Maynard Goldstein speaking at "Songs for the Cause," on October 16th, 2010. Photo Len Tsou

Dear ALBA,

Thank you for your letter of May 25, 2011, acknowledging my father’s [Lincoln vet Maynard Goldstein, video here] bequest to ALBA. He would be pleased to know that the money will be used for specific programs and that these will be named after him.

Still, knowing my father as I do, I rather suspect that he would find this honor less important than the on-going mission of ALBA. In different terms, it is clear (certainly to me) that he could think of no organization more worthy of a bequest than one whose purpose is to keep alive the memory of those who put their lives on the line to confront and defeat fascism. But, this is not the end of it: the fight goes on; the enemy lives and grows in strength; the battle then is not only for the past, but for the present and future. And so, while gone, my father continues to fight for a better world and ALBA makes this possible.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Marc Goldstein

The first page of the typewritten eulogy of ALB vet Doug Roach, by vet Sol Fellman.

Editor’s Note: David Fellman, son and nephew of ALB vets Sol and Harry Fellman, was recently featured in an episode of PBS’s History Detectives, alongside ALBA’s James D. Fernández and Sebastiaan Faber. He writes to supply some additional details of his family’s story and to share some of his remaining questions.

My father, Sol was born in Omaha NE, and had 7 siblings.  My uncle, Harry was Sol’s younger brother and was working in Chicago when Sol graduated from the University ofNebraska as a chemical engineer.   Unable to find work in Nebraska, Sol joined his brother in the windy city.   Harry had a job in Chicago.  He was very artistic and aspired to be an artist.  He was also interested in politics and attended many political meetings.

Sol had finally found a job working in a chemical lab.  One of Sol’s co-workers in his company was a nazi and he was very vocal about what the nazi’s had in mind.  Sol decided to volunteer to take care of his younger brother, Harry, who was passionate about the conflict in Spain.  As a chemical engineer, Sol thought he would be making weapons for the threatened republic.

They left the US, in secret, in mid January 1937.  Sol and Harry were amongst the first to arrive.   They reached Spain in early February and were given antique rifles, 5 bullets each and sent to the front.   They had no training and were immediately fighting.  Harry was shot in the stomach and sent to a hospital.  Sol stayed at the Jarama front.

Harry was placed with a new unit being formed.  Sol left Spain in September 1937 after he thought Harry would leave and meet him in Paris.  Harry and Sol never saw each other again.  (I have read the Paul Sigel letters that mention Harry and Sol.)

Questions I still have:

Where exactly was Harry Killed?  Are there any reports?  Was the Fellman family ever notified?  Why did Harry not list his home in Omaha as next of kin?  Did ALBA ever write about Harry or Sol?

I know that Sol had retained his passport.  What were the circumstances of his leaving Spain?  Are there any pictures of Sol? In Spain or on the passage on the Paris?  (I have no evidence, but I think the brothers quarreled in July or August of 1937.)

Are there records of Sol?  I know there was a Solomon Feldman but he was from New York and came later.  I think Sol and Solomon are thought to be one person.

Sol told me that he was approached by a Soviet agent after his return, he was scared and did not reply to the request.

—Judge Baltasar Garzón, on receiving the ALBA/Puffin Award for Human Rights Activism

Dear friend of ALBA,

I can’t tell you how thrilling it was to present Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón with the first ALBA/Puffin Award for Human Rights Activism last month in New York City.

In his acceptance speech, Garzón honored the courage and sacrifice of the 2,800 Americans who stood by the Spanish Republic when it was being threatened by fascist oppression. So did our other distinguished speakers, Perry Rosenstein, Michael Ratner and Larry Cox.

The gradual disappearance of the veterans of the Lincoln Brigade puts a weighty burden on all of us to keep their legacy of commitment and internationalism alive.  Their service in Spain was exemplary, as was their lifelong dedication to progressive causes and human rights.

I believe that the best way to keep their legacy alive is to honor, recognize and support those who are at the forefront of those struggles today.  That is ALBA’s mission.  And that is why Judge Baltasar Garzón— a world-famous champion of the principle of universal jurisdiction, which holds that individuals suspected of grave crimes may be tried anywhere in the world—was the perfect first recipient of the ALBA/Puffin Award for Human Rights Activism.

In the months to come, ALBA will be incorporating Garzón’s work on international justice into film series, exhibits, and lectures, as well as into our ever-expanding work with high-school teachers.

Our ongoing teaching institutes in New York, Florida, and Ohio have proven to be very successful in bringing the lessons of the Spanish Civil war into the high-school curriculum.  We are now preparing to introduce our institutes to teachers in New Jersey and Illinois.  Your support is needed.

“Judge Garzón has not only challenged the powers that be,” Amnesty International’s Larry Cox said at the ALBA event, “but he challenges each one of us not to be afraid, and to do even more than we think we can.”   ALBA is ready to do its part—but we can only do that with your help.

We are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that the legacy of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade lives on.

I thank you in advance for your support as we continue to make history come alive. Please click here to donate online.

¡No pasarán!

Sebastiaan Faber

Chair, Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives

Martin Maki. Photo taken in a costume uniform at a photo studio during the time between the Spanish Civil War and WWII. Collection of Maria Maki

Martin David Maki wrote many letters in Finnish when he was in Spain with the International Brigade. The letters were recently discovered, and thanks to Matti Mattson, the only man who could translate them because he knows both Finnish and the war, we have them now.

Martin’s own handwritten story shows that he was at Tarazona, the Madrid front, and joined the British battalion from August 1937 to January 1938. He was also in the Washington battalion with the Finnish machine gunners. He was at Quinto, Mediana, and Fuentes de Ebro, then in the hospital, Revstaka, Cona, Benacasim, Teruel (the North Pole), Belchite, and Gandesa. In his own words, “For many hot days and nights to come, it was constant fighting and moving and reorganizing into the Washington-Lincoln Battalion. I can remember being so thirsty and the attempts to bring water in wooden barrels on burros were made, but few ever made it. At the time the Fascists began to move in reinforcements with German and Italian artillery and airpower. The losses were heavy. For us, Mosquito Ridge was the last.”

Martin was captured on April 3, 1938, and spent a year at San Pedro de Cardeña prison. He left Spain wearing paper slippers and a gown, walking over the bridge to freedom in France. He said all the men spontaneously turned and gave “the finger” to the enemy once they were in the middle of the bridge!

Martin was born in a lumber camp in Newberry, Michigan, on July 4, 1910. He passed away peacefully in Annandale, Minnesota, on May 22, 2001. He served in the U.S. army in World War II and said his greatest joy was watching the defeat of Hitler. His wife, Harriet, and his 4 children would agree. Getting his copy of the VALB every month was one of his favorite moments.

Maria Maki

Translated by Matti A. Mattson (1916-2011)

Spain

September 27, 1937

Salud Comrade Carl*:

I was happy to have received a letter from you. It arrived at its destination at a time when we had just commenced a powerful and calculated offensive on this front. In observing the situation, your interest-rousing letter was especially welcome. Saying this I do not wish to leave an understanding that I, or we, are discouraged. On the contrary, by the victories that we have attained by daunt of fierce battle and decisiveness, our will to do battle has been raised and has carried our fitness level to its highest point. In other words our morale is at its peak.

Since the last time that I wrote to you a great deal has happened. What we have done and what we have experienced would be enough to write a book. But that is not what I will be trying to do—but then I do not have the talent to do that. I believe that you have read more from our newspapers about our battles here. Furthermore, I believe that you have read more from the many letters that have come to you from the many comrades in battle. I have, in fact, more to write about than my own impressions from the time that I have been here.

From the time that we left for the front I have been with the [Toivo Antikaisen KK Joukkue] Toivo Antikainen MG Machine Gun Company. There occurred several serious times—while simultaneously there were humorous moments. That is the way that war is. We have made several quick attacks at different times, and in that have succeeded very well. I do not wish to brag, but up to this point those Finns that came from Finland, America and Canada are looked upon as estimable fighters. Of course as solid antifascist soldiers we have given our best efforts. Once the order is received, we have conquered a position and held the position until new orders have been given. Even though at times the area had become very hot, we have gritted our teeth and stood fast.

But it has been a singular “sauna.” No matter how one tried to remain tough-skinned, the most hellish is the airplanes’ bombing and “strafing.” “Strafing’’ is machine-gun fire from a military fighter aircraft. The bullets that rain down are somewhat larger than the usual bullets. We agree unanimously that bombing by aircraft is such that, take any man, and he will attempt to get his head under the ground as far as is possible.

At times we have been a bit amazed when looking at how many times we have been bombed by German and Italian bombers, but still have carried on firmly.

I have to tell you, Kalle, that I myself have prepared for my death when those Black Vultures soared overhead. Many times I have thought that surely now is my Waterloo. Especially at those times that one is stuck in a position that has no low spot in the terrain and no ditch either. But even if you are in a crater you will break out in a sweat. I remember, especially at the Madrid front, the fascist planes came and circled around for hours. When they started to drop their “eggs” the ground shook so strongly from the explosion that it felt as though they were coming this way and soon we will have a bomb on the nape of our necks. Behind the bomber planes came “strafers.” They flew, one behind the other, in a long line and fired at our boys. This lasted for some time. When their work of the Devil [The word Devil is profane in Finn.] was finished I felt it and came out of the trench, a sigh of relief escaped, then we were amazed that we were not hit. At the same time we swore a bit in a Finnish manner.

Now, however, we have more and heavier artillery and devilishly skillful men who know how to aim it. Also a new, and such an air arm, that the Fascist airmen are not too willing to remain and have their teeth engaged when our planes appear on the scene. From now on we will begin to fare well and the Fascists will be left on the losing side.

So, Kalle, we have made an effort to keep up to developments in America. We read each D.W. diligently, which we receive quite regularly. Also we have started to get the Tyomies.

Here where we are it is not as hot as compared to July. Here for instance, it is warmer than over there in Minnesota. We still go swimming even though it is late September. A few days ago we received more sturdy clothes, while the time is approaching when the rains begin and the weather turns colder.

Finally Kalle, we have been healthy and just as prepared to go against the enemy as the day that we came to Spain. Greetings from all of us to you. From me, extend my greetings to Onni and Mike, to friends and Comrades, Salud.

In Comradeship,

Martin M.

P.S. My address is;

S.R.I. Plaza Altogana 26,1,

Albacete, Spain

P.S. We were in reserve at this time. I will write to you about future battles at a later date.

*Carl and Kalle, of course, were the same person. That person was Carl Paivio, National Secretary of the Finnish Workers Federation (M.A.M.) .

Spain

December 18, 1937

Salud Kalle:

At a time when there were short periods of light on the horizon, when there was no inclination or opportunity to write, I, nevertheless, commenced to answer your letter which I received a few days ago—which letter also enclosed a letter from Helen as well. Both of your letters had much highly interesting news. So you can be sure that, for my part, they were exceedingly welcome. Therefore, many thanks

I wrote to you when I took a trip to the hospital to have my hand taken care of. I was there for three weeks. I have been back to the battalion already for several weeks. At this time we are still in reserve, but prepared to return to the front lines at any moment. In spite of the fact that the last few weeks have been very quiet and uneventful, it is universally known that it is “quiet before the storm”. As you know, Franco has threatened to launch a “massive attack before the winter sets in”–but, as I write this, the attack has not started. It matters not, what kind of plans Franco harbors, he will find out that we are prepared. Threats do not cause us to fear and to panic. We remain calm and at the same time prepare ourselves for the battles which are ahead of us. It is known that the enemy must not be underrated and a multifaceted defense is necessary, and our attention likewise, must be sharpened; all of this is essential.

And Kalle, you can be sure that Franco must put in motion immense troop movements if he wishes to succeed. You see, in the fascist’s front the situation is not altogether in good shape. Now and then there have occurred uprisings among the fascist ranks, and Mussolini’s aspirations for Spain found opposition to its terrible terrorism. In the fascist’s territories there is a growing support for the Republic, For instance, Kalle, some days ago on the Aragon front our forces marched deep into fascist territory and in one village resident men raised a red flag to our troops. That is something, is it not? How can we lose in this historical conflict? Our army grows every day–not only in numbers but in every way. We are beginning to see aircraft, more artillery, machineguns, and all types of war equipment, which we shall be using to give the fascists a good selkasauna [i.e. a good thrashing on their behinds], from which they shall never recover.

So Kalle, I have been here now for seven months. Believe me, I have learned a great deal, and if at some future time I return there, I will be of greater worth than previously. Fighting has at times been very heavy, but there have been gains. We know that future encounters will be even heavier and we will end up the victors. Of that there is not even a doubt.

Finnish women have knitted socks for us. When you are on a speaking tour be sure to give them our thanks. That also shows that many people remember us and that gives us added strength and initiative. When one has good socks on one’s feet the more nimble one will be when the fascists attempt to escape.

You inquired about Victor. I saw him a few days ago. He is in an M.P. battalion and is O.K. The same can be said about most Finnish boys.

As we will be leaving here very shortly and hauling our beloved heavy machine gun I will leave something for future correspondence.

I wish for you a good deal of endurance and good health for the New Year. Greetings to you and all of the Comrades. Salud.

The warmest regards,

Martti

S.R.I. Plaza Altozano 171

We Spanish people will never be able to express with words the gratitude we feel for the likes of Mr. Samuel Lesser. The brigadists left Britain to fight against fascism. In other words, they were people that did what their countries should have done and didn’t do. Those countries—including the UK—had to wait a couple of years until they finally realized the dangers of fascism. Even when they defeated Hitler they decided not to take any action against Franco: instead he was supported. As I said, no words can express the admiration that I feel for Mr. Lesser and all the rest of brigadists.

Just one small note that I think is important to clarify: The expression “presente!” was (and is still) an expression USED BY FASCISTS to glorify their dead “heroes” … I think is a bit disgusting that same expression is used in this case for a man that went all the way to Spain to fight fascism.

Miguel, October 21, 2010

When he volunteered in 1937 to fight against fascism during the Spanish Civil War, 20-year old Samuel Levinger was an undergraduate at Ohio State University in Columbus, a Socialist, and the son of a rabbi. He was an exceptionally sensitive man. He was also an excellent writer—of stories, letters, and poetry.

After giving a lecture recently at the University of Vermont, I was approached by Levinger’s niece, Laurie Levinger, who offered an example of her uncle’s writings.

The first is a letter that is self-explanatory as to its purpose and intention and, fair warning, will touch most readers deeply.

The second is a work of poetry.

We publish both pieces with the permission of Ms Levinger, who is currently working on a biography of her uncle. These writings may not be reproduced without her permission. She asks that anyone with information about young Levinger contact her at Laurie@Levinger.net.

Peter N. Carroll

Samuel Harold Levinger (1917-1937). Courtesy of Josh Levinger, http://www.levinger.net/josh/2005/12/18/sam

In case of death only,

please send this to

Mrs. Lee J. Levinger

2257 Indianola Ave.

Columbus, Ohio

U.S.A.

Do not send in case of injury.

Thanks, comrade. Samuel Levinger

Dear Mother and Father:

I suppose that by the time you receive this, I will have been dead several weeks. Of course, war is a confused thing, and I have seen enough certified corpses walking around to make me a little skeptical, but if you receive this and an official announcement too, count it as definite.

This is the last day of relief. We are going up to some front tomorrow to clear out the Fascists. I do not doubt that we will be successful in repatriating the boys across the street, but it will be at considerable cost, and as the Lincoln Battalion is good it should be in the middle of it.

I still stick by my original conviction that I will be alive long after a whole lot of dictators have died of lead poisoning or hardened arteries; but I’ve been wrong on other matters before. Hence I decided to write this letter.

Certainly I am not enthusiastic about dying. I’ve gotten a good bit of fun out of my first twenty years despite the fact that, except for the last six months they were pretty useless. I suppose I would have enjoyed my next twenty just as much. I wanted to write this letter, however, to make clear that there is absolutely nothing to regret.

If I were alive again I think I would join in the battle again at this crucial place. There was an extremely important job to do over here and I was one of the men who decided to do it. That a good many of us were killed while doing it is unfortunate, and the fact that I was killed is still more unfortunate from our standpoints. However, this has no relevance to the necessity of doing the job. This difference between world Fascism and world socialism is too great to permit our safeties to be a factor for consideration.

Next I want to beg both of you not to see this out of context. World change is a stern master. It has killed and will kill millions of boys as dear to somebody as I am to you. The Fascists want war, and bitter war we will give them.

You are more fortunate than many of the parents, for you still have two children with extremely bright futures. You have your extremely valuable work. I am less able to evaluate Father’s work, though I realize its great worth; but in my field, that of an author, I can say I think Mother should become one of the most valuable authors of the generation. And you still have the emancipation of America to be achieved.

I think my ideas on immortality agree largely with yours. I once wrote a lousy poem “If there is darkness beyond I shall sleep, if light I shall wake.” So if I meet you folks again all to the good— if not, we’ve had quite a bit of pleasure in each other’s company while it lasted.

As for my friends, give them my love if you run across them. Tell them I said there’s only one thing to remember—that there’s one comrade less to do the job of soldier of discontent. They’ll all have to do some work to make up for my getting perforated. See if that will get a few of these mugwumps into action.

This has been a clumsy letter. I just want to say that I love you both a great deal, and so forth. Also that it isn’t such a serious thing.

Love and revolutionary greetings.

Joy to the world.

Samuel Levinger

Friends of ALBA will be pleased to know that there is a new monument to a member of the International Brigades in Spain. The monument, to the Irish brigadista Charlie Donnelly, was dedicated in February 2010, on the 72nd anniversary of his death in the Battle of Jarama. Charlie Donnelly was a poet of great promise and an organizer of the Irish Republican Congress. He was a member of the Connolly Column, the term for all Irish who fought for the Spanish Republic. Of special interest to friends of ALBA, he fought with the Lincoln Battalion, as did many members of the Connolly Column.

The monument (Photo Nancy Phillips)

The monument dedication completed a project begun in 2007 by the Friends of Charlie Donnelly with the help of the Asociación de Amigos de las Brigados Internationales (AABI). The city council of Rivas Vaciamadrid provided the site and collaborated in the project. (Rivas Vaciamadrid is on the southeastern outskirts of Madrid and close to where the battle of Jarama took place.) The stone that formed the centerpiece of the monument was taken from a quarry near Charlie’s birthplace in County Tyrone. It was set in a cairn of 32 stones brought from Ireland and the rest from the Jarama battlefield.

The monument (Photo Nancy Phillips)

The dedication of the monument took place on February 27 at the Parque de Miralrio de Rivas Vaciamadrid. I had the pleasure of attending, and was struck by the broad representation of speakers: from AABI; Friends of Charlie Donnelly; the Dungannon Mayor’s Office; PSOE (the left/center governing party in Spain); IU (the coalition of left and green parties in Spain including the Communist Party); the Donnelly family; the Ambassador from Ireland; and the Mayor of Rivas Vaciamadrid. These events were part of the Third Annual Memorial March at Jarama organized by the AABI, International Brigades Memorial Trust (IBMT), Friends of Charlie Donnelly and Republican Ateneo of Fuenlabrada with the collaboration of the City Council of Rivas Vaciamadrid and Club de Amigos de la Unesco de Madrid. Courtesy of the organizers, participants such as myself had opportunities to visit other places in Spain that were of significance in the Civil War. For me, the opportunity to see a monument to a brigadista become part of the Spanish landscape was inspiring, as was the opportunity to spend time with people from other countries who share these feelings. I encourage others to make similar trips. For more information on such opportunities, helpful sources include the IBMT website; the Portal de la Historia website; and Alan Warren at hill705@gmail.com.

Nancy Phillips, Albuquerque, New Mexico

The purpose of this message is to let you know about our shocking surprise when we read the brief note on our book Los Internacionales: English Speaking Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War. We thought our great effort and many years of hard work would deserve a bit more than just four lines of disdainful comments.

First of all we are not the editors but the authors, and the book is not just a “compendium with selected biographies and bibliographies” but something far more complex and multifaceted than that. Least of all is “studded with inaccuracies.” When you use this expression we suppose you are referring only to the listings. We were very aware when we decided to publish Appendix II that it needed further research and that there might be plenty of errors and inaccuracies to be corrected in future editions. In various passages of the book we call for the readers’ understanding and help (family, friends, etc. could probably offer details and personal information on the volunteers). On p. XVI we offer our e-mail addresses to incorporate any further corrections. We can assure you that the whole listing has been corrected several times and cross-checked in different ways. If you read pp. 413-14 you will realize how much effort and energy has been devoted into that after consulting, re-elaborating and cross-checking dozens of lists. As it is, we consider the result as the most precise listing published so far and we will continue to update it because we do not consider our work to be definitive at all. Obviously, we are very aware that our efforts should be complemented by others’ before a ‘definite’ list of this kind can ever be accomplished and considered a hundred percent accurate. Nevertheless, we have tried our best and what we need now is further encouragement to continue detecting and correcting errors.

The sources we have used are all listed in page 414 and most of them have repetitions, errors, misspellings, inaccuracies, etc. We cannot dismiss the effort that those works entailed. We should all help to complement them. In our opinion, the column that includes the country or nationality (FROM) helps to clarify the complex issue of numbers and nobody has done that before. As mentioned in various passages of the book, the Canadians, the Americans and the Irish may give rise to abundant mistakes since many of them had double nationality and they have been counted twice. With the inclusion of this column in our database, we believe that we can give more reliable results since the different names cannot be counted twice.

But our book is not only a series of biographies, bibliographies and listings. There are three other sections which should be looked at as a thoughtful introduction for general public on the Brigaders and the Spanish Civil War, on the enrollment of about 7,300 English-speaking volunteers and their generous participation in battle or in medical services. They did come to fight but at the same time they have produced a broad literary reference which, I think, hasn’t been evaluated properly (at least in Spain) and that needed to be done. I know that the task is enormous but we have tried. Chapter I (76 pp) with the title “The International Brigades and the Spanish Civil War” is dedicated to a general view on the different Brigades, their initial formation and the peculiarities of the various Battalions. Section II offers a description of the formation and the role of the Anglo-speaking Battalions and units. Section III, under the heading “The Return Home”, deals with the fate that the members of the Brigades had to face when they went back to their countries. Chapter II (118 pp) entitled “The English-speaking Brigaders and Volunteers in Literature” is in our opinion the most creative and innovative part of the book. It is a pity but few people in Spain (and probably in most other countries) know to what extent the Spanish Civil War has inspired poets, novelists and critics (let alone correspondents). The literary impact of the war in literature has been disregarded by most historians in Spain. This chapter tries to provide as much information as possible about the repercussions of the war in Great Britain and Ireland, the United States, Canada and Australia. The reaction to the military revolt from writers, intellectuals and artists, and from the anglo-speaking academic world was that of an indiscriminate support of the Spanish Republic. Chapter III under the heading of “Memory and Reminiscence” has three different sections. The first one “Commemorative Recollections” illustrates the deep sense of admiration that the Brigaders aroused in their respective countries and the reader can see the impressive number of monuments and commemorations that have emerged in those countries. The second section, entitled “Films and Videos,” comprises a full list of films, videos and documentaries that depict the Brigades and their historical legacy, attesting to the commotion and interest provoked by the Spanish conflict in Europe, the United States and Canada.

There are, therefore, a total of 237 pages of solid and scholarly-based information (probably with some errors or inaccuracies) with an ample critical corpus with which you may agree or not but which is a result of many years of serious work. If in those chapters or anywhere else in the book you have found mistakes or omissions we would be very grateful if you let us know so that we can correct them in future editions. We have planned Appendix II as a “work in progress” to be improved and corrected when suitable, as it is frequently stated in various passages of the book. We would appreciate a great deal if you call on your web visitors to send us their suggestions and corrections… that would be a very positive attitude towards our work and we would be very thankful for that.

Salamanca, March, 2010

Saludos cordiales,

Antonio R. Celada, Manuel González & Daniel Pastor

Dear comrades of the Lincoln Brigade and ALBA:

My name is Eduardo Corrales. I came to New York just for a few days to visit a friend of mine, and I thought I could not miss the opportunity to thank you, Brigade Veterans, for your heroic effort more than seventy years ago in my country. Furthermore, I would also like to mention the great work done by the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives.

I live in Gijón (a city in the north of Spain) but I was born in Madrid, where I lived most of my life—the place where the International Brigades, and in particular the Lincoln Battalion, suffered their baptism by fire, in February 1937.

There’s a place in my city of birth that is especially important. It is the Arganda Bridge, which became a strategic objective in the first great battle against international fascism: the Jarama Battle.

In those days, a young American journalist roamed the streets of my town and became obsessed with the iron bridge that was being defended so heroically by the Republican Army. This young journalist was Ernest Hemingway.

It always took my breath away that the places where I spent my childhood were the scenes where humanity’s destiny had been decided.

I just want to show you my most sincere gratitude for having been such heroes in my country. Thank you so much, comrades.

As Ernesto Che Guevara said so eloquently: “solidarity is the tenderness of the people.”

Hurray for the International Brigades!

They won’t pass! ¡No pasarán!

Eduardo Corrales

New York, May 2010

Responding to a New York Times story of December 10, 2009, “Remembrance, and Maybe Sainthood, for Bishop Fulton J. Sheen,” I was a member of a delegation, headed by former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, that went to Spain early in 1964 to act as observers at the trial of the Carabanchel Ten, who had been arrested and were later convicted for trying to organize unions in Franco Spain. I had a different perspective on Bishop Sheen and on the Catholic Church’s unrelenting and successful campaign to prevent the United States and its European allies from lifting the embargo on the legally elected Spanish government. Had they not succeeded, it might have prevented Franco’s allies from launching World War II, and I and millions of my compatriots, if we were fortunate to have survived, might not have had to spend three to four years in the military prosecuting the war against fascism.

Bishop Sheen

If, as the article states, it takes 30 years for Bishop Sheen to achieve sainthood, it took at least that time for the Spanish people to rid themselves of the yoke of fascism. As a side note, on the day we arrived in Spain, its Prime Minister, Carrero Blanco, was assassinated when the car in which he was driving to his office was blown up. The underground press reported that Carrero Blanco had tried to get to heaven, but was only able to reach the fifth floor. That was about the only glint of humor in what was otherwise a dismal period for the Spanish people.

Henry Foner

Brooklyn, NY

The idea for this course originated in the summer of 2008 during a week-long workshop at New York University. Three teachers from BCA, Gabriella Calandra and Carlos Gonzalez from the World Language Department and Sergei Alschen from History, were among the 16 teachers that participated.

The project allows students to explore not only the confluence of international, Spanish, and American conditions that led to the Spanish Civil War, but also to learn about what motivated young people in the 1930s to take up the cause of justice and to fight against fascism on the other side of the world, when their own country prohibited them from doing so. The project culminates with the students identifying contemporary issues—political, social, economic, or environmental—and drawing up a plan of political action based on a cause they would like to take up.

The two classes learned a lesson in historiography by taking a field trip to the Tamiment Library at NYU in April and October and conducting archival research. The students spent time reading letters written by and to the veterans, which they used to produce a short written account of what they learned. Having access to the actual documents written in a trench at the front or a hospital behind the lines brought the realities of conflict closer to home for the students. They also browsed the political posters from the Spanish Civil War, learning the importance of the messages conveyed in them to mobilize support for the Republican cause. Finally, the students viewed the documentary movie The Good Fight: The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War, which culminated in a spirited class discussion about the heroism of the veterans.

Mrs. Calandra and I would like to thank the following people for making this project possible: Principal Danny Jaye and Lee Frissell of NYU for giving us the opportunity to participate in the workshop that led to the creation of this project; NYU Professor James Fernandez, Jeanne Houck, Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, and Gail Malmgreen, Associate Head for Archival Collections at the Tamiment for providing us with access to the archival documents; and Peter Carroll for all of his guidance during our NYU summer seminar and for his wonderful book, The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, which we use as one of our textbooks for the project. Most of all, thanks to the students that have enrolled in this project for making it so interesting and so much fun to teach.

Sergei Alschen
History Department

serals@bergen.org

Gabriella Calandra
World Language Department

gabcal@bergen.org