THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 17, 1937.
ENCIRCLEMENT OF BILBAO Insurgent Forces Still Unable To Occupy City
BOMBING ATTACKS
CONTINUE
Paris, To-day.
Although insurgent headquarters claim that a drive along the seacoast has enabled the encircle- ment of Bilbao, Franco's forces have been unable to occupy the city.
Machine-gun nests in houses have inflicted heavy losses on attackers, and though it is claim- ed that the Basques have been demoralised, their resistance has not yet been abandoned.
Of Nervion
San Sebastian, To-day. CITY ENCIRCLED
General Franco's Insurgents Reach South troops continued what insurgent headquarters believe to be the final stage of the investment of Bilbao yesterday.
Operations mainly took place in the coastal sector, where the rebels took the village of Sepelana and Guecho.
Rebel planes again bombed and machine-gunned Bilbao and the road to Santander, in an effort to break up troop movements.
from
Salamanca, To-day. With the reaching of the mouth of the river Nervion by Nationalist troops yester- day, Bilbao is completely en- circled. Dos Caminos, a suburb of Bilbao, and the villages of San Miguel, de Bassauri and Bedia were oc- cupied.
Owing to the general disörder pre- vailing in Bilbao, several persons who had been imprisoned, managed to escape and reach General Franco's lines.
Yesterday afternoon anum- The Nationalist fleet captured a ber of refugees
Bilbao tanker outside the harbour, and came through the insurgent brought it to the harbour of Passa- lines to Plencia.
jes.
It had several hundred persons, From accounts given by the re-
invalids оп fugees of conditions in Bilbao, it women, children and seems that the fall of the "iron board.
moraie ring" has undermined the and discipline
the Basque militia.
of
CHURCH SET ON FIRE
In Las Arenas, a seaside resort near Bilbao, the Church of Santa Marina was set on fire by a mob early yesterday morning.
A number of hostages held by been the Basques in Bilbao have transferred to Santander.
It is reliably stated here that the insurgents captured મ yacht yesterday morning in which several Basque com- månders were endeavouring to escape to France,
From Paris, it is reported that the wife of President Aguirre, ac- companied by her sister, arrived at Bayonne yesteday.
ARAGON FRONT
GERMANY'S
Buying A Bridge RETURN TO
With Onions!
Cairo, To-day.
The Egyption Government in- tends, it is learned, to pay for a bridge over the Nile ordered by Krupp in Essen, to cost £145,572, not in cash, but up to the sum of £35,000 in
onions.
A similar deal was made with the Reich in 1935, when Egypt purchased an Embassy building in Berlin and paid for it with onions.-Trans-Ocean. 194¶EUTAZEUGHE_EXTAIH1N4RSTELLUN7515928TEUERKLÆÆLuan
Franco Condemns Phalangists
"Purge" Fever Reaches Spain
St. Jean de Luz, To-day. Senor Hedilla, leader of the Spanish insurgent Phalangists, or Fascists, together with pha- langist leaders in the Biscaye, Salamanca, Burgos and Toledo districts, are reported to have been sentenced to death.
The sentence, which was passed by the insurgent War Council for conspiring against the safety of the State, is expected to be communted by General Franco to hard labour for life.
NON-INTERVENTION COMMITTEE
J
London, To-day
The Italo-German decisión to return to the non-intervention committee was taken in ad- vance of receipt of the assur- ances sought from the two sides in Spain.
This was pointed out by the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, in the House of Commons yesterday.
"The Government," he said, "are not satisfied with the working of the non-intervention scheme regarding traffic in aeroplanes."
INTERESTS OF PEACE
At the same time the scheme was part of the general European agree- ment in the interests of peace and the House would wish to consider very carefully before taking action which might imperil it.
It was perfectly true, he con- cluded, that there were large num bers of foreign aeroplanes on both sides.-Reuter.
Amelia Leaves For Calcutta
Karachi, To-day, The trial clarifies the position From St. Jean de Luz it is re-
Continuing her East to West within the insurgent camp, in which round-the-world flight, Amelia arrived ported that a motorboat here with six high officials of
the Phalangists' social and political Earhart (Mrs. Putnam) took off for the Bilbao Government, including the ideals are considered too revolution- Calcutta at 7.25 (local time) this Harbour Master, on board.
ary-Reuter.
are seeking refuge in France. Trans-Ocean.
They
CONFERENCE IN PARIS
Of Second And Third Internationales
Moscow, To-day. M. Dimitroff, leader of the Com- intern, has summoned a confer- ence of representatives of the Se- cond and Third International in Paris, which will sit on June 19th. It is stated that the Conference will issue a manifesto to all Prole- tariats of the world to make utmost efforts in support of the Govern- ment in Spain.
It is stated that de Broucker, the leader of the Second International, A communique issued in Valencia will attend the conference and that says that the Republicans have a delegation of the Third Interna- taken the offensive on the Aragon tional will be headed by the Secre front, where the insurgent positions tary General of the French Com- at Santa Quiterua, south-east of munist Party, Thorez, Trans- Saragossa, have fallen.
war
Many prisoners and much material are said to have been
captured. Trans-Ocean.
FRENCH CONSUL SAFE
Paris, To-day. The French Consul at Bilbao ar- rived at St. Jean de Luz on board a French destroyer yesterday:
Ocean.
A
says
}
Lansbury To Meet Mussolini
bury,
message from
London
that Mr. George Lans- prominent labour M. P. who met Reichsfuehrer Adolf Hitler this spring, announced on He said that the damage done by Monday that he will meet Premier the insurgent bombardment in the Benito Mussolini' this summer to streets of Bilbao was very slight.-discuss the problems of peace and Trans-Ocean.
war.
morning.-Reuter.
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