Air War in Spain Apart from the bombing outrages there
is no military movement of outstanding importance in Spain to report. A new offensive by General Franco was announced at the beginning of the week, and substantial progress has in fact been made by the Nationalist forces advancing on the coast town of Castillon ; but this is simply the continuance of a prolonged operation. In the north bombs have again been dropped on French soil and the Prime Minister, M. Daladier, has given orders that any aeroplanes seen to cross the frontier shall immediately be fired on or engaged by French fighters. Steps as effective cannot unfortunately be taken for the protection of British ships in Spanish harbours, for the Nationalists argue with some show of plausibility that they are entitled to bomb the ports and that if British ships are lying in the ports it may be impossible to avoid hitting them. There have, however, been flagrant cases in which British ships have obviously been deliberately attacked by low-flying aeroplanes. It is clearly part of the insurgents' considered policy to achieve their ends by terrorising civilian populations and effecting a partial blockade of Government Spain by attacking ships of any nationality which are carrying goods of any kind to Government ports. The British Government cannot demand that a port shall not be bombed because a British ship is unloading there, for that would be in effect intervention on the side of the Republicans. Its problem is to decide when an attack on a British ship is deliberate and devise some measure more effective than a diplomatic protest for dealing with the situation.
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