General Franco declares Spain in a "state of war"

The Spanish Foreign Legion continues to rebel in Spanish Morocco on Northern Africa. They hold the territory.

Rebels made considerable headway in Spain itself today. Fighting erupted in Spain and Pamplona, Zaragoza, Oviedo, Salamanca, Segovia, Ávila and Cadiz rest in rebel hands tonight.

General Francisco Franco, from the Canary Islands, made a pronouncement over the radio, that Spain was in a "state of war". His pronunciamiento came within hours of the uprising in Morocco which only strengthens the belief that he is leading this revolt despite his geographic misplacement.

What set it off was the brutal murder early last week of the leader of the Spanish monarchists, able, eloquent Deputy José Calvo Sotelo, onetime Minister of Finance under the late Dictator Primo de Rivera. Calvo had just notified the Government that he planned to interpellate it next day on the riots. Assault Guardsmen called on Calvo with a warrant, took him off in their police car, dumped his body, shot, mangled and bashed, at Madrid's Municipal Cemetery.

Premier Santiago Casares Quiroga promptly suspended Parliament for eight days, and all the Monarchist Deputies swore never to return. Unwisely the Government refused to allow Calvo's body to lie in state anywhere, barred a mob of 30,000 Rightists from the cemetery where he was being buried. When the crowd gave the Fascist shout, "Up Spain!" Assault Guardsmen fired, killed five, wounded three. Forehanded, President Manuel Azaña ordered the Army and Civil Guards mobilized in quarters, ordered a roundup of Rightist leaders, jammed them into jails. Talkative Rightists had begun telling about a great Army revolt that was due any day and that was to have set up José Calvo Sotelo as President of Spain.