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Vol. XXIV, No. 3 September 200
Moe Fishman at his desk in the VALB oice, planning the annual veterans' reunion, April . Moe dedicated his lie to VALB,
acting as the national spokesman or the vets or over years. See Memory's Roster, page . Photo by Richard Bermack.
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
By James D. Fernndez
Somecameromasnearbyas
Astoria,Williamsburg,andEast
Harlem.Otherstraveledallthe
wayromCanton,Milwaukee,
Greensboro,Chicago,SanDiego,andSanFrancisco.Joiningtheirranks
weremenandwomenwhojourneyed
romasarawayasAustralia,Brazil,
Canada,Croatia,England,France,
Germany,Ireland,Mexico,Slovenia,
Scotland,SwitzerlandandUruguay.
TheyexpressedthemselvesinEnglish,
Spanish,French,Catalan,German,
Italian,Japanese,andPortuguese.All
themembersothisremarkablydi-
versegroupomenandwomenhadonethingincommon:theyallvolun-
teeredtowritecommentsintherst
volumeotheguestbookotheexhi-
bitionFacingFascism:NewYorkand
theSpanishCivilWar,whichwason
viewattheMuseumotheCityo
NewYorkromlateMarchuntil
mid-August.
Theshowwasseenbytenso
thousandsoindividualsromall
overtheworld.Thousandsmorehaveattendedtheparallelpublicpro-
gramslectures,lmscreenings,
concerts,andseminarsmounted
bythemuseum.Hundredsoteach-
ersandstudentshavealsobeneted
romspecialguidedtoursandteacher
developmentinitiativescoordinated
bythemuseum.Manyotheseguests
havetakenamomenttoleavearecord
otheirvisittoFacingFascismby
jottingsomethingdownintheguestbook.
Itsdiculttocharacterizesuc-
cinctlytheheterogeneousinscriptions
theyhaveletbehind,whichrange
romsimple,grati-likeI-was-
hereannotationstoparagraph-long
ref ectionsand,occasionally,coun-
ter-ref ections.Thereis,moreover,
agooddealocontradictionamongtheresponses.Inspiringandvery
depressing;uplitingandtragic;
impartialandhorriblyone-sided,
inormativeanddisingenuous.
Thesearejustsomeothecontradic-
torycharacterizationsthatappearon
the75-oddpagesothebook,roughly
coveringthersteightweeksothe
showsrunatthemuseum.
Forthecuratorsotheshow,the
proximityotheexhibitedpast(just7
yearsago)representedbothagreat
challengeandagreatopportunity.
Andonethingsharedbymanyothemoresubstantialentriesintheguest
bookispreciselyastrongsenseoim
mediacyorurgency.Thesearethe
inscriptionsthatmakeonerealizetha
ormanyothemuseumsvisitors,th
historybeingchronicledisbyno
SceneS from an exhibition
James D. Fernndez is co-editor with
Peter N. Carroll o the exhibition
catalogue, Facing Fascism: New York & the
Spanish Civil War(New York University
Press). Continued on page
8/14/2019 The Volunteer, September 2007
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2 THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
meanssomekindoremote,detached
past,butratherakindounullled
promiseor,perhaps,anopenwound.
Identification, memorializationGreatorourtime,butnopic-
turesomymomanddad.
Apparently,somevisitorscameto
theMuseumotheCityoNewYork
ullyexpectingtondamiliaraces
portrayedintheexhibition.Notall
weredisappointed.FacingFascism
wasobviouslyvisitedbymanyothe
survivingveteransotheAbraham
LincolnBrigadeandbyscoresotheir
riendsandrelatives.Formostothesevisitors,theexhibitionrepresenteda
longoverduetributetothemenand
womenwhohadriskedlieandlimb
togotoSpaintostemthetideoas-
cism.Thesevisitorstendtowritein
memoryoronbehaloothersand
otenexpressgratitudetothe
museum.
Thanks for keeping the spirit and
ideals of the brigadistas alive. And thanks
for perpetuating the memory of my broth-er, Hy [Greenfield].
In honor of my uncle Edward K.
Barsky, I thank you for an excellent
exhibit.
In honor of my father Arthur
Munday, member of the LB. I thank you
for this wonderful exhibit.
In memory of my uncle, Savino
Martinez
In memory of my father, Georges
Adorian, who fought in the IB (Toronto)Congratulations and thank you
from the family of Ben Leider and L R.
Bradley.
Very good. My grandfather died in
Spain War.
For Bill Lazarre aka Bill Lawrence,
political commissar, Spain, ALB, Comrade
and Grandfather. For Bill Lazarre, my fa-
ther. Thank you for this exhibit and all
your work.
On behalf of the families of the brig-
adistas who volunteered and neverreturned from Spain. Thank you for the
moving and wonderful exhibit.
I thank the MCNY for a job well
done. My great uncle, Herminio Avils
Valencia, was a volunteer in Spain. He
was wounded there and died as a result in
the Presbyterian Hospital of San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
My husband Jack Penrod fought in
Spain, [and I] loved the exhibit.
I write this entry on behalf of veter-an Hy Tabb, 93 years old, who was
brought by his wife Tommy (Tamaara).
My grandmother, Alice Wagnon,
was a member of the Lincoln Brigade as a
nurse. I have always admired her for this
achievement, and I have traveled from
California to see the "Facing Fascism ex-
hibit. Thank you MCNY for this tribute.
This is my third visit. The exhibit
seems even better each time. My father
was in the ALB and yet Ive learned somuch from this exhibit. Such important
work. History is a treasure and you have
brought it alive.
In memory of my father who came
here from Cuba and fought in Spain.
In honor of my brother-in-law who
fought valiantly in Spain and returned
wounded; a dom-dom bullet in his chest.
God bless his memory.
Great exhibit. Remembering my
dad, vet, Robert Klonsky.Oneothesignalcontributionso
theexhibitionhasbeenthedocumen-
tationothevastantiascist
mobilizationthattookplaceinNew
Yorkinthelate-1930s.Thoughthe
2,800volunteersotheAbraham
LincolnBrigadenaturallyenjoyapriv
ilegedplaceintheexhibition,thetrue
protagonistsotheexhibitionarethe
tensothousandsoordinaryNew
Yorkerswhotooktothestreetsinde-enseotheSpanishRepublic.These
visitorsandtheirdescendentswere
alsoabletoidentiyimmediatelywith
thescenesandeventschronicledin
theexhibition.
My mother raised funds for the
Abraham Lincoln Brigade!
My father was in NY, coming from
Chicago, to help load ships for Spain.
Saturday night was raising mone
in the New York subway night. You camwith your collection can, you paid your
fare and made speeches on the train. Yes
we believed in the fight for Democracy in
Spain. We believed in Democracy for the
world, and we still fight. Ruth, 87 yrs.
An excellent presentation of this
important historic moment in history.
From one who shook the collection box
calling out Make Madrid the Tomb of
Fascism.
In memory of the many times mySpanish mom and I screamed at German
and Italian embassies: Hitler and
Mussolini, Keep your hands off Spain.
My older siblings were in Spain
during this terrible civil war. I was touched
and admire the volunteers of Lincoln
Brigade, your courage gave many hope.
Thank you for this exhibit!
De una nia de la Guerra que se
fue a Mexico pasando por Nueva York y
pasando una semana en Ellis Island.[From a child of the war who went to
Mexico, passing through New York and
spending a week on Ellis Island.]
Enhorabuena. As the wife of the
son of an exiled Republican, and a New
Yorker descended from Jewish immigrant
exhibitionContinued rom page
Continued on page
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
By Joe Butwin
OnMay30,1937,ashipcalledLa
Ciudad de Barcelonawastorpedoedby
anItaliansubmarinewithinsightotheSpanishcoast.Twosurvivorso
theinitialblast,BobReedandAbe
Oshero,swamashoreandoughtto
deendtheSpanishRepublicasparto
alie-longcommitmentthatwould
leadbothmentoSeattle.There,exact-
ly70yearslater,onMay29,2007,poet
andactivistMartnEspadadelivered
thesecondannualReed-Oshero
LectureattheUniversityo
Washington.Espada,whohaspublished13vol-
umesasapoet,editorandtranslator
andteachescreativewritingatthe
UniversityoMassachusetts-Amherst,
addressedagroupomorethan150
people.Initsbroaddiversity,theaudi-
encedeedcharacterizationasthe
bandousualsuspectswhoarenor-
mallyroundeduporpoetryreadings
andacademiclectures.Certainlythere
werestudentsopoetryinthecrowdandstudentsoSpanishlanguageand
literature,alongwithsomeotheir
proessors.Therewerealsoparents
andgrandparentsandaliberalsprin-
klingochildren,citizens,scholars,
andactivists.ThatwouldincludeAbe
Oshero,inawheelchair.BobReed,
whodiedtwoyearsago,wasrepre-
sentedbyhissonBillandhisdaughter
Janet.
Espada,hisaudience,andthetitleohismostrecentbookopoemsThe
Republic of Poetry(Norton,2006)re-
mindusothelongassociationo
poetryandpoliticsthatgoesbackto
whatwritersatthetimeotheFrench
andAmericanRevolutionsbeganto
callTheRepublicoLetters.Writers
ceasedtorelyonthepatronageo
kingsandaristocratsandturnedtoa
vastnewaudienceintheemergentde-mocracyoranewkindopatronage.
Spainin1937mayhavebeensucha
country,arepublicopoetrywithem-
issariesateveryrontandacapitalat
PabloNerudasCasadelasFlores,the
HouseoFlowers,inMadrid.
ThatnightinSeattle,Martn
EspadacalledhistalkThePoetryo
theGoodFight,which,asheex-
plained,reerstothepoemsand
poetsthatemergerompoliticalstrug-gle,butitalsoreerstothewaysin
whichpoliticalactivismmakesliepo-
etic.Therearepoliticsinthepoetry;
thereisalsopoetryinthepolitics.He
remindedhisaudienceohis,and
their,rootsinthepoetryandproseo
WaltWhitman,alongwithpoetryo
Neruda,CesarVallejoandMiguel
Hernandezthatf ourishedinthe
RepublicandtheAmericancontribu-tionsbyEdnaSt.VincentMillay,
GenevieveTaggard,andthesoldier-
poetEdwinRole.
Espada,clearlyacitizenothe
sameRepublic,alsoreadromhisown
poems,includingatributetoAbe
Osheroandtheotherswhoswamto
shoreromtheCiudad de Barcelonaand
tohisownather,who,likeAbeand
BobReed,wasalsoacivilrightswork-
er.Espadaspassion,hispoetry,andthpeoplewhogatheredinSaveryHallat
theUniversityoWashingtonthat
nightshowthatineverycornero
BushsAmericatheRepublicoLetters
isaliveandwell.
Joe Butwin is a proessor o English at th
University o Washington.
Poet Martn Espada PresentsReed-Osheroff Lecture
Martn Espada and Abe Oshero, ater Espada read The Carpenter Who Swam to
Spain" at a VALB reunion in999. Photo by Richad Bermack.
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
AspartoSanFranciscosan-
nualsummerLaborFest,a
Julylmestivalandcele-
brationothecityslaborhistory,
ALBAandtheBayAreavetsco-
sponsoredthescreeningotwodocumentarymoviesaboutthe
SpanishCivilWar,drawingalarge
crowdtotheRoxieTheatertosee
Spanish Earth(1937)andSouls with-
out Borders(2006).
Theolderlm,madebyJoris
IvensandwrittenbyErnest
Hemingwayasapropagandapiece
insupportotheSpanishRepublic,
presentedthestarkblackandwhite
ootagethatcelebratedtheheroicSpanishpeopleintheirghtagainst
better-armedascistinsurgents.In
hisintroductoryremarks,Peter
Carrollexplainedthatthelmhad
beenscreenedattheWhiteHouse
exactly70yearsearlierinaneort
topersuadePresidentFranklinD.
By Char Prieto
ThecityoBurgosinSpainisan
historicalplace.Itswell
knownoritsmonumental
13thcenturyGothiccathedral,the
medievalcastle,theLasHuelgas
Monastery,and,aboveall,the
Inquisition.Ionlythecenturiesold
stonesothesemonumentscouldtalk,wewouldhearaboutblood,
massacres,repression,torture,and
injustice.
Eventodayvisitorscanseeatthe
entranceoLasHuelgasMonasterya
signthatsays:Intheyear1937the
FirstFascistNationalCongresscon-
vened,unitingGodandGeneral
Franco,withapledgetogiveitsser-
viceandlivesoitsmembersinthe
HolocaustorareeSpain.DuringtheSpanishCivilWarBurgosserved
asthebaseoGermanysCondor
Legion.Thiscityisasymbolothe
Francoistcrusadeagainstliberalism,
aswellasthebaseooperationsrom
whereGermanplanesletorthe
bombingoGuernica.
Thewallsothesehistorical
monumentscannottalk,butthe
thousandsoRepublicanvictimso
Francosterroranddespoticideals
can,andtheyhavegivenpersonal
testimonyconcerningthecrueltyo
theFascistregime.
June23,2007,wasanhistoric
dateorcrusadersagainstFascism.FinallytheAntiascistAssociationo
Ex-PoliticalPrisonersunveileda
monumentinBurgosdedicatedto
thevictimsotheCivilWarand
Francosrepression.Oneotherst
wordsduringthecommemorative
eventswastogivethankstothe
InternationalBrigades.Thisgroupo
combatantswasmentionedseveral
timesduringthehomage.
ThemayoroBurgos,romtherightistPopularParty(Partido
Popular),ocourse,wasnotpresent
insteadtherewereseveralhundred
antiascistsupporters.
Char Prieto teaches at Caliornia State
University, Chico.
Continued on page
Vets (l-r) Hilda Roberts, Nate Thornton, Dave Smith and Milt Wol answering
questions at the screening oSouls without Borders, produced by Miguel Angel Nieto
and Tony Geist. Photo by Richard Bermack.
Bay Area Vets Star at Film Screening
Antifascist Monumentin Burgos
Irving Norman Exhibit
The paintings o Lincoln vet Irving
Norman continue their national tour.
The next stop or Dark Metropolis:
Irving Normans Social Surrealism is the
Katzen Art Center at American
University in Washington, DC,
November 6 to January 2, 2008.
These meticulously detailed paint-
ings reect a troubled and turbulent
world in which urban spaces and mod-ern lie are decimated by technology,
poverty, and war. The show was curated
by Scott Shields and organized by the
Crocker Art Museum.
For more inormation call 202-88-
ARTS (28).
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
Antiascist monument at Burgos.
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
By Daniel Czitrom
ALBAispleasedtoannouncethe
winnersothisyearsGeorgeWatt
Awards,establishedtohonorthe
memoryothisLincolnvet(1914-1994),author,activist,andleading
gureincreatingandsupporting
ALBA.AterhisstintinSpain,George
servedintheArmyAirCorpsduring
WorldWarII;hisplanewasshotdown
overBelgiumandheescapedrombe-
hindNazilineswiththehelpolocal
resistanceghters.Togetabetter
senseohisremarkableliestoryand
hispassionatecommitmenttoradical
socialchange,takealookathisengag-inglywritten1990memoir,The Comet
Connection: Escape from Hitlers Europe.
TheWattAwardsweredesigned
toencouragestudentresearchand
writingontheAmericanexperiencein
Spain,aswellasonrelatedtopicsin
theSpanishCivilWarandthelarger
historyoanti-ascism.
For2007,webeganacceptingwork
writteninSpanishaswellasEnglish,
animportantpartooureorttomakeALBAamoreinternationalpres-
ence.Wereceivedsometwodozen
entriesthisyear,onethirdowhich
werewritteninSpanish.Wehadan
especiallystronggroupoundergrad-
uatesubmissions.
Thisyearscommitteeojudges
consistedoSebastiaanFaber(Oberlin
College),GinaHerrmann(University
oOregon),andDanielCzitrom
(MountHolyokeCollege).ALBAisdelightedtoawardtwo
prizeso$500each,oroneunder-
graduateessayandonegraduate
essay.Wepublishherebrieabstracts
othewinningpapers.Theullessays
arepostedontheALBA/VALB
website.
Andthisyearswinnersare:
Graduate: Julie Prieto, Stanford
University,PartisanshipinBalance:
The New York Times Coverageothe
SpanishCivilWar,1936-1939Undergraduate: Ashley Johnson,
Mount Holyoke College,Healingthe
WoundsoFascism:TheAmerican
MedicalBrigadeandtheSpanishCivil
War
Abstract of:
Partisanship in Balance: The
New York Times Coverage of the
Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939
by Julie Prieto
Withtheoutbreakothe
SpanishCivilWarin1936,
Spainbecameamagnetor
internationaljournalistsollowing
theortunesotheSecondRepublic.
Innewspapersandmagazines,writ-
erswithawiderangeopolitical
aliationsoeredcompetingvisions
oSpain,presentingthecountryas
bothasymbolodemocracytrium-
phantandothepoliticalinstability
orevolutioninthecontextothein-
ternationalspreadocommunism.
Withitswell-knowncommitmenttooreignnewsreporting,The New York
Timesinvestedconsiderablereport-
ingresourcesintoSpain,assigning
numeroustemporarycorrespondents
andthreepermanentreporterstothe
warinitsopeningdays.
Mypaperexplorestheexperience
othethreepermanentreporters
assignedtocovertheSpanishCivil
WarorThe New York Times.All
veteranoreigncorrespondents,these
threemen,HerbertMatthews,LawrenceFernsworth,andWilliam
Carney,competedwithinthestructur
othepapertoconstructverydieren
versionsoSpanisheventsbasedon
theirownchangingpersonalpolitics.
Eschewingcontemporarynotionso
journalisticobjectivity,Herbert
MatthewsandLawrenceFernsworth
bothwrotearticlesthatwerehighly
supportiveotheRepublicromtheir
postsinMadridandBarcelonarespectively.WhileLawrencehad
beenasupporterotheRepublic
throughoutthe1930sandwasstrong
inavoroincreasedregional
autonomy,pro-Republicanpolitics
representedadepartureorMatthew
whohadbeensympatheticto
MussoliniandtheItalianarmy.
PreviouslystationedtoMadrid,but
assignedtoNationalistSpainthrough
mostothewar,WilliamCarneyalso
wrotehighlypartisanarticlesbutwas
astrongsupporteroFrancisco
FrancosSpain,otenminimizingin
hisdispatchestheroleooreigninterventioninaidingtheinsurgents.
Ratherthanappearbiasedto-
wardseitherside,thismeantthat
editorsatvariouslevelsotheTimes
werechargedwithcreatingairness
andbalancebyattemptingtogive
Continued on page
George Watt Memorial Award Winners:
In newspapers and magazines, writers with
a wide range of political affiliations offered
competing visions of Spain
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
equalweighttothereportersdiver-
gentviewpoints.Evenwhenthis
approachwasshowntobef awed,as
whenWilliamCarneysdispatches
romNationalistSpainwereshowntobealseinmid1937,theTimescontin-
uedtopursuethesameeditorial
policy.Thiscreatedanumberoper-
sonalanimositiesamongthereporting
andeditorialstaotheTimes,andled
Matthewsinparticulartobecome
highlycriticalonewscoveragedur-
ingthewaranditseectonpublic
knowledgeandopinionintheUnited
States.
Abstract of:
Healing the Wounds of
Fascism: The American Medical
Brigade and the Spanish Civil
War by Ashley Johnson
InJanuary1937,underthejurisdic-
tionotheMedicalBureautoAid
SpanishDemocracy,menand
womensuchasDr.EdwardBarsky,
NurseFrederickaMartin,NurseSalariaKee,andhospitaladministra-
tor/interpreterMildredRackley
ormedtheAmericanMedicalBrigade
toestablishtherstAmericanhospital
ortheLoyalisttroopsinSpain.
Catholics,Jews,AricanAmericans,
andmanyothersjoinedromallwalks
olietohealthewoundsinf ictedby
FranciscoFrancoonthepeopleo
Spain.
ThesemenandwomensailedtoSpainwithhighhopesandaervent
dedicationtothePopularFront.Many
lettershomeexpressedtheiropti-
mism,whiletheirdiaryentriesshowa
darkersideotheirexperiences.In
thisverypublicwar,theyremained
cheerulorthesakeothehomeront,
thehopeolitingRooseveltsembar-
go,andortheirownpersonalsanity.
Aterall,intheSpanishCivilWara
RedCrossdidnotrepresentmedical
asylum,butatargetorFascistbombers.
ThestoryotheAmericanMedical
Brigadeisoneoheroism,internation-
alism,andallegiancetothePopular
Frontothe1930s.Forabrietimein
history,Communists,Socialists,liber-
als,andsimpleanti-ascistsjoined
togetherwithonegoal:thedeeato
Franco.BehindtheirPartyslogans
andoptimistictales,medicalperson-
nelwerenormalhumanbeings,subjecttoearintheaceowartime
violence.Theirstorydisplaystheten-
sionsbetweenerventpoliticalbelies
andthehorriblerealityooneothe
bloodiestwarsinworldhistory.
Roosevelttointervenetosavethe
Republic,butithadsucceededonlyinmakingFDRremarksadly,
Spainisthevicarioussacriceo
usall.
Souls without Borders,madeby
journalistMiguelAngelNieto
andTonyGeist,whichwas
recentlyscreenedattheSeattle
FilmFestival,haditspremierein
Caliorniawithseveralothe
membersothecastinattendance.
Thehour-longdocumentarywon
livelyapplause,buttheaudience
cametoitseetwithcheersorourLincolnvetsnurseHilda
Roberts,DavidSmith,Nate
Thorton,andMiltonWolwho
spokeaterwardsabouttheir
involvementintheSpanishCivil
Warandrearmedthevalueoa
lieoactivism.Collectively,they
presentedalivinghistoryothe
greatstrugglesothe1930sandan
enduringspiritoanti-ascism.
Bay Area VetsContinued rom page 4
Prieto and JohnsonContinued rom page
Bay Area vets Hilda Roberts and Nate Thornton addressing the audience oSouls
without Borders.
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
it was moving to see my worlds intersect
in the space where moral conscience meetshuman solidarity and action.
Relevance and Immediacy:Intervention and Appeasement
Bychroniclingtheinvolvemento
NewYorkersintheSpanishCivilWar,
FacingFascisminvitesspectatorsto
thinkaboutquestionsointervention
andappeasementinourday.Therhet-
oricotheBushadministration,which
hastriedtocategorizeopponentsotheIraqinvasionassupportersoap-
peasement,ounditswayintoone
entryintheguestbook:
Today, Maunanu Achamanadinjad
and the Islamist Fundamentalists are the
Fascists. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are
the same type of people who appeased the
Fascists in the 1930s. George Bush and
Tony Blair are the Republicans of today,
who are fighting this new type of fascism.
Signed, Loyal Americans who are the toosilent majority.
Anothervisitorwrotetheword
Idiotinlargelettersacrossthisen-
try,andyetanothercommented,
Anotherchickenhawk,likeBush/
Cheney/Wolowitz.Severalvisitors
expressedaverydierentreadingo
theparallelismsbetweenthe1930s
andtoday:Remarkable exhibit.
Congratulations on a brilliant job.
Impeach Bush-Cheney, fascists in
residence.
Now its time to fight fascism here
at home. Impeach and jail Bush, Cheney
and the rest of Francos successors in the
White House.
Excellent! Down with fascism
still alive in the 21st century.
Sins of OmissionManyspectatorschosetowrite
aboutwhattheyoundmissingin
theexhibition:Notamentiono
Lorca,killedbyFranco;Wonderul
exhibitbutneededsongsothewar
andahugecopyoGuernica;
Excellentbutthesongsaremissing.
Otherswrotetocomplainothe
allegedinvisibilityothenon-com-
munistletintheexhibition,orothelackoattentiontotheideological
striewithinthelet.Someothese
complaintsseemtobemadebysym-
pathizersothenon-communistlet,
othersbyanti-communistsandene-
miesotheletingeneral.
Where are the anarchists and
trotskyists who died fighting vs. Franco?
They are invisible in this exhibit and that
shameful.
There was an anti-Stalinist left of
some significance in this period that
played an important role in the SpanishCivil War. You would not know that from
this show, unfortunately.
Unfortunately, the views presented
here are most disingenuousreally lies
the Communists were no better than the
Nazis
A horribly one-sided view of histo-
ry. Hardly a mention of communist
atrocities or the soviet unions effort to
wield control. I guess there are still unre-
constructed communists and fellowtravelers in NYC and on the museums
staff.
According to the comments above,
our society still harbors unreconstructed
fascists who have learnt nothing from his
tory. Viva la quince brigada.
An excellent exhibit, although mor
emphasis could have been placed on the ac
tivities of the Soviet Secret Police in Spain
and on the Trotskyist critics of the Popula
Front in New York. Nevertheless, a gem oan exhibit.
Spaniards Reactto New Yorkers ReactingHow,orwhether,toremember
andmemorializetheSpanishCivil
Warisaburningpoliticalquestionin
Spaintoday.Forthisreason,thereac-
tionsoSpaniardsthatvisitedFacing
Fascismtransmitastrongsenseo
immediacyandurgency.Thegeneralcontoursothedebateabouthistorica
memoryinSpainarenicelycaptured
intheinscriptionsspontaneouslyjot-
teddownbySpanishtouristsinthe
museumsguestbook.
From a Spaniard born in 1941 and
raised in Francos Spain, thank you from
exhibitionContinued rom page
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
the bottom of my heart for then and for the
exhibition now.
Franco never supported Hitlers
ideas. Viva Espaa.
Fascist! Lies! [in response to above,
my translation]I dont know what you saw. But
you must have been blind. [in response to
above, my translation]
I am a Spanish woman, and I dont
share the vision of this exhibition. I have a
doctorate in History and Geography. The
exhibition is poor and reductionist. The
War was a fight among brothers, spurred
by political leaders pursuing party inter-
ests. Its a shame that in 2007 history is
once again reinvented by current politi-
cians (Zapatero) trying to cultivate
divisiveness. [my translation]
Im also a Spanish woman with a
doctorate in Contemporary History for theAutonomous University of Madrid, and
this person that wrote above is what in
Spain we call a fascist. Memory must
not disappear from Spains history as
Aznars government attempted to do. Long
live Socialist Spain! [my translation, in re-
sponse to above]
I too am Spanish and I think that
this exhibition doesnt presume to talk
about the causes of the War, but rather to
demonstrate that the human spirit can beso grand and generous that you can fight
even on behalf of people that you dont
know, thousands of miles away. All of
these testimonies of the Lincoln volunteers
arent the declarations of politicians, they
are the statements of men and women who
saw injustice and the horrors of fascism,
and who took action. [my translation]
Thanks to the American volunteers
who helped the Spanish people, and thanks
especially to the women nurses that did
their job taking care of children and the in-
firm. As usual, the people proved to bemore admirable than the politicians pursu-
ing their own interests. [my translation]
Excellent work! As a Spaniard I feel
deeply indebted with the men and women
from New York who fought for an ideal.
You Americans are not the saviors
of the world. Only those who lived through
that war can know what kind of torture it
was. 30 years of dictatorship cant be
summed up in a small room in a museum.
I am not from Spain but my family is. Ah!
There are many things here that ought to
be returned to Spain. [my translation]
The Homeland (Patria) is the
refuge of cowards. Franco was a patriotand a fascist, and for 40 years he subju-
gated us. Only with freedom have we
Spaniards earned a place in the world.
Yesterday, April 14, 2007, we commemo-
rated the 71st anniversary of what the
fascists destroyed. Long live the Republic!
[my translation]
Thanks to all the New Yorkers who
went to our country when times were
tough. Franco wasnt that bad, and the re-
publicans werent that good. There wasgood and bad on both sides. Unfortunately.
Viva Espaa! [my translation]
And there you are, lurking in the
middle, taking advantage of everything.
People have to respect the legitimate re-
gime, whether they like it or not!!
[response to above, my translation]
It has been a surprise to meet this
exhibition. Im from Spain, from Basque
Country. I didnt know anything about
Abraham Lincolns Brigade. Thank you
very much to these NY-ers in my name
and the rest of Spanish people. My grandmas family was death in Gernicas crime.
Thanks.
Thanks very much to all the
Americans who decided to fight in my
country against the fascism. Thanks very
much. Spaniards are very proud of them
and we will try that all generations never
will forget them. Vivan las Brigadas
Internacionales!!
Talking Back:Famous Last Words
Shortlyatertheinaugurationo
FacingFascism,The New York Times
publishedaremarkablytendentious
andcrotchetyreviewotheshow.
Dozensoresponsesweresenttothe
paper,butnonewerepublished.Som
visitorschosetorespondinthemuse
umsguestbook.Foronce,thelast
wordsbelongtothem.
Impressively organized exhibit, notas biased as the negative reviews have
claimed.
Great exhibit. Eddie Rothstein got
it wrong in his New York Times review.
Excellent! The NYTimes review
was so unfair! You can see the conflict
from all the points of view involved. Good
luck with it.
Bravissimo. Balanced. Unlike the
New York Times review which did not re-
view the exhibition as much as give anopinion of historical readings.
Excellent show! Shame on the
New York Times. Rothstein is a soul-less
crank. History is complex, of course.
Courage is not.
Now its time to fight fascism here at home.
Impeach and jail Bush, Cheney and the rest of
Francos successors in the White House.
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0 THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
By Peter H. Pinkerton
HenryNormanBethunewasa
CanadiansurgeonoScottish
origin.Hisparentshadwide
interestsinacademia,thechurch,the
arts,medicineandbusiness.Bethunehadwideinterestsinmedicine,poli-
ticsandthearts.Hegraduatedin
medicineinDecember1916inToronto
aterbeingwoundedwhileserving
inFlandersin1915.Hereceivedpost-
graduatesurgicaltraininginLondon
andreturnedtoNorthAmerica,set-
tingupapracticeinDetroit.Hewas
diagnosedwithtuberculosisin1926,
romwhichherecovered,resolvedto
workintheeldochestsurgery.HeworkedinMontrealorthreeyears
withEdwardArchibald,oneothe
pioneersochestsurgeryinNorth
America.Archibaldhadalsobeenone
othersttousebloodtransusionin
theGreatWarin1915.
BethunemovedtoSacreCoeur
HospitalinCartiervillenearMontreal
asheadothechestsurgeryservice
inearly1933.Thepatientshesaw
withArchibaldwouldtendtobeAnglophonemiddleclass,whereasat
SacreCoeurtheywouldbecharity
patientsromthepoorFrancophone
community.Thisexperience
exposedhimtothejuxtapositiono
tuberculosisandpoverty,andtothe
dierencesintreatmentopportunities
andoutcomeinthepoorandwell-
to-do.Incidentally,weknowhewas
usingbloodtransusiontotreat
patientsatSacreCoeur.Hissocialconsciencewasarousedbythese
experiences,andbyavisittoRussia,
wherehewasimpressedwiththe
availabilityandeectivenesso
treatment,givenasarighttothe
individual,ratherthanascharity.
ReturningtoMontrealexcitedbywhathehadlearnedinRussiaandrom
hisownexperience,heormedthe
MontrealCommitteeortheSecurity
othePeoplesHealth.Drivenby
Bethunesenergyanddedication,a
comprehensivereportwasproduced,
advocatingmeasuresordelivery
ohealthcareservicestoenhance
universalaccessandtomitigate
injustices.Thereportwasrejected
bothasanelectionissueinQuebecandbyorganizedmedicine.
Bethunewasangry,rustrated
anddisappointedattherejection
ohisproposalsandwasreadyor
somepracticalactionref ecting
hisdevelopingsocialistandanti-
ascistviews.Atthistime,hewas
approachedbytheCommitteetoAid
SpanishDemocracy(CASD),which
invitedhimtoheadasurgicalteamin
Spain.Heagreedtodoso,althoughhehadnoclearideawhatthissurgical
teammightcontribute.Inearly
November,onhiswaytoMadrid,
hevisitedandwasimpressedbythe
BloodTransusionServiceestablished
inBarcelonainSeptember1936byDr.
DuranJorda,whichwassupplying
bloodtoalimitedareaaround
Barcelona.
InMadridBethunemetwith
HenningSorensen,amulti-lingualnewspaperreporteroDanish
extractionromMontreal,whowasto
actashisinterpreterandliaison
ocer.WithSorensen,Bethunevisited
hospitalsandmetwithsurgeonsrom
variousorganizationsservingthe
Republicanauthoritiesandthe
InternationalBrigades.Hebecame
increasinglyuncomortablewiththe
prospectoworkingwithinthe
administrativeandpolitical
environmentotheseorganizations.
Onhisvisitstohospitalsandindiscussionswithsurgeonshebecame
awareotheverylimitedcapacityor
supplyingbloodortransusion.He
conceivedtheideaoacentralized
transusionservicebasedinMadrid,
providingbloodortransusionatthe
ront.Thiswasattractiveinthathe
wouldhaveaclearlydenedareao
responsibilityindependento
authorityandtheorganizedsurgical
services.HelaidhisproposalbeoretheSocorroRojo(theonlyeective
medicalserviceatthetime),which
endorsedtheidea.Fundsweremade
availableromtheCASD.
OnNovember21,Bethuneand
SorensenletorParisandLondon,
returningonDecember6toquarters
assignedtothemat36Principede
VergarainMadrid,withsuppliesand
equipmenttoestablishtheMadrid
service,tobenamedtheServicioCanadiensedeTransusiondeSangre
Drivers,technicians,nursesandoce
stawerehiredrombothoreign
volunteerandSpanishsources,
includingtwoSpanishphysicians
involvedwiththesmalltransusion
serviceattheMadridmedicalschool.
Volunteerdonorsweresolicited
throughnewspapersandradiowith
anoverwhelmingresponse.
TherstdeliveryobloodortransusionwasmadeonDecember
23.Theserviceexpandedrapidly,wit
about10gallons(about80units)
giveninJanuary1937.Additional
centerswereopenedinValenciaand
Jaen;thestaincreasedtoabout
100,with4,000registereddonors
Peter H. Pinkerton is a member o the
Department o Clinical Pathology,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and
Department o Laboratory Medicine
and Pathobiology, University o Toronto,
Ontario, Canada.
Blood Transfusion in the Spanish Civ
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
and5deliveryvehicles.Fivemonths
aterstartingtheservice,Bethunes
organizationwassupplyingaront
1,000kmlong.Asmanyas100
transusionsmightbegiveninasingle
dayattimesohighmilitaryactivity.ItisclearthatBethuneappreciated
theneedorprompttransusioninthe
exsanguinatingwoundedandurged
thattransusionbegivenasarorward
aspossible,incasualtyclearingstations
andeldhospitals.Transusionswere
otengiveninprimitivecircumstances
andcoldstorageobloodwas
sometimesprovidedbyimmersionin
mountainstreams.
However,allwasnotwellwithintheInstituto.InMarch
1937theSanidadMilitartookover
responsibilityormedicalservices
(includingBethunes)andmoved
toappointathree-mancommittee
(Bethuneand2Spanishphysicians)
tooverseetheservice,whichwas
re-namedtheInstitutoHispano-
CanadiensedeTransusionde
Sangre.Thischangewasinconf ict
withBethunestemperamentandintoleranceooutsideauthorityover
hisaairs.OnApril12hecabled
theCASDdemandingtherecallo
Canadianpersonnel.
Furthermore,Bethunespersonal
conductwascausingdiculties.
Thepressureosupportinghis
transusionservice,withitswide
rangeooperations,andgiving
manytransusionshimselwas
aectinghisbehavior.Hewasshort-tempered,drinkingexcessively,and
promiscuousinhissexualactivities.
HisSwedishsecretary(andlover)was
suspectedospyingontheRepublican
side,andBethunewassuspectedby
association.Thissuspiciononthepart
oskepticalRepublicanauthorities
wasenhancedbyBethuneslming
hisactivities(Heart of Spain)to
promoteundraisinginCanada.
TheCASDsentadelegationto
reviewBethunesoperationand
decided,withtheencouragementoSorensenandotherCanadians
workingwithBethune,torecall
BethunetoCanada,ontheexcusethat
alecturetourwouldhelpund-raising
athome.BethunereturnedtoCanada
inMay1937toanenthusiastic
welcomeandahighlysuccessul
lecturetour.InJanuary1938,helet
orChinawithaCanadian-American
MedicalUnit,wherehejoinedthe
CommunistorcesunderMaoZedong.Hediedosepticemiaromacut
sustainedduringsurgeryin
November1938.
TheInstitutocontinuedto
unctionuntiltheendothewar
underthedirectionoDr.Vincente
GoyannesandlaterDr.Valentinde
laLoma,includingtheinvolvement
oSorensenandotherCanadian
membersoBethunesteam.Overall,
about5,000unitsobloodweretransused,accountingoralmost80%
othetransusionsduringthewar.
Bethunesmaincontributionto
bloodtransusionwastodemonstrate
thatthesystematiccollectionand
distributionobloodonalargescale
ortransusionneartherontwas
possibleandcouldbequitequickly
organized.Heclearlyrealizedthe
importanceoprompttransusionand
wenttogreatlengthstoensureavailabilitynearthebattleront.
Curiously,hiscontributionshave
receivedlittlepublishedattention,
includingromthosewhowerewell
awareohisactivities.Reginald
Saxton,asurgeonwiththeBritish
contributiontotheInternational
Brigades,notonlywasvisitedby
Bethune(oeringtransusionsuppor
andvisitedBethunesservicein
Madrid,butalsopublisheda
descriptionoBethunesservicein
MadridwithoutmentioningBethuneDuranJordawaswellawareo
Bethunesactivitiesbutnever
mentionshiminhisextensive
accountsotransusioninSpaininthe
late1930s.Britishauthors,preparing
ortheoutbreakohostilitieswith
Germanyin1939,werewellawareo
thetransusionexperienceinSpain
reportedbySaxtonandDuranJorda
(whobythenwasadvisingtheBritish
butnevermentionBethune.Severalactorsarelikelyinvolved
inthelackorecognition.Bethune
neverpublishedaormalaccounto
hisactivities,andourunderstanding
ohiscontributioncomeslargelyrom
indirectsources.Hiscommitmentwa
oshortduration,andhehadno
establishedreputationintheeld.Hi
aggressive,irascible,boisterousand
unconventionalcharactermayhave
compromisedappreciationohisservicebyothers.Thereisnoquestion
therewereproessionalandpolitical
tensionsbetweenBethunes(and
perhapsotheroreignmedical)
service(s)andthelocalmedical
establishmentandtheSanidadMilita
whichmayalsohavetendedto
obscurethevalueoBethunes
contributions.
BethuneneveragainvisitedSpain
nordidheexpressanyregretthathedidnotreturntohistransusion
service.Aninterestindeveloping
homesororphansotheSpanish
CivilWarprovedtransientandnever
cametoruition,beingovertakenby
hisdesiretoservethecauseothe
ChineseCommunistorces.
War: Dr. Norman Bethune
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2 THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
Robeson in Spainby Joshua Brown and Peter N. Carroll
Episode 1
Brought to you in part by a grant to The ALBA Arts & Letters Program
from The Pufn Foundation, Ltd.
Created in collaboration with The Bay Area Paul Robeson Centennial Committee
What follows is the rst episode of a new graphic serial about Paul
Robesons adventures with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in 1938.
Three years later the vets made him an honorary member of VALB.
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
The Spanish Civil War: Reaction,
Revolution, and Revenge by Paul
Preston. Third edition, revised and
expanded. New York and London: W.W.
Norton & Company, 2007.
By Sebastiaan Faber
Itisdicultnottobeinaweo
PaulPreston.Itisalsohardnotto
envyhim.Overthepast30years,
hehasbecometheworld-wideauthor-ityoSpanishCivilWarstudies.Not
onlyisheanastonishinglyprolic
andsuccessulscholar,aninf uen-
tialmentoroseveralgenerationso
historians,and,asounderanddi-
rectorotheCaadaBlanchCentre
orContemporarySpanishStudies,a
crucialpromoterandsponsoroschol-
arshiponcontemporarySpain.Heis
alsoanengagingauthorobestselling
books,aprodigiousresearcher,andagenerousandtirelessparticipantin
electronicdiscussionorums,includ-
ingtheALBAlistserv.Asoneomy
Spanishriendsputsitadmiringly:
Paulesunamquina.
Thebookunderreview,which
cameoutinBritainlastyear,is
thethirditerationoPrestons
chronological,overarchingaccount
otheSpanishCivilWar.(Previous
editionscameoutatthe50thand60thanniversariesothewarsoutbreak,
in1986and1996.)Whilethoroughly
updatedandabout50percentlonger
thanthesecondedition,thegeneral
pointsoPrestonsnarrativeremain
unchanged,asdoeshispositioninthe
protractedwarowordsthathas
markedtheeldsince1936.
First,againstcompetingaccounts
romconservativescholars(such
asPayne,Maleakis,DelaCiervaand,morerecently,Moa),Preston
arguesthattheoutbreakothewar
inJuly1936cannotbeblamedonthe
provocationsromtheradicalized
let.Tobesure,LargoCaballeros
revolutionaryrhetoricwasnaveand
irresponsible.However,intheend,
therightwasunwillingtoaccept
anythingbutareturntoconditions
beore1931andwasdeterminedto
useviolencetosetbacktheclock.
NordoesPrestonagreewith
accountsproposedbyhistorians
sympathetictotheAnarchistand
anti-Stalinistlet(suchasEsenweinorBolloten)orright-winganti-
Communists(suchasRadosh),who
blamethedeeatotheRepublic
ontheviolentsuppressionosocial
revolutionbytheComintern-dictated
policyotheSpanishCommunist
Party,alliedwiththemiddle-class
Republicanparties.Prestonreadily
concedesthattheCommunists
methodswereunnecessarilybrutal.
Still,heremainsconvincedthatthelineollowedbyNegrn,the
Communists,andtheirRepublican
alliescreatingaconventional
armywithacentralizedcommand
structure,prioritizingwinningthe
warovermakingrevolution,and
keepinguptheincreasinglydesperate
ghtagainstFrancoinhopeso
eventualoreignsupportromthe
Westwasbyarthemostrealistic,
giventhedomesticandinternationalsituation.
Third,againstneutral
commentatorswhomaintainthat
atrocitieswerecommittedonboth
sides,Prestonconvincinglyargues
thatFrancoistrepressionotheenemy
wasnotonlyarmoreextensive,but
alsoconsciouslyplannedandimpose
romabove,andthereoremore
morallyreprehensible.
Finally,Prestonmaintainsthat,
whilethewarwasatbasetheresulto
longbuilt-upSpanishproblemsand
tensions,itsdevelopment,duration,
andeventualoutcomewerecruciallyinf uencedbyleadersandrepresenta-
tivesooreignnations.Thewar
wouldhaveevolvedandendedquite
dierentlyiithadnotbeenorthe
spinelessWesterndemocraciesthathid
behindthegleaonon-intervention,
Book Reviews
Sebastiaan Faber, currently serving on
ALBAs Executive Committee, is chair
o the Spanish department at Oberlin
College. He is author oExile and Cultural
Hegemony: Spanish Intellectuals in Mexico,
1939-1975.
"[T]here is little sympathy here for the Spanish right,
but I hope there is some understanding." Paul Preston
Prestons Authoritative Account
Updated, Expanded
Continued on page
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
Book Reviews
Teaching Representations of the
Spanish Civil War. Ed. Nol Valis. New
York: Publications of the Modern
Language Association, 2007.
By Lisa Vollendorf
TheSpanishCivilWarlooms
largeinnumerousuniversity
coursesoeredbylanguage
andhistorydepartments.Whetherthoseclassesocusonthewaryears,
theFrancoperiod,oreven20thcen-
turyEurope,instructorsinevitably
acedicultdecisionsabouthowto
sitthroughtheabundantmateri-
alsavailableabouttheperiod.As
NolValispointsoutinherexcellent
editedcollectionoessays,Teaching
Representations of the Spanish Civil War,
thedicultyoteachingthecon-
f ictrelatesasmuchtothecontestortruthasitdoestotheseemingly
innitehistoricalandartisticinterpre-
tationsotheeventso1936-39.
Valisbookispublishedbythe
ModernLanguageAssociationand
thereorespeaksmostdirectlyto
languageandliteratureproessors.Yet
readersoThe Volunteeralsowillnd
muchmaterialointeresthereand
willlikelycomeawayromthe
volumewithalonglistobooks,lms,andideasorurtherconsideration.
Althoughaspecializedbookor
universityteachers,itgivesallreaders
theopportunitytoengagewith
currentthinkingandtoref ecton
pointsocontactbetweenSpanish
ascism,violence,anddemocratic
strugglesandthesamephenomenain
otherpartsotheworldsincethe
1930s.
Valisbeginsthebookwitha
questionthatmaystrikereadersaspurelyrhetorical:Whydoes
theSpanishCivilWarcontinueto
hauntus?Asthebeautiulexhibit
attheCityMuseumoNewYork
in2007decisivelydemonstrated,
InternationalBrigadevolunteers,
aswellastheiramilymembers,
riends,andsupporters,willhave
highlypersonal,extraordinarily
movinganswerstothisquestion.
Similarly,the36essaysinValisbookprobeideological,artistic,individual,
group,andinternationalresponses
tothisdecades-longhaunting.For
example,Valisshortintroduction
contextualizessomeothekey
questionsordiscussionsothe
SpanishCivilWar,includingwhether
wecanagreeupondenitionsoa
justoragoodwar.Liketheother
contributorstothevolume(including
well-knownscholarsAntonioCazorla-Snchez,EnricUcelay-DaCal,David
Herzberger,JoLabanyi,Shirley
Mangini,CaryNelson,JanetPrez,
RandolphPope,JoanRamonResina,
AdrianShubert,MichaelUgarte,Mary
Vincent,andnumerousdynamic
youngerscholars),Valisemphasizes
theneedtoteachtheSpanishconf ict
withinitsnationalandinternational
contexts.
Teaching Representations of theSpanish Civil Warwillbeogreat
servicetoproessorsinterestedin
developingnewclassesormodiying
currentcourses,particularlysince
theessaysgiveoverviewsokey
componentsothewar(e.g.,the
AbrahamLincolnBrigade;North
Aricansoldiersparticipation;
andpartyalliancesinGalicia,the
BasqueCountry,andCatalonia)and
itsrelatedculturalproduction(e.g.,lm,literature,andmemoirs).Forall
readers,thebookrepresentsabeacon
ohopeasitimplicitlyhighlights
thepowerotheSpanishCivilWar
togalvanizetodaysstudentsinto
thoughtandaction.
Teachingstudentsthathistory
doesindeedmatterisnoeasytask,as
evidencedbythenumerousreerence
toboththechallengesandrewardso
teachingthisparticularcivilwar.Yetanyonewhohasseenentireclasses
cryinresponsetolmsaboutthewar
orheardthemcryoutinindignation
aterreadingpost-warnovelsknows
thatthistragicmomenthasthepowe
toserveasacrucialintroductionto
politicalactionortodaysoten
apoliticalanddisaectedyounger
generation.Moreover,immigrant
studentswhosehomecountrieshave
experiencedtheirowncivilwarsinrecentyearsandGenerationXandY
Americanswhootherwiseneverhave
consideredtheravishingeectsowa
cometogetherintheseclassesto
considertheconceptual,political,and
socialimpactoSpainsviolentyears.
History Matters: Teaching the
Spanish Civil War Today
Continued on page
Lisa Vollendor is an associate proessor
o Spanish at Caliornia State University,
Long Beach, and author, most recently,
oThe Lives of Women: A New History of
Inquisitional Spain.
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
Trinity of Passion: The Literary Left &the Antifascist Crusade. By Alan M.
Wald. University of North Carolina
Press, 2007.
By Peter Carroll
ThisstudyoU.S.writersonthe
letisthesecondvolumeoa
plannedtrilogy,ocusingonthe
impactotheSpanishCivilWar,
WorldWarII,issuesoracialidentity,
andthelabormovementonvariousliteraryendeavors.Asinhisearlier
volume,Exiles from a Future Time,
whichexaminedwriterswhoseworks
expressedtheissuesothe1920sand
early1930s,Waldprovestobeanas-
tutereaderandsensitivecriticoa
widerangeoauthors,somescarcely
known(LeonardZinberg),othersemi-
nentandstillinf uential(Chester
Himes,IrwinShaw,ArthurMiller).
Thebooksrstchapter,whichwillbeospecialinteresttoour
readers,istitledToughJewsinthe
SpanishCivilWar.Itprobesthe
thematicinterrelationshipsothree
novelswrittenbyveteransothe
AbrahamLincolnBrigade:Alvah
BessiesThe Un-Americans(1957),
WilliamHerricksHermanos!(1969),
andMiltonWolsAnother Hill(1994).
Whatthethreenovelistsshared,
besidestheSpanishwar,weretheiroriginsinsecularNewYorkJewish
amilies.
Allsueredthelossoor
alienationromtheirathersata
youngage.Twowerewonto
radicalismintheearlyDepression.
Thethird[Herrick]wasbornintoa
revolutionaryamilyduringWorldWarI.TheirroutestoCommunism,
Spain,andwritingnovels,Wald
observes,collectivelycompriseavital
subsetotheliteraryLetaswellasa
hithertoneglectedsegmentoJewish
Americanculturalhistory.
Contrastingtheirctional
characterswithvariousbiographical
narrativesospecicsoldiersinSpain,
Walddeconstructstheprimary
themesthatemergeintheirworks:an
emphasisnotjustonthewarspolitic
outcome,butalsotheinventionoa
warriorJewishmaleidentity.
Measuringthetruthoctionremainsacomplicatedmatter,though
Waldsucceedsorthemostpartin
separatinghistoryromsheer
imagination.Onewisheshealso
addressedthechangingcontextsin
whichthethreenovelswerewritten
BessiesintheheatotheMcCarthy
period,Herricksintheerao
Vietnam,andWolsinthepost-
Franco1970sand80s.
Book Reviews
HitlersandMussolinissupportor
Franco,Stalinsless-than-enthusiastic
andanythingbutdisinterestedsup-
portortheRepublic,andthe
thousandsooreignvolunteerswho
joinedtheInternationalBrigades.
Prestonrepresentsathirdgenera-tionobrilliantBritishhistorianso
20thcenturySpain.Therstwas
GeraldBrenan,whoseSpanish
Labyrinthwaspublishedin1943,three
yearsbeorePrestonsbirth.Thesec-
ondwasRaymondCarr,Prestons
teacheratOxord,whosehistoryo
Spaincameoutin1966.(Prestonalso
studiedwithHughThomas,whose
Spanish Civil War[1961]isgenerally
consideredlessbrilliantthanecientandtimely.)Prestonsapproachto
Spanishhistoryisindebtedtothato
hispredecessorsandtotheBritish
historiographicaltraditionmoregen-
erallyinitsliberaloutlook;itsocus
onindividualagency,particularly
rompoliticalandintellectualelites;
anditsgitorecient,engagingnar-
rativethatskillullycombinesthe
generalsweepwiththetellingorsur-
prisingdetail.
Prestonisalsoadiscipleothe
maverickAmericanhistorianHerber
Southworth,whomaintainedthatthstudentotheSpanishCivilWarcan
andshouldberigorousand
intellectuallyhonest,butnever
politicallyneutral.AsPrestonwrites
inhisintroduction,hisbookdoesno
aimtondaperectbalance
betweenbothsides:Despitewhat
Francosupportersclaim,Idonot
believethatSpainderivedanybene
romthemilitaryrisingo1936and
themilitaryvictoryo1939.Hence,thereislittlesympathyhereorthe
Spanishright,butIhopethereis
someunderstanding.
PrestonsidentityasaBritish
historianisalsoclearromhisinteres
inbiography,whichhasbeenhismai
3 Novelists & a War
PrestonContinued rom page
Continued on page
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
Mosess Moe
Fishman(1915-2007)
TheseeminglyindestructibleMoe
Fishman,whorepresentedthepublic
aceotheVeteransotheAbraham
LincolnBrigade(VALB)ormorethan
halacentury,diedopancreaticcan-
ceronAugust6,2007,inNewYork.He
was92.
Duringthepastyear,Moehadat-tendedpubliceventsaroundthe
UnitedStatesandSpaintocommemo-
ratethe70thanniversaryothe
outbreakotheSpanishCivilWar,a
warthatpittedrebelliousgenerals,led
byGeneralFranciscoFranco,backed
byNaziGermanyandFascistItaly,
againstthelegallyelectedSpanish
Republic.
BorninNewYorkonSeptember
28,1915,FishmanletschoolduringtheDepressionandbecamealaundry
workerandtruckdriver.Hepartici-
patedinunionizinghisellowworkers
andoundacommitmenttosocialjus-
ticeissuesasamemberotheYoung
CommunistLeague.
WhenthewarinSpainbegan,
Moevolunteeredtoght,buthewas
rejectedorlackomilitaryexperi-
ence.However,hisskillasatruck
driverwasneeded,andasecond
applicationorservicewasaccept-edwiththeprovisothatherecruit
10othervolunteers.Fishmanquickly
oundthemen,thoughnoneactually
showedup.Therecruiterstookhim
anyway.
MoearrivedinSpaininApril1937
andtrainedasaootsoldierinthe
GeorgeWashingtonbattalion.Inhis
rstaction,hewaswoundedduring
thebattleoBrunete,nearVillanueva
delaCanada,inJuly1937.HespentayearinconvalescenceinSpainbeore
returningtohishomeinNewYork.
Hethenspentanothertwoyearsin
hospitalsasdoctorsusedbonesinhis
injuredleg,leavinghimwithalie-
longlimp.
Duringhislengthyrecuperation
romwarinjuries,Fishmanstayedin
touchwithNewYorkhumanitarian
aidorganizationsprovidingassistance
orthecivilianreugeesotheSpanishCivilWar.Heworkedintheware-
houseotheJointAnti-FascistReugee
Committeewhilestudyingtobecome
alicensedradiooperator.Hisskills
enabledhimtoserveintheMerchant
MarinesduringWorldWarII.
Aterthatwar,Fishmanworked
againorthereugeeaidcommit-
tee,evenateritwastargetedbythe
HouseCommitteeonUn-American
Activities(HUAC)orallegedsub-versiveactivitiesin1946.Indeed,it
wasFishmansproximitytothatcase
thatchangedhisliewhenHUACset
itssightsontheVALBandPresident
HarryTrumansattorneygeneral
listedthegroupasasubversiveorga-
nizationin1947aspartothepostwar
anti-Communistcrusade.
WhenCongresspassedthe
McCarranActin1950,obligingall
designatedsubversiveorganizations
toregisterwiththeederalgovern-mentandcreatingheavypenalties
orleaderswhoreusedtocooperate,
theentireexecutivecommitteeothe
Added to Memorys Roster
Continued on page
Among all the people we
worked with, I knew I could trust
Moe Fishman. Whatever we did to-
gether, I could trust him to do, to be,
to take care o whatever had to be
taken care o.Milton Wol
Moe Fishman was consistent in
his devotion to the vets. Mondays,
Wednesdays, Fridays he was at the
ofce, did whatever needed to be
done. There was no question o his
loyalty to our organization.
Abe Smorodin
The loss o every vet is a great
one, so many o them embodiments
o belies and a kind o commitment
that resides in some deep place in all
o us, we hope. Because Moe has
been one o the most prominent
public aces o the VALB or so long,
because hes been a stalwart since
returning to the US ater being shot
in Spain and holding down the ort
or 0 years, this eels particularly
sharp. Vets will survive Moe, but he
carried the standard with relentless
spirit and, even, charm.
Peter Glazer
Condolences to all on the loss o
a great spirit and a wonderul hu-
man being. It was my honor to know
him.
Jamie OReilly
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20 THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
VALBresigned.Initsplace,twoLincoln
veteranssteppedorward:MiltonWol
becametheNationalCommander;
MoeFishmanbecametheExecutiveSecretary/Treasurerandservedtheor-
ganizationinanexecutivecapacityor
therestohislie,morethanahalcen-
turyodedicatedservice.
FishmanandWolledtheVALB
deensebeoretheSubversiveActivities
ControlBoardin1954.Atertheire-
ortsailed,theypursuedtheappeals
processthatconcludedwithaavorable
courtrulinginthe1970s,declaringthe
attorneygeneralslistandtheSACBsrulingsunconstitutional.Throughit
all,Fishmanremindedthevets,we
havenotorgottenthatourmainpur-
poseinlieisouranti-Francoactivity.
Thelongghtisover,Moe
wrotesoonaterwardtovetHerman
GabbyRosenstein,andwearein
(sotospeak)alegitimatenon-subver-
siveorganization.Imnotsurethatis
good.Maybewebetterdosomething
subversiveandgetbackonitother-wisethepublicwearetryingtoreach,
especiallytheyouthconstituency,will
lookaskanceattheserevisionists
whohavestoppedbeingsubversive
andhaveaU.S.CourtoAppealsthat
agreeswearenot.Howaboutthat?
Duringthedarkyearsothe
blacklists,FishmankepttheVALB
organizationrunning.Hehelped
producedozensoour-pageissues
oThe Volunteertokeepthevetsap-prisedovariousColdWarpolitical
cases;ralliedsupportorindividual
deensetrials;andparticipatedinpro-
testdemonstrationsagainstSpanish
governmentpoliciesandculturalac-
tivitiesintheUnitedStates.
By1957,however,thetwoVALB
leaders,MoeandMilt,acedanempty
treasuryandconsidereddisbanding
theorganization.Theydecidedtopoll
someothevets,whoresoundingly
opposedtheidea.Meanwhile,MoehadreceivedaletterromaSpaniard
whohadworkedwiththeVALBin
NewYorkinthe1940sandwasnow
inaFrancoprison.Moeresponded
bysummoningacampaigntoaidall
politicalprisonersoSpain.Anaid
andamnestyprojectbecameVALBs
majorocusuntilthedictatordiedin
hisbedin1975.Toraiseundsorthe
prisonersandtheiramilies,therecon-
stitutedVALBhelditsrstreunioninadecadein1957,anannualceremonial
gatheringthatcontinuesnowunder
theauspicesotheAbrahamLincoln
BrigadeArchives.
Asmoreveteransreachedretire-
mentageandreturnedtotheVALBin
the1970s,Moeremainedaconstantin
theorganizationsactivities.Hepartic-
ipatedininnumerablepanelsand
conerences,spoketostudentsinhigh
schoolsandcollegesaroundthecoun-try,andtraveledtointernational
meetingsabouttheSpanishCivilWar.
Inhispublictalks,aswellasininter-
views,herevealedanincredible
memoryornamesandhistoricalde-
tails,linkingpastandpresent
eortlessly.
Moehadthepatiencetolistento
themostasked,otenhostilequestions
andyettypicallyoeredclearlyrecited
answers.Heseldomallowedaspeakertoescapeacommentwithwhichhe
disagreed.Sometimesheseemedare -
lentlessquestioner,assuringthatthe
roleotheLincolnvolunteersreceived
itsproperdue.Hewasdirect,articu-
late,andunselconscious.
Injustonemonth,Moeappeared
onPacicasDemocracy Now program,
greetedguestsattheopeningnighto
theexhibitionFacingFascism,spoke
toahighschoolclassonNewYorks
westside,andsharedapodiumwithHarryBelaonte,whilehandlingamul
titudeoocedetailsandgiving
interviewstovisitingjournalists.
Moewasalsoanactivemembero
VeteransorPeace,proudlycarrying
theVALBbannertoparades.
Moeissurvivedbyhispartner,
GeorgiaWever.
Foryears,seeminglyorever,Mo
Fishmanstoodatthecenteroahalo
thatsurroundedtheAmericanswhooughtintheSpanishCivilWar.He
relishedthespotlightanduseditwel
Lean,well-dressedinsuitandtie,
darkeyebrowsandbrownmustache
osetbyaull,grayheadohair,he
carriedthevitalityoayoungmans
causeintohisoldage.Eachyearatth
annualreunion,itwashisvoicethat
announcedrecentdeathsandcalled
therollothesurvivingveteransin
attendance.Hissilencebringstheendoanera
PeterN.Carroll
Clifton HolmanAmsbury
(1910 2007)
ThispastMay28,VALBsSan
FranciscoBayAreaPostlostyet
anotherstalwartromitsalltoorapidlythinningranks:long-time
Richmond,Caliornia,residentCliton
Amsbury.Clitonhadmusteredthe
strengthtoattendthisyearsannual
VALBreunioninOaklandandully
intendedtobepresentorthe
Added to Memorys Roster
Continued on page
Continued rom page 9
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007 2
unveilingoSanFranciscos
waterrontmonumenttoAbraham
LincolnBrigadevolunteersnextall.
Butitwasnottobe.Hehadbeenin
declininghealthorsometimeand,onMemorialDay,diedpeaceullyat
homesurroundedbyamily.
ClitonwasbornonJuly16,1910,
inLongton,Kansas,thesecondoour
brothers.Fromearliestchildhoodhe
exhibitedaninsatiablecuriosityabout
theworldaroundhim,togetherwitha
markedindependenceomindanda
wittomatch.Itisnosurprisethathe
developedakeeninterestinthe
burningsocialandpoliticalissuesohisday,heightenedbytheinsights
gainedromacademictrainingin
anthropologyatUC-Berkeleyandthe
UniversityoNebraska.
Clitonunderstoodthemenaceo
ascisminthe1930sand,withthe
FalangistuprisingagainstSpains
RepublicanGovernment,hejoinedthe
internationalbrigadesghtingto
deendSpanishdemocracy.Hearrived
inSpainattheendoAugust1937,
receivedhisbasictraininginTarrazonadelaMancha,servedwith
theLincolnsontheEbroront,and
waswoundedinMarch1938and
evacuatedtoasuccessionohospitals.
Bythetimehehadhealedsuciently
torejoinhisunit,theinternational
brigadeswerebeingsenthome.He
wasrepatriatedattheendo1938.
LikeothersurvivingLincolnvets,
theremainderoClitonslonglie
wasshaped,denedandinspiredbyhisexperienceinSpain.Heserved
intheU.S.ArmyduringWorldWar
II,marriedand,togetherwithhis
wieShirley,raisedourchildren.
HeworkedortheCaliorniaState
EmploymentOceuntil1971,when
heretiredtopursueasecondcareer
inanthropology,whichhetaughtat
ContraCostaCommunityCollegeor
another20yearsuntilhewasobliged
toretireatage80.Andallthewhileheremainedsteadastinhissupport
oprogressivecauses,especially
oppositiontoU.S.interventionism
aroundtheworld.In1987Cliton
traveledtoNicaraguawitha
VALBcontingenttodeliverToyota
ambulancesorthevictimsothe
U.S.-proxywaragainsttheSandinista
Government.
TotheveryendClitonremained
unwaveringlycommittedtotheultimategoodght.Heremainsan
inspirationtoallouswhohavebeen
ortunateenoughtoknowhimand
whostrivetocontinuethatnoble
struggle.
R.H.Bartley
Herbert Hy Tabb(1913-2007)
HyTabb,aLincolnveteranwith
prociencyinoreignlanguages,hasdiedinNewYorkattheageo94ate
alongprogressiveillness.
Tabbwasarebelthroughouthis
lieanactivetradeunionistanda
ghterorjustice.InSpain,heserved
asamachinegunnerandtranslator
romtimetotime.Hereturnedhome
toworkasaprinterandprooreader
The New York Times.
Tabbstudiedoreignlanguagesa
severalcolleges,andheandhiswie,
Tamaara,bothgraduatedwithMAde
greesinSlavicLinguisticsromNew
YorkUniversityin1972.Hisacility
withlanguagesenabledthemtotrave
widelyandliveabroad.TheyweregenerousbeneactorstoALBAover
theyears.
Hyleavesbehindalovingamily
thatremembershimasareal
mensch.
Added to Memorys Roster
Continued rom page
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22 THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
We also welcome contributions to specifc ALBA programs such as our website education modulestraveling art exhibitions, publications and administrative ofce operations.
SPONSOR:
Lewis B. Cullman Ruth and Jacob Epstein Foundation Wellfleet Foundation, Inc. in memory of Steve Nelson
ASSOCIATE: Edith Cohen Terry and Bob Corbin in honor of Maynard Goldstein Bill J. Crouch in memory of CliftonAmsbury Ruby Dee Davis Lola and Isaiah Gelman Blanche Gibons in memory of Sam Gibons ThomasKnight Jane Koenig Henry and Suzanne Linschitz in memory of Michael Russo Gerri Matsusewitch PatriciaMunday in memory of Arthur Munday and Alvin Warren Edith Oxfeld Nieves Pousada in memory of AlvinWarren H. David Prensky Sally and Robert Prestandrea Michael Ratner Arthur Rosen Rosalind and FredScheiner Donald and Doris Shaffer in honor of Milt Felsen Tessie Sacher David L. Smith Theodore and CallSmorodin in honor of Abe Smorodins 10th decade Esther Surovell Helene Susman Marjorie Kalins Taylor
DONORS: Estelle Abrahamson Bernard Aisenberg Dorothy Ames Clifton and Shirley Amsbury Leonard Bacich Gail and Howard Baker Enzo and Marta Bard Catherine Blair and Stephen Becker Jane Bjoze Martha Bloom Charles Bloomer Judith Lorne Bly Sander Bolis Regula Boorstein Vernon Bown Adele and Sam Braude Kiki and Ed Brodkin Nancy Hall Brooks Elaine Bunn in memory of Tommy Lloyd Claire Carsman Larryand Christine Carsman Kevin M. Cathcart Douglas and Rosemary Corbin Abe Cotton Barbara Dane Andres and Maria Delgado Stan and Adam Distenfeld Art DLugoff John Downes, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John J.Dropkin Nadine Etkes Laura Falb Antonio Farina, Jr. Anne Foner Herbert Freeman Nathan Friedman Rebecca Friedman Karen Furey Milton Garberg Isaiah Gellman Hyman Gold Arthur and Eleanor Golden Sara Goldstein Peter Goodman Sondra Gorney Matilda Graff Alba Greco Ed Greer Doris Griss Sigrid Hackenberg Kathleen Hager and Arthur Wasserman Earl Harju William and Lucille Harmon Norma
J. Hart in memory of Al Schwartz Jefferson Hendricks Estelle Herskovitz Alexander Hilkevitch honoring Dr.Aaron Hilkevitchs 95th birthday John G. Hovan James Howard Henry and Judy Jacobs Lee Joseph EstelleKatz Ruth Kavesh Helen Keenan Evine Kimerling Claire and Marvin Klenosky in memory of Sylvia Liss Bella and Murray Kranz Beatrice and Henry Krivetsky Edwin Krales Lillian Lanser Florence Lefcourt Robert Lehrer Henrietta and Max Levine Celia Lewis Sara Lieberman Louis Linn Marlene Litwin BessieLoewe Ervin Loretz Barbara Lowitt Fred Magdoff Addie Marks Charlotte Pomerantz Marzani JanetMarzullo Margaret and Arnold Matlin Harold Mellman Lyle Mercer Thelma J. Mielke Nina Miller EllinoR. Mitchell George Nelson Rita Neri Barbara Neuberger Hoseph Nichols Saul Ostrow Rose Pessak Betty and Leonard Pollack Harold Reiss Margery Resnick Ruth H. Richwerger Louis K. Robbins Ramonand Dagny Rodriguez Stanley Romaine Howard and Lisa Rose Naomi Rosenblum Mildred Rosenstein IdaRoth Herbert G. Rubenstein Helen Rucker Naomi Rucker Tessie Sacher Terry Sadin Daniel Schaffer Arnold Schlanger Judith Schoenherr Herman Schwide Richard Sidon Henry and Morrie Silvert JosephineSimon Elizabeth and Irwin Solinger Elaine Spiro Dmitri R. Stein Harold Stephens Richard Stiller LuiseStone Jane Van De Bogart Harriet Vincente Ron Viner Tedd Watts Bernice Weissbourd Carol Wells Irving and Evelyn Wolff
We have received the above general contributions through August 1 and are grateful for the continued help of our great
supporters and friends. Donations received after August 1 will be listed in the December issue ofThe Volunteer.
General Contributions
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THE VOLUNTEER September 2007 2
Sponsor ($5,000 - $9,999):
Jennifer Howard DeGolia
Supporter ($1,000 - $4,999):
Anonymous Paul Blanc inmemory of Esther Silverstein Blancand Irene Spiegel David N. Bortzin memory of Louis Bortz BurtonJ. Cohen Frances Goldin StevenJonas Dennis Mar in memoryof Coleman Persily The RickFoundation Tamaara D. Tabb
Friend ($500 - $999):
Larry Carsman Frank Dell Henry Doherty in memory ofRobert G. Colodny Aleix Martinezand Mar Jimenez Francisco M.Rodriguez Giovanna Benadusiand Fraser Ottanelli in honor ofRose and Abe Smorodin
Associate ($100 - $499):
Francisco Andraca Kiko Andrakaand Gail Osterweil in memory of
Francisco Andraca Sr. and IsabelGalan David and Carolee Bessiein memory of Alvah Bessie Susan M. Billings Ellen Broms George Coles in memory of CliftonAmsbury James V. Compton Bill J. Crouch in memory of Clifton Amsbury Barbara Dane Thomas C. Doerner Lewis and EdithDrabkin Paulette Nusser Dubetz Jose and Selma Fortoul Ayesha Gill Angela Giral Kate and MaynardGoldstein Sigrid Hackenberg Robert Hamburger, Jr. Ellis and Ellen Harris Paul J. Heinricher in memoryof Lincoln Vet Stanley A. Heinricher Stanley G. Heinricher in memory of Lincoln Vet Stanley A Heinricher Michael Heller Corlan Johnson Joseph Gordon Konick in memory of Joe and Leo Gordon Ruth W.
Levitan Suzanne and David Manning George Markham Matti Mattson in honor of Joe Hautaniemi Timothy Michel Nancy A. Newkirk Richard K. Olmo Michael Organek Lola Pazos in memory of JuanDominguez Pazos Nancy I Phillips in memory of Paul Wendorf Mollie Portner Rebecca Schachter in honorof Philip Schachter Rosalind and Fred Scheiner James O. Sehon Ramon Sender Harry and Yetta Sokolin memory of Esther Silverstein Blanc Michael Tanzer and Hester Eisenstein Pierre-Paul Villafafila LiseVogel in memory of her father Dr. Sidney Vogel Nancy E. Wallach in memory of Lincoln Vet Hy Wallach
Continued on page
WE ARE ALMOST THERE and we could not have done it
without you, our loyal riends and supporters. We are
hoping that by the end o this year there will be a
dedication and celebration at the site o the NATIONALMEMORIAL in San Francisco, honoring the volunteers o the
Abraham Lincoln Brigade. We will keep you posted.
We still need your help. Please i you have riends and
colleagues who would be thrilled to know that this
memorial to the Lincoln Brigade is going to be a reality,
spread the word! Or call us in the ALBA oce 212-674-5398.
We will never give up!
I youve already contributed to this campaign, please
consider an additional git.
Checks should be made payable to ALBA and mailed to
ALBA, 799 Broadway, Suite 341, New York, NY 10003. For
more details, call (212) 674-5398.
Thank you again or your support.
Donations made ater August 1 will appear in the
December 2007 issue oThe Volunteer. All donations to the
NATIONAL MEMORIAL will be placed on the ALBA website,
www.alba-valb.org.
National Monument Contributions
8/14/2019 The Volunteer, September 2007
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2 THE VOLUNTEER September 2007
Donor ($1 - $99):
Isak Arbus in memory of Al Prago Lucille Banta Eugene Baron James Benet Phiip L. Bereano in memoryof Perla Bereano Dan and Jeanne Bessie in memory of Alvah Bessie Kathryn S. Blalock Thompson Bradley inmemory of Bill Gandoff Julianne Clark Daniel and Susan Cohen Juanita Contreras Alice D. Correll Joseph
Dimow Polly Nusser Dubetz Edie and George Fishman Martha Friedberg in honor of her father SaulFriedberg Victor Fuentes Barbara Gingher Rhoda and Sheldon Glickman Hilda Grunblatt RosalindGuaraldo Norma J. Hart in memory of Al Schwartz Sue Hestor Joan Intrator Estelle Jelinek Lillian R. Jone Beatrice and Henry Krivetsky in honor of Greta Sugarman Marian Kroon in memory of Freddie Martin LillianT. Lanser Jack Lerman Marlene Litwin Barbara Mason Dick and Gerry Meister Richard Miller Gloriaand Bill Powers Michael P. Predmore Paul Preuss Sally Rainer in honor of Abe Osheroff Marsha Raleigh Gus and Joanne Ricca in honor of Carl Geiser Bill Ritchey in honor of Moe Fishman Bill Ritchie in memory ofWilliam B. Morrell and Morris Davis L.W. and Kazuko Rogers Bill Roller Susan Saiz Kraig A. Schwartz Lucille and Richard Seeley Patricia Sitkin Erin Sheehan Ted Solis Eunice Stack Margot Steigman DmitriR. Stein Roslyn Stein Richard and Elizabeth Tesh Ethel Tobach Ron Viner Gloria F. Waldman ManceWebb Morris Weiss Karel Weissberg and Eliott Spiker in memory of Ernest Amatniek Jeri Wellman and Nick
Bryan in memory of Saul Wellman Lois and Robert Whealey Peter M. Wolff Jack and Bebe Ziebel
Nat iona l Monument Contr ibut ionscontinued from page 23
passionoverthepastcoupleo
decades.Histremendouslyengaging
portraitsinFranco(1993),Comrades!
(1999),Doves of War(2002),Juan Carlos
(2003)and,mostrecently,Idealistas bajo
las balas(2007),showcasePrestons
enduringascinationwiththeimpactohistoryonindividualslivesand
theirimpactonhistory.
SpanishhistorianssuchasJulin
Casanovahavepointedoutthat,orall
itsmerits,BritishhistoricalHispanism
hasbeenweakonsocialhistory,meth-
odologicallyconservative,and
reluctanttoengagewiththeory.To
someextent,thisistrueorPrestonsworkaswell,whichtendstoreserve
itsmeta-historicalcommentsorpre-
acesandepilogues.Onecurious
stylisticeatureothisbook,orin-
stance,isitsauthoritativetone,withi
lackodirectreerencestoprimary
andsecondarysources(alackpartly
madeupbyanextensivebibliograph
calessay).Prestonsnarrativevoice,itseems,tellsushowitis.Thismakes
orwonderullyecientstorytelling,
butisintensionwiththenotion,to
whichPrestonhimselsubscribes,tha
anynarrativeothewarisnecessarily
contentious,inotprecarious.Tohis
greatmerit,however,Prestonhaspro
ducedbrilliantdisciplessuchasHele
Graham,SebastianBalour,Mike
Richards,andChrisEalham,who
havegoneontobecomeoutstandingandinnovativeculturalandsocialhis
toriansintheirownright.
AsValisbookconvincinglydem-
onstrates,theSpanishCivilWarshould
notbetaughtasananomaly,butasan
episodewhosemultiplemeaningsand
repercussionsmustbegraspedincon-text.Inthisundamentalsense,the
teachersroleisnotdissimilartothe
roleoallwhoghtordemocracy:we
shareadeepbelieintheconnection
betweencommitmentandknowledge,
actionandeducation,pastandpresent.
Teaching Representations of the Spanish
Civil Warprovidesamuch-needed
roadmaporthoseinterestedinnavi-
gatingthediculttaskomakingthat
connectioncleartouniversitystudents.
Thebookwillhelpinstructorsacrossthecountrydevelopcoursesthathelp
studentsdeveloptheknowledgeand
empathytheyneedtourthertheght
orapeaceul,democraticuturethe
worldover.
History MattersContinued rom page
PrestonContinued rom page
www.l-vl.g
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Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives
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Support the NationalMonument!
Scenes From an Exhibition, page 1
Poet Martn Espada Presents Reed-Osherof Lecture,page 3
Bay Area Vets, page 4
Antiascist Monument in Burgos, page 4
Watt Memorial Award Winners, page 6
Blood Transusion in the Spanish Civil War:Dr. Norman Bethune, page 10
Robeson in Spain, a graphic serial, page 12
Book Reviews, page 16
History Matters: Teaching the Spanish Civil War Today,page 17
The Volunteerc/o Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives
99 Broadway, Suite 4
New York, NY
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