The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-02-09

umn directly toward Port Bou, . dozen miles away, in an effort to overtake Negrin.
 Last Troops In France
 The Republican premier. after Q conference ct Le Perthus with cab- inet and military officials, departed for Port Bou, which is Just below the French frontier. by automobile, As he departed, the last groups of Loyalist troops evacuating Cata- lonia by the Le Perthus route were crossing the bridge to France.
 Behind them came Solchaga's Navarrese, which played c major role in cooperation with Italian units in the Catalan offensive. No shot was fired as the Navarrese marched to the bridge at the town of Le Perthus where they were met by Q barricade of French Mobile Guards. The guards escorted the Nationalist officers into Le Perthus, pointing out the frontier line.
 Navarrese Infantry Are In About 2,o00 Navarrese infantry, led by band and with their colrs plying, marched into the part of the town that is on Spanish soil. Men of Major Pombos' battalion and of General Juan Bautista's 18th division tore down the Republican flags and ran up the flag of Ma. tionalist Spain over Q police station. The band played the Navarro An. them.
 Meanwhile, French Deputy Jean Malvy arrived at the frontier from Paris en route to Burgos on q spe. cial mission to Franco, Malvy was understood to be one of several candidates for ambassador to Na- tionalist Spain.
 About 2,00o Republican soldiers crossed the frontier ct run during the afternoon.
 Conflicting Rumors
 The departure of Negrin from Le Perthus came after many conflicting rumors as to whether the Republi- cans would surrender.
 His departure was preceded by Q morning study of army reports and maps with Foreign Minister Julio Alvarez Del Vayo and General Vicente Rojo, aCtalonian chief of stan. He also teiephoned to Paris, where President Manuel Azana was in conference with Republican chiefs.
 Negrin left by automobile. He was accompanied only by few secre. taries and an army truck loaded with trunks containing the govern ment records and his personal Do. longings.
 It was expected Negrin would fly to Valencia from Port Bou If the French permit him, otherwise he would 90 by boat. Del Vayo remain- cd behind to supervise the final evacuation of army refugees from Catalonia Into France.
 Indicates Defiance
 Negrin's departure seemed to indicate that tho Republican leaders on the Catalonian frontier and in central Spain had decided to defy General Francisco Franco's demand for unconditional surrender and to hold out in Madrid and central Spain with the army of more than 300,00o commanded by General Jose Miaja.
 Although Negrin conferred by telephone with Paris, it was not known whether President Azana and the leaders there agreed with his step. Azana so far has insisted that he wants peace.
 Negrin's final conferences were held at the capital" house No. a on the highway which runs through Le Perthus. It Is actually on span- ish soil, but on c tiny peninsula" projecting Into French territory.
 Coineident with Negrins depar. ture, the last few corps of the army still in Catalonia began retreating to France, barely six miles away.
 No Surrender Plans
 Angry and emphatic denias were Issued at the frontier and in Paris that either tho Loyalist government as c whole or General Miaja in central Spain were negotiating Q surrender. Frontier reports were that Miaja, adamant, insisted that he could hold Madrid If the road to, Valencia could Do kept open, and asked Negrin to advise him on tho possibility Of guarding sec com- munications for movement Of troops and supplies. A French radio news agency dispatch quoted Miaja as denying personally Paris reports that he was negotiating with the Nationalists.
 One thing was certain-that no- thing had been decided when the conferences started this morning.
 World Will Soon Know It was intimated that within c few hours, however, the world might know whether the Loyaiist leaders had decided to give up the fight on any terms they could get or keep one, hoping to get better terms and, at the same time, gambling on an outbreak of war in Europe which would force France to intervene to save the Republican cause because of the menace of Italian and Ger man troops on the Nationalist side.
 Directly conflicting reports-that Miaja had asked 6 safe conduct from France, that he was negotiat. ing with the Nationalists, that he had not asked France for anything, that he of all men wanted to fight 1t out as he had done at Madrid when others thought all was lost were typical of the confusion which was but natural in a situation such as this, where not only the fate of hundreds of thousands eg indi- viduaIs but great world issues were