Give In or Die

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 129, 17 June 1937, Page 5

Give In or Die

—Presa Assn.

BASQUES WARNED Terrific Fighting Around Bilbao DESPERATE DEFENCE

(By Telesraph-

— Copyright.)

(Eeceived 17, 11.30 a.m.) HENDAYE, June 16. "Tweedledum has become Tweedledee" according to the latest insurgent communique which, with grim irony, labels the Government supporters "rebels" and declares that the Basques will be responsible if the war is carried to the centre of Bilbao, "as General Franco brings only peace and he has no rancour against those who have been misguided enough to rebel against him." The communique goes on to accuse the Basques of all the destruction and atrocities in the past few weeks, and it adds that they were terrorised by foreign leaders, while only 100 per cent. Spaniards were fighting on behalf of General Franco. The insurgents admit that the Basques are contesting every inch of. the insurgent advance. Terrific fighting continues on the outsliirts of Bilbao and the hills are reported to be covered with dead. Planes of the Spanish insurgent forces dropped thousands of leaflets oyer Bilbao, signed by General Franco, and saying: "If you persist, death and destruction await you. Those who surrender arms will be unharmed provided they have not committed crimes," Broadcasts from the radio station at Durengo warned the Basques to avoid using the streets and not be tompted to make a general exodus to the west, which would inevitably lead to a panic and carnage. A report from Salamanca elaims that out of 8,000 Basques, who were cut off by General Valido's forces, 6,000 surrendered. A Spanish Government communique issued from Valencia admits that the enemy has broken through the belt of Basque fortifications, and has sqcceeded in occupving a number of hills along the right bank of the Kiver Nervion. An unconfirmed report from Bayonne says that fighting has broken out between Communists and the lesa extreme elements who have been trying to prevent the Communists from setting fire to the city before .the evacuation. The British Admiralty has announeed that in order to rest the personnel of t.he destroyers of the Mediterranean fieet engaged in non-intervention patrol rjuty on the south and east coasts of Spain the first minesweeping flotilla will take a turn of a month's duty from July 12.