852.2221/661
The Vice Consul at Valencia (Worley) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 7.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my cable of November 21, 12 noon,15 regarding A … W …; Jacob Rotter, passport name (real name P … C …); and Bernard Abramofsky, passport name (real name L … A …), latter covered in despatch No. 128 of November 20, 1937,15 and to report that these men came to the office on November 21, 1937 and made the following statements:
They jointly stated that it was impossible to obtain discharges from the International Brigade even though their contracts had terminated and they were going to attempt to escape to France. They pointed [Page 557] out that they had come to Spain with the understanding that they would be working and fighting with a purely American unit but on September 23, 1937, they were informed that they were now a part of the Spanish army and would be subject to its jurisdiction whereupon many of the boys refused to continue and they were arrested; their fate being unknown. They also stated that they were prepared to make affidavits setting forth the names of the people in the United States who were responsible for bringing them and others to Spain, provided they could get to France. They appeared to be sincere in their hope that they could stop other American boys from coming over here to be slaughtered and one, A … W …, who worked for some time in the Political Commissars office, stated that one thousand Americans are expected by January. However, they were told that this office could not assist them in escaping, even though the writer knew their chances of escape were rather slim.16 These boys further stated that they had just come from the Brigade headquarters in Albacete where they witnessed the arrest of some twenty-five Americans, who had left the front lines to report to the headquarters for discharges because their contracts had expired, and that after a fake court martial they were taken back to the front lines under guard and executed.
No doubt, the statements of these boys may be exaggerated but it is the opinion of the writer that they have stated a good deal of truth. The following information covers each man individually according to his statements:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Respectfully yours,