NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE interest in Spanish affairs lies still in the diplomatic field rather than the military. No fighting of import- ance is taking place, the advance of General Franco's forces along the coast from Bilbao in the direction of Santander encountering little opposition. But the main part of the Basque army is still intact, and it will no doubt make its stand on positions of its own choosing to the east of San- tander. Little is happening at Madrid, and Barcelona is occupied as usual with the destruction and reconstruction of Cabinets. Actually the future course of the campaign will depend more on decisions now being considered, or already taken, in Berlin and Rome than on the movements of the contending armies in Spain. If the fixed resolve of Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini is to end non-intervention, ended it will be, for there has never been, and never could be, any question of an Anglo-French naval patrol organised in opposition to the views of the other two Powers. Non- intervention could no doubt continue in name without the naval patrol, but the same causes which made the patrol necessary would make non-intervention a farce if the patrol were ended. The general outlook is more fully discussed on later pages of this issue, the diplomatic aspect in a leading article and the military by Mr. G. L. Steer, who was in Bilbao till the city fell.
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