Britain Holds the Baby?

When dynamic, new Premier Negrin of the Spanish Leftists made his flying visit to Paris fortnight ago, passionately imploring aid (TIME, July 12). the canny French General Staff reputedly urged that he test and prove the present fitness of Spain's Leftist militia by ordering a full-scale offensive. Last week Premier Negrin, at Valencia, was at the controls of a Leftist offensive which sent 30,000 militia rushing out of Madrid in heroic, bloody efforts to dislodge decisively the besieging Rightists.

General Franco's G.H.Q. tersely admitted that Madrid General Miaja was making "the most violent drive the enemy has ever attempted." According to the Leftists their advance swept westward of Madrid in a swath ten miles wide and ten miles deep. They claimed to have taken six strategic towns, including Brunete, while according to the Rightists this objective was never quite reached. On the northwest side of Madrid the Rightists remained entrenched in suburban University City, their "foot in Madrid's door." After five days of what all agreed had been some of the hardest troop fighting of the war, plus incessant air battles and machine-gunning of ground forces by planes, General Miaja said the loss of life in his offensive had been "very small" and that air raids on the day of hottest fighting were "without a single loss for the Loyal aviation."

General Franco's headquarters declared that one Leftist force of 500 militia had been cut down to. 14 survivors and claimed Miaja's offensive was costing "astronomical losses." Miaja relaxed censorship to permit Madrid correspondents to cable human interest stories of the killing in action of three U. S. volunteers who died last week for Leftist Spain with their "home addresses not listed": Jean Bronstein, Dave Walbo and Ray Peters. Trooper Larry O'Toole of Jersey City said he was wounded not in action but emerging from a store, his tunic stuffed with tomatoes and a bottle of wine. Boasted Manhattan Negro Walter Garland, commander of a Leftist machine gun company: "We took three towns in a row without stopping to rest, fighting like demons!"

General Franco this week claimed to be using 250 planes against Madrid and its offensive. His own offensive in the North was creeping toward Santander, bombed last week with leaflets reading "SURRENDER OR TAKE THE CONSEQUENCES!" Suddenly he sent to the British Government threats to seize British property in his part of Spain unless the Rightists are granted recognition and "belligerent rights" by London. For the first time in several weeks strong rumor revived that Adolf Hitler might further complicate matters by "creating a diversion from the Spanish war," attempting a putsch in Austria.

In London the British and French had given out that they would face Italy and Germany with a solid bloc of opposition in the International Committee on Non-intervention in Spain of 27 European states last week, but only Russia and Turkey stood with Britain and France--all the minor nations remaining neutral. The committee then unanimously dumped its job of attempting Spanish conciliation in the lap of its chairman, Lord Plymouth, authorizing him to act privately on behalf of all to seek a compromise. Before he could get started, the French threatened this week to open up their frontier to supply the Leftists with arms unless Portugal, which has been supplying the Rightists, closes hers. Foreign Secretary Eden cruised to Deauville on the yacht Princess, conferred with British Ambassador to France Sir Eric Phipps, steamed back to England and was reported about to propose a British compromise plan to the French, Germans and Italians. Cracked a Downing Street wit: "BRITAIN HOLDS THE BABY."

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