NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE proceedings of the Non-Intervention Committee inspire hope and dejection with regular and mono- tonous alternation. Last week we welcomed here, with reservations which rapidly proved justified, Count Grandi's acceptance of the principle that the process of withdrawing foreign combatants in Spain should be put in hand forthwith and the grant of belligerent rights postponed till withdrawal had made substantial progress. Forty-eight hours later that concession was completely nullified by the Italian delegate's .nnouncement that though a commission might be sent to Spain to ascertain the number of foreigners there Italy would nut lee bound by its conclusions. Over the week-end better counsels triumphed, and on Tuesday Count Grandi explained away his previous speech and accepted in toto the proposals sponsored by Great Britain and France. The effect, not perhaps undesigned, of that move is to mark Soviet Russia out as the one recalcitrant, though M. Maisky gave some vague signs of modifying his refusal to consider the grant of belligerent rights till the last foreigner had left Spanish shores. That, however, is a bridge that it is unneces- sary to cross till it is reached. There seems reasonable ground for hope now that the next step, the despatch of commissions to discover how many foreigners are fighting on each side, will be taken without serious delay, though if anyone is anxious to procrastinate there is still abundant opportunity. But the theory that Signor Mussolini is tiring of his Spanish adventure is not to be ruled out completely.
