 1938-06-21
British
Continued From First Page.)

Of withdrawing foreign volunteers
fighting in Spain.
With that obtained, the way would
be paved for actual operation of the
Anglo Italian friendship pact. signed
the day before Easter, which was made
conditional upon a settlement" in
Spain.
Offers Two Point Plan.
Chamberlain's determination to pro-
coed through. the non-intervention ma
chinery was his answer to Premier
Mussolini's request that the friendship
pact be made effective at once, regard
less of the Spanish conflict and Italian
Black Shirts yet on Spanish soil.
The fact that the Italian request
came just when Insurgent Gen.
Frances planes were bombing British
ships in Spanish ports caused the
prime minister to turn down the prop
osition. some quarters said
Convinced the danger of a general
European war was critical as long as
the civil war went on, he is understood
to have plainly informed II Duce the
quickest way to get the Anglo-Italian
treaty to operating was for Italy ID to
cooperate in withdrawing her troops
and 20 to advise Gen. Franco to
accept an armistice for discussion of
peace terms.
At the same time. France was eX-
pected to press Barcelona to the same
end.
Frances action yesterday in stopping
the flow Of supplies to the Spanish gov
ernment was considered in some Paris
quarters as forcing Chamberlain to
exact a correspondingly conciliatory
attitude from Mussolini.
II Duce is believed anxious to get
the pact into effect, because he needs
1t to strengthen his hand in dealings
with Chancellor Hitler of GERMANY
because he needs British recognition of
his Ethiopian empire and because it
may facilitate economic credits to Italy
. The announcement that commits
sion OF experts would try to determine
whether air raids in Spain had mill
tary ob1ectives was made in the House
by Richard Austen Butler, undersecre-
tary of state for foreign affairs.
He said the commission would leave
soon to establish headquarters at
Toulouse, France, whence it would
fly ito any part of Spain at the re-
quest OF either side to report the
facts"
The plan is that its reports will be
used to rouse world opinion" if they
flnd bombardments directed against
civilian populations and not military
objectives.
france approved Of the idea and the
Barcelona government offered to CO.
operate, but the insurgents have made
no commitment.
The United States was invited tn
participate in the commission. but
informed British said there had heen
no definite answer.
There was every indication Italv had
assured Britain of her willingness to
withdraw at least part of her troops
serving in Spain.
Communists Score French Action
PARIS, June 2l R.-Premier
Edouard Daladier's efforts to follow
the realistic British diplomatic lead
were looked upon by some of his on
ponents today as conceding defeat
OF the Spanish government in SPANS
civil war.
Communists branded the govern
ments reported closing of the from
Tier TO war supplies to the Barcelona
government as "monstrous."
They demanded that Socialists ioin
IN concerted attack on the premier
A Communist Party spokesman
termed the action "veritable attack
against democracy" which dishon-
ored France before the world.
The government denied that anv
cnange had been made in the status
OF frontier control, issuing an an
nouncement through official chan
nels that France never had failed in
ner obligations to the London Nom
Intervention Committee.