The Volunteer the Volunteer

...and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth. ABRAHAM LINCOLN TheThe Volunteerolunteer JOURNAL OF THEV VETERANS OF THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN BRIGADE Vol. XXVIII, No. 3 Sept 2006 Harry Randall, one of the stars of the new Spanish documentary about the vets, Souls without Borders. See page 7. The two youngest kids on the block. Milt Wolff toasts prominent anti-war activist Congresswoman Barbara Lee at her 60th The next generation picks up the story. See page 3. birthday party. Photo by Wanda Henig. The Good Fight Continues ALBA's newest book, page 12 Letter From the Editor It began with the sound of cannons, rifle fire, and -ma The Volunteer chine guns in the middle of a Saturday night in July 70 Journal of the years ago. The U.S. poet Muriel Rukeyser was in Barcelona, Veterans of the sent by a London magazine to cover the upcoming People’s Abraham Lincoln Brigade Olympics (an international protest against the games hosted an ALBA publication in Nazi Berlin). “The terror and habit of guns and warning 799 Broadway, Rm. 227 and fear descend on every system and are absorbed,” she New York, NY 10003 reported. “All but the hatred of fascists, which increases.” (212) 674-5398 Rukeyser wrote at a moment when people throughout Editorial Board the world expected the elected government to repel the Peter N. Carroll • Gina Herrmann military insurrection. Three years later, the war was over, Fraser Ottanelli • Abe Smorodin the years of dictatorship had begun, and Albert Camus Book Review Editor wrote sadly of the “bad wound in the heart” that afflicted Shirley Mangini those who had supported the republican cause. Art Director-Graphic Designer That ambiguous legacy—the fervor of fighting for de- Richard Bermack mocracy, the tragic defeat, the pall of the Franco Editorial Assistance years—will be the subject of commemorative gatherings Nancy Van Zwalenburg this year throughout Spain and the world. New documentary films are being released; monuments will be dedicated Submission of Manuscripts Please send manuscripts by E-mail or on disk. (see pages 1-2). ALBA will participate in many of these E-mail: [email protected] events and will sponsor others. We are also planning to unveil a major exhibition, “New York City and the Spanish Civil War,” at the Museum of the City of New York from March through Seeking Eyewitness Testimony August 2007. Funded by the Puffin Foundation, Ltd., co- Katie Halper and I are gathering video testimonies sponsored by the Cervantes Institute, and supported by the from New Yorkers who have firsthand memories of how staff at the Tamiment Library of New York University, the the Spanish Civil War was lived/perceived/represented in project includes a significant catalogue of essays and illus- New York City. This is part of a large project, whose main trations that reflects the most recent research about the event will be the exhibition at the Museum of the City of impact of the war on American citizens. We are currently New York (March-August 2007), “New York City and the organizing additional cultural events to enhance public Spanish Civil War.” awareness of this unique story. After New York, moreover, If you have memories you’d like to share on camera, or the show will travel to Spain for exhibition in Madrid and if you know of someone who might, please zap me an e- Barcelona. mail at [email protected]. On another international front, ALBA’s exhibition Thanks, “They Still Draw Pictures: Children’s Art in Wartime” is James D. Fernández opening at the Cervantes Institute of Moscow, where ac- companying catalogues have been produced in Russian and Spanish. That show will then move to the University of We also continue to find new historical collections to Alcala de Henares and other venues in Spain. add to the archives. Among recent acquisitions are the re- Closer to home, we are proud to announce the publica- cords of the Spanish Refugee Aid organization, a gold mine tion of The Good Fight Continues: World War II Letters from the of material revealing the history of those who fled the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, edited by Peter N. Carroll, Michael Franco regime (see page 9). Nash, and Melvin Small (see page 12). The volume offers As ever, we are glad to acknowledge the steady, loyal yet another example of the legacy of the Spanish Civil War, support of our readers and contributors. None of these not only for veterans of the war, but for the larger society. projects would bear fruit without you. Please come to our Books ordered through ALBA will be discounted; any programs, see what you’ve done. earnings from these sales go to ALBA. Peter N. Carroll 70th Anniversary Homage around the World Bristol Launches Year of Conferences photographs of the Spanish Civil War national volunteers in the Spanish In the first of what promises to be in a session entitled “The First Conflict Civil War, several Spanish organiza- a busy year of commemorative activi- of the Media Age, or How General tions have planned a series of ties, the Group for War and Cultural Franco lost the War of Images.” commemorative events for October. Studies of the University of Bristol, Two documentaries were also in- On the 70th anniversary of the England, hosted a three-day confer- cluded in the program and were Nationalist uprising, a small number ence entitled “War Without Limits: introduced by their directors. Both of veterans of the International Spain, 1936-1939.” Speakers hailed films had Welshmen as protagonists. Brigades are expected to participate in from as far away as New Zealand, The first, Filming the Brigaders--Homage public programs and to receive the Canada and Israel and as close by as or History by Colin Thomas, is the thanks of the Spanish people for their Bristol, London and Belfast. most polemic. Ostensibly a documen- efforts to defend the Spanish Republic. Approximately 40 papers were given tary on the history of the IB and their During the first weekend of over the three days. The wide range of memory in Wales, it actually compares October, the University of Salamanca topics touched on such aspects as the experiences of two Welshmen who is hosting an extensive international Spanish American poets, the role of fought in Spain, one in the IB and the conference on the theme “The the International Committee of the other in Franco’s Foreign Legion. The International Brigades: 70 Years of Red Cross, British IBers in the Second latter is presented in a more favorable Historical Memory.” The program, World War, Jewish volunteers, and re- light, as is the cause he fought for, which includes dozens of speakers, will pression in the region of Galicia or while the International Brigades are feature a roundtable discussion focus- Gibraltar during the conflict, to name seen under a most negative perspec- ing on the North American volunteers, just a few. The organizers were tive. Needless to say, the question and with speakers Moe Fishman, Milton Professors Martin Hurcombe and answer session that followed was al- Wolff, and ALBA Chair Peter Carroll. Debra Kelly. most as hot as the record temperatures The Madrid-based Association of Three plenary lectures were given outside. The second film, The Return Amigos of the International Brigades to a full house. Mike Richards of the Journey by Sarah Dickens, is the story (AABI) has organized a variety of University of the West of England of the recently deceased Alun Menai commemorative events to follow the spoke on “Public and Personal Williams, a Welsh medic in the IB, and academic conference in Salamanca. Memories of the War as Social his first return to Spain in 67 years, These include an introduction of the History.” Paul Preston of the London where he had the honor of unveiling a international veterans to the Congress School of Economics recounted the plaque to British dead of the 15th of Deputies; the unveiling of a monu- “War Crimes of General Franco,” un- Brigade on the Ebro battlefield. ment to the IBs at Morata de Tajuña, hesitatingly describing the persecution By all accounts, the conference one of the battlefields on the Jarama of Loyalist Spaniards as a “holocaust.” was a success and a great start to what front; and a ceremonial tribute to the French historian Rémi Skoutelsky promises to be a busy year. last Spanish commander of the IBs, commented on photographers and International congresses on the Pedro Mateo Merino. International Brigades are scheduled These events will be followed by a for Salamanca in October and Paris in trip to Zaragoza in the Aragon region, Corrections mid-November. In addition, an official where the Lola Soler Blazquez founda- In the last issue of The Volunteer, we congress with backing from the tion will bestow the new “Social Fight neglected to mention that $500 of Ministry of Culture will be held in Award” on the surviving veterans of the money raised at the Bay Area Madrid at the end of November. the International Brigades. Reunion in March was contributed to The School of the America's —Robert Coale Additional commemorative events Watch. In addition, the hospital to will be held in Barcelona. which money was sent is the William Spain Marks 70th Anniversary Solar Pediatrics Hospital in Havana. To mark the participation of inter- Continued on page 2 THE VOLUNTEER Sept 2006 1 70th Anniversary Homage around the World Continued from page 2 No Jubilem La Memòria Argentine Documentary Film tion: During the 1930s, the “official” In November, the Catalonias orga- After many years of hard work, a position of the yishuv (who represent- nization No Jubilem La Memòria will group of Argentine filmmakers has ed the Jewish population in Palestine) host its fourth annual gathering in produced the first documentary film was to send money and aid to the Marçà, Priorat, Catalonia, during the about their country’s volunteers in the Spanish Republicans, BUT not to en- weekend of November 4-5.

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