The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-02-07

Coincidently the retreat of the Loyalists' into France was speeded up and thousands of troops crossed the frontier, added to the 135,000 troops and civilians who were esti- mated to have crossed the frontier by midnight last night.
 British and French diplomatic envoys sought to arrange an armis- tice. and Loyalist leaders were re- ported now to insist only that there be no reprisals. To every effort so far, the Nationalists had reported that they would accept only uncon- ditional surrender.
 Reports that the Loyalist morale in central Spain was weakening were new develapment.
 Loyalists Confer
 It was receipt of this news, &C., cording to reports, that caused the apparent i1decision of Premier Juan Negrin and other Loyalists who remained in the frontier re- zion, conferring with each other on the advisability of establishing new headquarters in the central region and with French and British envoys on the possibility of negotiating and arinistice.
 Jules Henry, French ambassador, and R. 0. Stevenson, British charge d'affaires, were reported to have rnotored secretly into Cata- lon,a yesterday to look over the sit- uation there to confer with Nebrin.
 Laer the British and French en- voys conferred with Loyalist foreign minister, Julio Alverez Del Vayo, at Le Perthus, on the French side of the frontier.
 Negrin and Del Vayo, the last ditch men in the Loyalist govern ment, inspected the conditions in the remaining Lnyalist corner of Catalonia for several hours yester- day.
 It was reported that they would confer today on the advisability of going to Valencia and setting up Q new government, and that they might make a definite decision.
 Leaders Are Refugees
 President Manuel Azana of the Spanish Republic; President Luis Companys of the Catalonian Re- public and Jose Antonio De Agru- ire of the Basque Republic were definitely out of the picture. The war for them was over and they were refugees In France.
 It was evident that the National ists had temporarily almost halted their advance in order to give the Loyalist army full time to cross into France. They had made almost no advance since Sunday except at the northwest corner of Catalonia, where they were moving slowly on Puigcerda after taking Seo De Ur- gel and closing the frontier opposite the tiny republic of Afldorra. They pushed their lines northward of the river Ter from the coast inland to point north of Vich. But Nation alist communiques placed the main line about 16 miles south of Fi- gueras. which Nationalist motor ized unit reached Sunday night af- ter the Loyalists abandoned 1t.
 Waiting for End
 Those Loyalist leaders who re- nained in the frontier area were in the utmost confusion. At such places as Perpignan and Le Perthus, minor cabinet men, generals, party leaders and other ofiicials were just waiting for the. end. Scattered, about over the countryside In villages and small towns, they knew nothing of each others whereabouts or what was happening.
 Britain, France Working
 London, Feb. 7- (UP) - Great Britain and France, coincident with their general efforts to end the Spanish civil war, are trying to ne- gotiate surrender of the great Loyal ist base on Minorca Island to the Nationalists on condition that only Spanish troops occupy 1t, 1t was learned today.
 It was asserted that the move, made because so far all efforts to end the war itself by mediation had failed, was due to fear that the Italians based on nearby Majorca Island might occupy Minorca, one of the most important strategic bases in the Mediterranean and a grave threat to Frances communi- cations.
 It was believed in London that the Loyalists, their leaders in dis agreement, could be induced to make peace on one condition-that they were given some kind of assrr- ances against reprisals.
 The Nationalists had rebuffed