"Or Else"

Another week passed, and no square mile changed hands in Spain last week but signs were not lacking that the six-weeks' stalemate would not last much longer. On Thanksgiving eve, Madrid, quiet for over a month, received its heaviest shelling since October 16. Some 300 buildings were damaged, scores of civilians were killed. It happened to be the first occasion that Counselor of U. S. Embassy Walter Thurston had visited Madrid in over a year. Unscathed, he presided at a Thanksgiving dinner (from cans) for the remnants of Madrid's U. S. colony: five newspaper correspondents, 20 Puerto Ricans and Filipinos.

The ears of the 25 had become attuned to the differing bursts of Rightist artillery. Unanimously they agreed that more nine-inch high explosive shells were being blown at Madrid than for months past, expensive artillery was concentrating on the Madrid front.

Leftist planes scouting over the Guadarramas reported new concentrations of Rightist troops near Guadalajara. Other sources reported nearly 100,000 Rightist troops going southward to join the Andalusian army of boastful "Radio General" Queipo de Llano. At week's end came a cracker. El Caudillo Franco issued an ultimatum to the Barcelona Government. The Negrin Cabinet must agree to an "unconditional surrender" before December 5 or else the long prepared Rightist offensive would start.

Most observers felt last week that winter weather and Leftist knowledge of his plans had forced El Caudillo to drop a major offensive on the Aragon Front against Barcelona, that the Rightist offensive when it comes will much more likely be along the Mediterranean coast in the south: first on Almeria, then Valencia, then Barcelona.

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