"No Candy Drops"

A bright half-moon shining on Madrid from a clear, starry sky helped intensify the bloody horror of Spain's Civil War last week. It meant that the capital's inhabitants, beleaguered for nearly four months, had no respite even at night from Generalissimo Francisco Franco's White bombers.

In a desperate attempt to save the Madrid-Valencia road at which Generalissimo Franco's troops had been hammering for a fortnight, General Jose Miaja, Madrid's "Supreme Commander," led his Red Militia in person in an offensive on the Jarama River front southeast of the capital. To ensure surprise, trucks, and automobiles belonging to the Red Militia were camouflaged. Headlights, radiators, bumpers were painted to prevent their glittering in the sun. Immediately a White counterattack followed. Soon was raging what correspondents called "a massacre comparable to a battle in the World War." As Whites and Militia mowed each other down with machine guns, there was fought above them on the battle's second day the grimmest air duel they had yet seen. Down into their midst fell eleven planes--four Red, seven White. After three days of furious see-saw struggle with each army using the cream of its men, neither side had gained an inch.

That night to newspapermen General Miaja emphasized the strength of Generalissimo Franco's resistance. Declared he: "You must remember that the Insurgents are not firing at us with candy drops."

At Valencia, where for months the ex-Madrid Government of Premier Largo Caballero has been sitting and which Reds fear will be the next target for White guns, 1,800 workmen last week sweated to complete 46 concrete bomb-shelters designed to protect a million persons and "to make Valencia one of the safest cities in Europe."

Among distinguished founders of the Spanish Republic (TIME, April 20, 1931, et seq.) was Dr. Gregorio Maranon y Posadillo, famed biologist who was jailed under the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, was close in the running to be elected the Republic's first President. Said he last week: "The tyranny of General Primo de Rivera was just and tolerant compared to the oppressions of the present Madrid-Valencia regime. Every day they are killing men and women simply because they are suspected of having independent opinions. All the intelligentsia of Spain, with the exception of a few who favor Communism, have had to flee for their lives out of the part of our country controlled by Largo Caballero. I wish to express my disillusionment in Republican Spain and my remorse for having taken part in creating it."

Meanwhile in London the International Committee for Non-Intervention of 27 nations reached the end of five months and seven days of bickering, adopted formally an international ban on the entry of further volunteers and munitions into Spain, agreed to set up land and sea patrols to isolate the country. Dictators Hitler and Mussolini joined in this round robin of Peace and Neutrality. "They now believe," explained the New York Times's Frederick T. Birchall, that Franco "has enough . . . help from outside to enable him to become master of Spain." Said the Earl of Plymouth, patient chairman of the Non-Intervention Committee: "Our work has not been in vain. ... I am able to say it has been successful."

This just about lined up western Europe tacitly against Spain's Reds, caused them this week to stake everything on desperate sorties from Madrid, frantic efforts to inflict on the White besiegers quick losses heavy enough to make Europe change its mind.

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