Do mention the war
From Oliver Berlau
Sir: Dan Hannan is, of course, right in saying that the subject of the Civil War was close to a taboo in the first decades after the transition (‘Ghosts of the Spanish Civil War’, 17 June). My wife, who’s from northern Valencia, showed me her secondary school history book — not even a full page was dedicated to the war. But I do not agree with Mr Hannan when he writes that the subject should best be forgotten. There has to be an open discussion about the Civil War. Without it, both sides will cling to versions of history where either the brave and noble defenders of the true faith defeated the communist monster, or the brave and noble defenders of a democratically elected government were defeated by the fascist monster. Oliver Berlau
Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey
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