SIR,—I enclose a letter from a friend of mine in

Spain, which may be of interest to you. I do not wholly associate myself with all Mr. Bonet's views, but he is someone I have known personally for 15 years past, and is a man of considerable standing and one whom I have always found careful and deliberate in his judgements.—Yours very truly,

4 Mermaid Court, London, S.E.1. E. S. BARING-GOULD.

Dear Mr. Baring-Gould, I wish to thank you very much indeed for your kind letter of October 12th and for the interest shown therein in regard to my present situation.

It affords me great pleasure to be able to write to you again from this Spanish soil ; from the real and genuine Spain, which is quite free from the infected Marxist virus. I arrived to this glorious Seville, full of faith and enthusiasm, together with my wife and six children. To a city which has been converted into a new Covadonga by word and deed of its leader, my good friend, General Queipo do Llano. We shall await the fall of Madrid from hero, without undue impatience. The capital is being gained on the Mediterranean Sea. The stronger the resistance put forward by the reds in Madrid, the sooner the intent of Sovietising Spain will be done away with. There is no doubt that the spirit of Lenin will receive its mortal wound right on the Spanish soil.

As I informed you in my previous letter, we left Cataluna in a horrified state of spirits, but what we, saw, all that came to our knowledge there, is of little importance as compared with the horrid crimes committed by the Sovietised Spanish Marxists in Andalousia. It makes one ill to try to describe them and I will certainly save you the unpleasantness of reading thorn. All details thereof, together with irrefutable proofs, names of witnesses, &c., are being officially published. Those hyenas had no respect. for children, women, old aged or oven patients. It is very difficult to grasp the cruelty and savagery with which these people acted at all times, but, unfortunately, it is all a cruel fact. They murdered, violated, ransacked and burned at their leisure. The worst methods, the cruellest ideas were put into practice by these soulless reds.

Have you ever read the statistics published in regard to those outrages and crimes 1 They are simply enormous ! Did you know, for example, that the Marxist authorities armed the people. let free all common criminals from the prisons and placed homicidal arms into their hands ? That was really the Soviet signal. The triumph of the left parties in the month of February was most illegal. They stole the majority of the election certificates, com- mitted enormous outrages and overruled by their terror. At the very start, the " Popular Front " (be careful there in England with this Moseovite invention) showed already signs of its limited life.

I believe that I have already mentioned something about the too expectant attitude adopted by England. My own love for that country justifies, I think, my insistence on this point. Many people appreciate that the attitude adopted by Great Britain has favoured the reds to a certain extent on account of the puritanic way of considering the so-called Madrid Government a " legal " government. Can a group of individuals who, by violent means, take possession of a government of a country and foment disorder and even encourage their own people to commit outrages and crimes, be called a " legal " government ? Can it be called a " legal " government when it is acting under the direct influence of Moscow It gives me real pain to sec that noble English country so indifferent at these vandalic crimes.

I have been a witness of it all. I was at first in the red zone, naturally under a certain amount of danger, and now I find myself, thanks to my good fortune, in the blue zone. I am therefore in a position to declare in a most emphatic manner, that the reds have committed and are still committing all sorts of crimes and outrages, and that, on their side, only disaster and complete disorder prevail, whereas, on the contrary, in the territory dominated by the Nationalists, there is complete order and tranquillity ; life is quite normal again and absolutely safe, and the people are able to move about in complete freedom. The reprisals which the military organisations may have taken against certain individuals, are all fully justified. They always act within the laws of the country, and only against real criminals who gloated over defenceless and innocent beings. I am fully aware of your own personal feelings in regard to the struggle which is now being held in this country in order to save occidental civilisation, but I fail to understand the attitude which has been adopted by the leaders of that great English country who always had men of exceptionally good qualities to keep the world properly balanced. Can it be possible that the tragic fate of Spain, who is suffering and exhausting all her possible means for the good of humanity, means nothing to them ?

What a contrast with past positions ! In order to repress the enslaving ambition of the famous Corsican, England sent over to Spain one day her best Soldier. She then considered the genial Captain a real danger to Europe and the whole world. Does the inexorable and barbarous Soviet imperialism mean nothing to her now ? Does she really believe that within her insular independence the splashes of the Soviets would never reach her ? What a terrible mistake ! It is enough to see Portugal's example, so closely bound to Spain, and who has seen the danger so near at hand.

Against such a destructive invasion, a new Spain has arisen, in a valiant and energetic way, and in her desire to see herself free from the possibility of being converted into a Colony of Moscow. But, would it, by chance, be convenient to England, that a Soviet power be established on the Mediterranean Sea ? I. believe that I have

already mentioned the gist of the problem ; i.e., the Mare Nostrum.

How would it be possible that Italy might allow Russia to take possession of the Spanish Levant ? And, what about Germany ?

And, least of all, Spain herself, who now rises up again, powerful and vigorous, in the midst of Europe. I was sorry to learn of England's opposition to Italy's pretensions in Abyssinia. Don't you think this was a mistake ? Is it not a well-known fact that Italy is in need of colonies ? Is it not also true that Germany has the same needs ? I rather think that England is fully aware of all this. But, if the main point is the Mediterranean Sea, would not

England's present attitude signify a -loss of her old power over the Latin Sea, or over the Strait, or even over the Gibraltar zone itself ? Lately, I have noticed a certain evolution in the way the English papers look at the Spanish situation, and I think this is quite a good

sign. In the end, England will no doubt find it convenient to her interests to support the .Nationalists in certain aspects, the main reason being, among others, that Spain is fighting in favour of civilisation and in opposition to the Asiatie fury of the marxists.

It is perfectly clear that an international battle is being held in Spain, and that the Soviet monster will finally be destroyed right here ; all the more to Spain's glory and in a similar way as she acted upon a splendid and remote date, when she could count with the support of the military genius, the Iron Duke.

The false legend of the " military act " must be done away with altogether. The National Army did no more than follow the

National feelings before the devastating marxism. How could they possibly have been able to maintain themselves, grow, make such considerable progress and gradually manage to reconquer whole provinces, had they not been supported by all social classes and the popular masses themselves ? It is a well extended fact that a military uprising is forced to triumph within a few hours, or, maybe, within a few days from its start. But such was not the case .in the present struggle in Spain, although, in spite of all, the triumph of the Nationalists is sure to come in the end. And it will be a most crushing victory. Merely because it will arise from the very people and is supported by the masses who are fighting with faith and heroism, and defend themselves with all their heart. Franco is really something more than a military leader—he is, above all, a symbol of the Immortal Spain.

This valiant and splendid gest of the new Spain is more than sufficient to move to sympathy all the civilised nations. Lenin's prophecy will certainly not be fulfilled. ''Spain 'shall not be the first nation in the world to follow Russia. While redeeming herself, while she gots rid of the Soviet poison, she will save the civilised cause and, eventually, she will no doubt deserve all the goodwill and respect of England and all other nations.

It is still time for England, the worthy and noble country, to take part in this new crusade against the barbarous communism. The old Hispanic Lion has more heart and courage than it really needs, but the moral support of Great Britain, a sister country in the dis- covery of new empires, cannot possibly fail, so that the Moscoirit barbarism may be confined to within its own boundaries.

I am afraid that I am not in humour just now to talk about business for the near or far future, but it will not be at all inconveni- ent to point out that the present attitude adopted by England cannot possibly encourage the development of business affairs with Spain. On the other hand, you may probably admit that this expansion on my part in regard to the present Spanish situation is quite justi- fied. If, at the same time, this serves to create some atmosphere amongst your acquaintances and, maybe, through some official organ, I shall consider this letter as a good effort, although I aril afraid it has become excessively long.—Yours sincerely,

FEDERICO BONET.