"War Won," ''Franco Crushed"

Last week Rightist troops were able to bite off 170 more square miles of Leftist territory, and Leftists in turn nibbled away three square miles from the Right. The Left advance was in the vague, poorly held line northwest of Cordoba in the south, while the Rightist bite, close to the Pyrenees near Jaca, included a rich plum, the strategically important San Pedro Hill, one of the key points in the long delayed, highly advertised Rightist offensive on the Aragon front that was to end the war before winter.

The days clicked off, winter crept nearer, and the big offensive did not start, but Rightist chances in Spain and in the world outside (see p. 20) seemed bright enough for Burgos papers to carry this typical Spanish boast over the signature of Francisco Franco: "The war is won! It will finish with a general collapse of our opposition which each day becomes more certain. One day Spain will wake up and have the surprise of learning the war is over!" Boasted back the city of Madrid on banners unfurled Nov. 7 "On Nov. 7th we crushed Franco.! . . . Long live Madrid, the Capital of the World!"

No important military action by either side had taken place on Nov. 7. Preliminary to the great Franco offensive, Rightist bombers came meanwhile down from over the mountains to blast the living daylights out of Catalan Lerida, later Barbastro, killing some 300 civilians, in the process. It was useless to pretend that the towns lacked military importance. Lerida, a key town in the Leftist defense of Barcelona, was the temporary headquarters of Leftist Commander General Sebastian Pozas, and Barbastro not only contained many Leftist ammunition dumps but was last week an important Leftist base. One of Lerida's bombs landed smack on a public school, killed 70 children. Hundreds of adults were shot down by planes furiously strafing the streets. Three days later Leftist bombers were over Rightist held Saragossa in turn, blew up a munition dump. Elaborately Leftist propagandists explained that this was not retaliation. Because their strength depends entirely on their hold on the populous lower classes, Leftist strategists have scrupulously avoided bombing civilian centres.

Not yet has such a bombing produced its theoretical effect, the breakdown of civilian morale, but there were signs last week to show that in Catalonia at least it might. Catalans who indulge in street fighting at a hat's drop are in general poor soldiers. For a full year they frankly shirked their full share of Leftist fighting, partly because not one foot of Catalan territory is yet invaded by Rightist troops. Now, suddenly, they find that not only has their autonomous Catalan Government been practically swallowed by the Valencia regime, which fortnight ago moved its Spanish Leftist Government in on them at Barcelona, but that after 18 months of playing at war, they are about to be subjected to the fiercest offensive El Caudillo Franco, his Italian, Moorish and German allies can muster. United Press Correspondent Irving Pflaum, visiting the Aragon front last week, got this amazing dispatch past Catalan censors:

"It became evident, after touring the Loyalist front, that the shattered spirits of the Catalans constituted the principal reason for moving the Government from Valencia to Barcelona over the weekend.

"Another reason for the transfer was said to have been reports that the Catalans were negotiating for a separate peace with Franco.

"While many are talking of a Rebel victory others speak of a 'truce.'

"Catalonia's financial condition admittedly is poor, although officials insist it is 'only temporary.'

"Rich Catalan farmers, who experienced the recent Anarchist-Communist disorders, appear to favor the Rebel side as much as they do the present regime in Barcelona and it was indicated that the Negrin Government might assume a more conservative policy in order to win over these farmers and business men." The Negrin Government, not yet settled in their new offices in Barcelona, announced simultaneously that death would be the penalty for any Catalan trying to escape into France.

Madrid's morale has never been questioned. As Salamanca last week formally celebrated the 15th anniversary of Benito Mussolini's March on Rome, so last week Madrid celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Later the shell-pocked city had a celebration of its own to mark the first anniversary of its siege. Proudly wrote the Leftist daily, Informaciones: "Madrid has fulfilled its promise. They have not passed."

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