THE TABLET A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER AND REVIEW

ESTABLISHED 1840 REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER

VOL. 170 No. 5076

LONDON AUGUST 21st, 1937

SIXPENCE

MAIN FEATURES

CHRISTOPHER HOLLIS ON RUMOURS OF WAR

A discussion of last changes and last chances

FRENCH CATHOLICS AND SPAIN

Reginald Dingle attacks certain intellectuals

THE WORLD CONFERENCE AT EDINBURGH

An Observer’s Conclusions

THE LATEST FROM THE FORUMS

A Satirical Poem on our Brave New World

THE WORLD WEEK BY WEEK The Evacuation of Shanghai

The Capture of Reinosa

The majority of Britons will probably regard the evacuation of a considerable proportion of the British residents from Shanghai much as they would if the city were Addis Ababa or Bilbao. But if we have regard to what was once the prestige of the British colony at Shanghai all over the Far East, a better comparison would be with the partial evacuation of Gibraltar.

Not that Shanghai was a fortified stronghold. British prestige there depended chiefly on the maintenance of an overwhelming Britishness on a lavish scale, in almost complete mental isolation from the surrounding “ Chinks.” But, of course, British troops were regularly stationed there, and in 1927 heavy reinforcements were sent to protect British persons and interests against Chinese mobs whose hostility was then directed against the British. The Japanese are now quoting this precedent to justify their own action in using Shanghai as a naval and military base. They are also claiming that an agreement made after the fighting in 1932 deprived the Chinese of the right to station troops in Shanghai for the purpose of defence.

The Chinese reply to this is that a sovereign State could not possibly restrict herself permanently from defending herself against invasion and that, in any case, the de facto neutralization of Shanghai ceased when the Japanese made it once more the base of military operations.

But amid the welter of legal argument and cannonades, ■one fact will stand out in Eastern eyes : the British, or at least some of them, are going. Sic transit gloria mumli!

After a period of inactivity owing to the intense heat, General Franco’s troops have recommenced their advance on Santander. The latest news reports the capture of Reinosa. This may prove of great importance, for Reinosa is the only town in that part of the world possessed of munition factories. The Government troops at Santander, isolated from their allies, must be hard pressed for munitions, and, even under conditions of non-intervention, it will be difficult for either Russian or French supplies to get in in large quantities. It seems that by the junction of their two columns the Nationalists have succeeded in cutting off considerable Government forces from their base. It is true that the forces engaged are not large enough really to encircle large areas, and one must not be deluded by markings on maps into thinking of unbroken lines of troops similar to those of the European War. It is probable enough that most of the Government troops will be able to slip through the encircling lines and find their way back to Santander. Yet they cannot take their equipment with them across hill and dale, and, if the roads are held, it seems inevitable that large stores must fall into Nationalist hands. Indeed, a considerable quantity has already been captured. It is said to be the Nationalist intention to clear up the Northern sector before the end of October and the autumn rains. The Radio as an Offensive Weapon

The frank recognition by General Franco’s troops of the radio as a weapon of war shows an encouraging capacity to see things as they are, unduped by the