German Commandant Refused To Surrender Freighter—Spain Must First Return Nazi Cargo
Warships of Many Nations Are on Watery Stage of Drama; Europe Is Watching Anxiously
GERMAN WARSHIPS ORDERED TO CONTINUE SEIZURES
BY FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ
Santander, Spain, Jan. 4—(UP)—A Spanish coastal freighter and its captor, a grim German cruiser steamed together off the Bay of Biscay coast today, making history. Spanish loyalist authorities flashed a series of angry messages to the cruiser, demanding the little ship’s return.
Same Reply to Each Wireless
To each message, the German commandant wirelessed back imperturably that he would release the ship when Spanish authorities released the cargo and a passenger seized from a German ship, the Palos, during the Christmas holidays.
Europe Is Anxiously Watching
There seemed obvious danger of an incident that would necessitate all the coolness and resource of European chancelleries, now watching this situation anxiously, to prevent a spread of what is now only a Spanish civil war.
Not only the German ship and its prize, but other German ships. Spanish Loyalist submarines. Nationalist warships and warships of other nations were on the watery stage of the drama at the edge of the Bay of Biscay. The ships immediately involved are the 18-year old, 607 ton freighter Marta Junquera of Santander and the crack cruiser Koenigsberg, 6,000 tons.
Was Stopped Yesterday
The Marta Junquera left Bilbao with a cargo of potatoes and other foodstuffs for Santander, 40 miles along the coast. Halfway, it was stopped by the Koenigsberg yesterday and “provisionally seized” because Basque provinces authorities persisted in their refusal to surrender the cargo or passenger of the Palos.
Basque authorities say that the Palos was seized inside the three mile limit of territorial waters, carrying a war cargo for the Nationalist and a Spanish passenger whose papers were not In order. Hence they justify their retention of the cargo and passenger.
Germany denies that the seizure was inside the three-mile limit, denies that the cargo was of war materials, and denies the right of Spanish authorities to take the passenger off the Palos—technically German territory.
Third of Seizures
The seizure of the Marta Junquera was the third in retaliation for the Palos incident. The first seizure was that of the loyalist freighter Aragon off the south coast In the Mediterranean, by the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee. The Aragon and the Graf Spee are still cruising off Cadiz. Second was the attempted seizure of the loyalist freighter Soton by the Koenigsberg In the Santander area. It has now been clarified that the Soton escaped by a ruse and was beached near Santona, and was refloated yesterday.
“I am awaiting orders from the government before I take steps,” said Governor Ruiz Olazaran of Santander, to the United Press. “I hope that the Koenigsberg will release the Marta Junquera today. If it continues to provoke us and does not leave the neighborhood, we can not foresee the ultimate outcome of these attacks. The fact that our government is the legitimate one in a guarantee that we shall act with dignity and will tolerate as much as we can. But we can not submit to attack by foreign countries while liberal, justice loving countries remain passive.
Sore At Germany
“It is unbelievable that the ships of a legal government can not navigate within its territorial waters because ships of another country prevent it. The Nazis are no longer satisfied with sending volunteers to aid the nationalists; they are sending their fleet to help them also. The Germans are seeking trouble by every means.”
This was the second serious incident of the week end off the coast. The first was the firing by nationalist warships on the British freighter Blackhill. The Blackhill escaped and arrived here to load ore.
While the Marta Junquera was being seized yesterday, a British destroyer anchored in Santander bay. Many of its crew visited Santander, to be cheered enthusiastically by townspeople who shouted “long live an honest navy.”
By EDWARD BEATTIE
(United Press Staff Correspondent)
Berlin, Jan. 4.—(UP)—Two new incidents calculated to harden Germany’s policy toward loyalist Spain were reported today as the government made it plain that no cessation of its seizures of loyalist ships was to be expected until satisfaction was obtained for the seizure of the German freighter Palos‘s cargo.
It was announced that two large loyalist trawlers fired on the German steamship Pluto, 1,412 tons, of Bremen 21 miles off Bilboa on the Bay of Biscay coast December 20, forced it to halt and then made it proceed for a distance toward Bilbao. This Incident, the communique said, seemed to indicate that the loyalist government had ordered its ships to proceed especially against German vessels. Delay In announcing the Incident was explained on the ground that the Pluto‘s master reported it to the government only yesterday.
Situation Is Difficult
An authoritative spokesman said that this made considerably more difficult a situation which already seems to be causing anxiety abroad.
A second incident was the execution of a German, Lothar Guedde, by loyalist authorities In the Bilbao area. Though Guedde was executed in November, news of his death has just been received and published with the statement that he died like a hero, giving farewell “heils” for Feuhrer Adolph Hitler, for Germany and for Spain. His execution according to the official news agency “can only be called cowardly murder,”
Angry At Basques
Officials expressed anger over an assertion of Basque provincial authorities that the cruiser Koenigsberg, operating off the Bay of Biscay coast, halted the British steamship Blackhill after the Blackhill had been fired upon by a nationalist trawler. The report was denounced as an invention. What happened, it was said, was that the Koenigsberg and the Blackhill merely exchanged their names by Morse code, as was customary, when they passed each other off the Spanish coast on the night of January 1. (The Blackhill‘s British owners agreed that the report was false and that the Koenigsberg and Blackhill never were near each other.)
Official Communique
The official communique on the alleged seizure of the steamer Pluto gave the impression that the ship was forced to steam two hours In the direction of Bilbao and then freed. Headed “another act of violence by the Spanish bolshevists against a German steamer,” the communique said:
“According to reports received Sunday another flagrant violation of German sovereign rights has been committed by red Spanish patrol boats on the Spanish north coast.
“The captain of the German steamer Pluto reports that the steamer on December 20, 21 miles north of Bilbao, was halted by shots from two large red fishing steamers and forced for two hours to change its course toward Bilbao.
“It follows herefrom that the red authorities in Spain a long time ago ordered their naval forces to proceed against German merchant ships even if they are far outside Spanish territorial waters. This further confirms that the German steamer Palos also was seized far outside Spanish territorial limits, a fact which it is recalled was denied by red authorities.”
Will Not Negotiate
Valencia, Jan. 4 (U.P.)—The loyalist government will refuse to negotiate with German warship commanders over seizure of loyalist ships but will seek diplomatic action to meet what It calls an act of war, an official statement said today.
Commenting on a request by the admiral commanding German ships off the Bay of Biscay for return of the cargo and a passenger taken from the German freighter Palos—the reason for the German retaliatory seizures—the official statement said:
“The government of Santander has examined the situation and refused to accept the proposals of the German admiral owing to the wide disparrity betwen the exercise of a legitimate right and the realization of an act of aggression and war.
“Neither will the government reply directly to the admiral—not only because of the Improper form in which his proposal was sent but because of its tone, which was suitable only for a colony.
“In view of all these incidents, which fully confirm the Spanish thesis regarding the growing danger of an extention of the conflict incidents which Is not rapidly restrained will lead to irreparable consequences—the government has decided to treat the new situation in the diplomatic manner which its extraordinary gravity necessitates.”
The Waterbury Democrat, Waterbury, CT, January 4, 1937