The Man.

First impressions were of a young man, a little older than his years (thirty-five we guessed) with a real "scraper's" face carelessly dressed, bronzed skin, steady brown eyes, hands hanging unusually loosely at his sides (due we discovered later, to the effects of a bullet through the right shoulder). Didn't mind being called Tom. I had not asked him many questions before realising that this was a man in a thousand; not only a fighter but well informed, clear-thinking, and the possessor of firm convictions.

Students in Spain.

"Yes there's plenty of students fighting for the Loyalists (Government), mostly from America," was the reply to our first question. "Not only students but professors. I met prof. (now Colonel) Merriman from Harvard, Prof. (now Colonel) Dunbar and several other American students as well as Spring (Christopher St. John) the young English Poet. The political education of the American students is on a pretty high level," said Lieut. Spiner. "Lister and Campesino for example are generals who have proved their worth. Military men regared Franco as a goat. So they did Mola before he died. If Franco had taken the advice of his German assistants and made a flank attack on Madrid through the Valencia road he'd have been in there long ago. But no. Nothing would do Franco but an impressive frontal attack, he lost his chance and lost It forever. November 18, 1936, was the day he said he'd be in Madrid. There's a cafe there where they keep a seat with a notice. 'Reserved for Gen. Franco.' It's been waiting for over eighteen months now and it's still empty. It'll stay empty too?"

"Things must have been pretty close that November," I hazarded. He looked at me for a moment with a quiet smile. "I'll say."

Propaganda Warfare.

I asked about the use of propaganda by both sides. He told of the Government's efforts first. "A big truck with a powerful loud speaker comes up at night time just behind the lines of political instruction. We explained our view of things pretty carefully and thoroughly. In the end lots of them volunteered quite freely to join the Government's Garibaldi (Italian) Anti-fascist section of the International Brigade. There's lots of Germans and Italians now who've gone back to Spain to 'get a crack' at Hitler and Mussolini."

"But are those volunteers sincere?"

"Yes, quite sincere. They made their choice quite freely. Once they found out 'what was what' and were convinced that we were telling them the truth, they just wanted to get a crack at those who'd deceived them. Of course we take precautions in case they're not sincere, but generally that's not necessary."

Franco's Prisoners.

"What does Franco do with his prisoners?"

"Franco doesn't keep many prisoners. They're generally shot unless they can be used. If the Moors get you it's 'good-night, nurse!' Ted Dickinson and some other 'Aussies' were captured and the Moors were just going.