Category Archives: Albacete

Days when Merriman was in Albacete Training Base

11-12 Junio The Washington Battalion Leaves Albacete for the Front

June 11-12, 1937
Robert Merriman’s diary for June 11 and 12, 1937
Harris
Joseph Dougher (Commissar of the Mac-Paps), Albert (Abe) Harris (Intendencia) and Wally Sabatini (Mac-Paps). Harris is shown here without mustache that he carries in other photos. ALBA Photo 11-0728, Tamiment Library, NYU

Merriman picks up the pieces from a failed night exercise at Tarazona with his new Battalion.  He gets Pete Hampkins to come back to the town with him and makes Hampkins the Clerk in the new Battalion.  He left William Carroll in the field who would have had to walk back with the men.  He discusses the drill and placement of the guard with Abe Harris who is his Quartermaster in Tarazona.  After looping through Pozorubio in the afternoon, he returns to Albacete and meets with Schalbroeck who tells him about the imminent departure of the Washington Battalion for Jarama.  Merriman uses the rest of the day to try to adjust who is in the Washington Battalion and who will stay behind for the third (to-be-named Mackenzie-Papineau) Battalion.  He first negotiates with Brigade Personnel Officer Peter Winkler to adjust the rolls and then later meets with Marcovics to add people to Marcovics’ list where he had some remaining holes to fill.  Recall that Marcovics gave Merriman Givney and about 10 other difficult soldiers and apparently Merriman is now trying to give some back.  He gets rid of “one bad one” and since John Givney is wounded at Brunete in July (and the Mackenzie-Papineau battalion was still in training during the Battle of Brunete), it seems likely that the soldier returned to the Washingtons is Givney.

Merriman goes to bed early so he can rise and with Marion, Ed Bender and Joe Dallet, to toast the Washington Battalion as it moves out at exactly 3:08 AM.   Merriman shakes the hands of the men in the Battalion and wishes Marcovics good luck.  He phones the Brigade to let them know that the Battalion is on the move.  Merriman mentions a Perry Pinson in regard to the trucks and this soldier is not known at this point but would probably have been with Transportes.  There was a Percy Hilton who was with the Mac-Paps and was a cook in Tarazona, but Hilton did not arrive from Canada until August 2.  There is a Percy Hilton from Northampton mentioned in the ranks of the British Battalion in the RGASPI files, but no details of him are given other than he was a prisoner at the Base in September 1938.  Leslie Perry was with the Regiment du Tren in June 1937 and boasted that he had formed the Transport Group.¹  Perry was later busted for attacking another soldier with a pistol butt.   He was also attributed to be an intimate with Rose Abramson.¹  If the reference is to Leslie Perry, we are still left with Pinson as the other name.

Ford
A Ford 1936 4-door sedan as described by Merriman. This would have been a fine staff car. Photo credit: Ottoswheels.com

The next day was fairly routine training, although he notes that Ruben “Ruby” Kaufman returned with a 1936 (nearly new) Ford V6 4 door sedan (Merriman’s was unlikely to have been in Blue as the one on the right).

Merriman says he sat in on an examination commission for the Slavs and they were trying cases.  These mini-court martials could be for infractions like drinking or more serious cases, such as desertion.

Santiago Carrillo
Grainy photo of Santiago Carrillo from the 1937 Volunteer for Liberty, Vol 1, #13, October 1937

Merriman finishes the evening with a celebration with was given by and for the Juventad Socialistas Unificados.  One of the youth leaders of the JSU was Santiago Carrillo, seen at the right.   Carrillo’s son, José,  was the Rector of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid where the Lincoln Memorial stands.    Merriman was not interested in being at the Fiesta but since they had a place of honor, he could not leave early.

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¹ RGASPI Fond 545/Opis 6/Delo 962, pg 42.

7-8 Junio Merriman goes shopping for a new car (and some trucks)

June 7-8
Robert Merriman’s diary for June 7 and 8, 1937

Schrenzel and Kaufman were to leave for Valencia on the morning of the 7th and they shared Bob Merriman’s quarters in Albacete.  The Dodge vehicle (the Commissar’s car) and the truck Merriman requisitioned on the 6th both had mechanical problems.  Merriman obviously was being given hand-me-down vehicles by the Auto Park, especially since there was a mobilization going on for the Washingtons to leave for Jarama.  Merriman has to come to Albacete to intervene with Bill Lawrence to get two trucks and a car, as the Dodge got “organized” by the Service Sanitar and did not come back.  Merriman and Bill went to see “Gunderlach” in the Auto Park.   Otto Gundelack was a Captain in Murcia in October of 1937 and was responsible for the Intendencia in Murcia in the Spring of 1937.¹ Merriman checks in with Pierre Lamotte about his car.

They leave for Albacete and it says “Joe Dukes and Carroll”.  This is believed to be Joe Dallet, Larry Dukes and William Carroll.  Upon arrival in Tarazona, Merriman speaks with the new men and announces that Larry Dukes will lead Company 2 and Bob Thompson will lead Company 1.  These companies were made up of people left behind by Marcovics and were “tough customers”.   Merriman heard them out.   Marion Merriman is back at Tarazona and Merriman mentions her in passing.  In Albacete, Merriman meets with Canadian Commissar Bob Kerr who was organizing the Canadian comrades who would be in the third battalion.   Merriman blames the hurried nature of the departure of the Washingtons for the disorganization in Tarazona.  He attributes that disorganization to a lack of political preparedness of these men.

Elliot Loomis
Elliott Loomis in Transmissions in 1938. ALBA Photo 11-0876, Tamiment Library, NYU

On the 8th, Elliot Loomis is assigned to be a driver for Merriman.  He takes Merriman out to Pozorubio and must have liked what he saw since he asked to be sent to Officer Training School.  Loomis will be in Transmissions in 1938.

Marion and Robert did some shopping for fruit, presumably for the upcoming fiesta for the departing Washington Battalion.  He marches the battalion to the river for  a picnic.  He pays 35 pesetas for a goat for the fiesta and makes a feeble joke that “I got your goat, by gun”, probably referring to the farmer doing the supplying of the goat.

Merriman sends his car back to Tarazona to pick up Marcovics, Dallet, and Mates.  They join with George Kay and Commandante “Umberto”.   This refers to Commandant Umberto Galliani, who led the Garibaldi Brigade.   It is clear from the formal address of Galliani that he is not the “Galli” who was mentioned on prior pages.

Merriman has time to take a stroll with Marion Merriman along the river and by the hospital.  Recall that Marion just returned from her mission where she had a very difficult time (May 30 diary page).  No indication is given that she let anything on to Merriman about her trip.

Galliani, Parker and Usera
Galliani, Bill Parker and Vincent Usera at Alcorisa in January 1938.
Bernstein, Strauss, Goldbert
Leaders of XVth Brigade Sanidad, Dr. Bernstein (left), Dr. Mark Strauss (center) and Commissar Al Goldberg (right), ALBA Photo 177-189035, Tamiment Library, NYU

The diary sounds like the fiesta is being held on June 9 as there are sports and volleyball with entertainment from George Kaye and David Mates.   Merriman meets Vincent Usera for the first time.  Usera would leave under a cloud in 1938 and there were suspicions that he may have been planted in Spain.  Usera was a US Marine in 1930².    Commandante Umberto and the Pozorubio Camp Doctor {probably Dr. Strauss}  gave speeches.  Alan Knight was “a hit”.

Merriman speaks with Walter Garland and Al Robbins who were in the Washingtons and this led Marcovics to get upset since Merriman was speaking to his officers.  There clearly was no love lost between Merriman and Marcovics.

Marion was to meet Bob in Tarazona before they were to return to Albacete but Marion “lost her way”.  One can only imagine her state of mind during this week.   Merriman, Dallet, Dr. Strauss and Walter Garland waited for her in the center of town and once they found her, they returned to Albacete with a driver named “Alfredo”.  Merriman says he didn’t sleep well because of a strange bed, but one might imagine that he picked up something going on with Marion and her “getting lost”.

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¹ RGASPI Fond 545/Opis 6/Delo 376, pp 64-66.

² Ancestry.com

5-6 Junio The new Washington Battalion moves out

June 5-6
Robert Merriman’s diary from June 5 and 6, 1937

Four very hectic days begin for Robert Merriman as the Washington Battalion finishes its training and is to move up to the front at Jarama.  In reality, the Washington Battalion did not go into the lines at Jarama as the Lincolns were relieved about this point and moved to Albares, east of Mondejar and north of Tarançon.  The British Battalion would be withdrawn to Mondejar.  The Washington Battalion would be held in reserve behind the lines.¹  But from the next four days of diary, we are informed that the Marcovics’ led battalion goes to Albacete and Merriman is ordered to Tarazona de la Mancha to start forming another battalion with men who did not go to Albacete.  This is the nascent Mackenzie-Papineau battalion and we can see a thread of Canadians being involved in these diary passages.

Merriman continues to be ill and he drags himself out of bed for a topography lesson.  Bill Lawrence arrives from Albacete to Pozorubio and it must have been urgent as he took a motorcycle for the trip rather than being driven in a staff car.  He took a fall on the way and showed up covered in mud.  Lawrence informs Merriman that the Battalion is now moving out and that there will be about 150 men left behind in Tarazona.  It is time to decide who will be the commander of that  new forming battalion (recall that it takes about 600 men to have a full formed battalion).  Lawrence tells Merriman and Dallet to get over to Tarazona to take charge or a French commander would be put in charge of the third battalion (one wonders if this might be a French Canadian considering the makeup of the new Battalion).  This Frenchman is unnamed.

After “organizing” a truck to Albacete, Merriman and Dallet go over to Tarazona and meet with Marcovics and Mates who are leading the Washington Battalion.   They find out that George Brodsky, John Givney and “10 trouble makers” are being left behind by Marcovics.  Merriman will inherit these problems again.

Dr. Telge
Dr. Oscar Telge (Tsvetan Kristanov) Source: Fredericka Martin Photo Archive ALBA 001: 1:1:31:1
Barsky
Dr. Edward Barsky, RGASPI Archives Fond 545/Opus 6/Delo 861, Moscow

Merriman and Dallet drive back into Albacete to meet with Doctor Oscar Telge and Dr. Edward Barsky, clearly about issues of who will be leading the medical support for these battalions.  Merriman says it is decided that Mildred Pitts will lead one group and Doctor Barsky the other and that Barsky is scheduled to return to the US.  Barsky presumably would be going to recruit more support for the American Medical Bureau.

Thomas Hyde
Thomas Hyde, Jr. Photograph from the family collection of Richard Hyde, used with permission

Merriman introduces a new name, Tom Hyde, who is a problem for the Staff.  Hyde arrived in Spain on March 20, 1937.  Tom Hyde was a bookstore owner from New Jersey who had had some experience as a hospital administrator in the US.   Hyde was probably attached to the AMB because of this latter experience.  Hyde is working in Murcia as the administrator of the hospitals there.  Hyde mentions that he has problems stateside and review of his file at the Tamiment Library shows that his bookstore was in financial difficulty with a partner in the bookstore pulling out and leaving Mrs Hyde in serious difficulty in making ends meet.   Some of the letters from Hyde reached André Marty’s desk as Hyde was seeking repatriation to the US to take care of his business.  Here Bill Lawrence is unsympathetic and his skills don’t appear to be needed in the AMB so they tell him he will be going to the front with the new battalion “as a common soldier”.   Hyde’s disaffection will fester for months but he will be on the line in the attack on Belchite in September 1937 where he was injured in the foot by shrapnel.   Hyde returned to the US in the fall of 1938, much too late to deal with his financial issues.  He lost the bookstore (Richard Hyde, private communication).

Merriman says he met “Tommy” who was to take Hyde’s place in the First Aid Service.  At this point, we don’t know who Tommy is.   Merriman finishes an active day with discussions again with Telge and Barsky about the medical service and he goes off to find Hyde at First Aid (presumably to give him a decision) and does not find him.

On the 6th, Merriman rises and goes to meet a Cross and Juan Corona who is to be Chief of Staff of a new shock battalion (shock battalions are the name of front line troops who are thrown into the most difficult assault situations).   It was supposed to be an “honor” to be in a shock brigade although the service would be amongst the hardest faced in the war.  Merriman doesn’t believe this assignment of Corona, probably because of critical comments he made about him in February.   Donald Ellis Cross was in Spain at this time, but unlikely to be put into a leadership role.   Merriman does confirm that  Abe Harris will be Quartermaster for the new brigade.

Merriman says he meets with Roblet and finds he will go off to the 16th Brigade (a Spanish Brigade being formed in the Vth Army Corps) and he says it will include one old battalion and two new battalions.   There is an unreadable word in the diary and it may be the name of the new Brigade, if it could be deciphered.

Merriman meets with the Belgian Captain Jean Schalbroeck who is replacing Platone as Vidal’s deputy.  Merriman wants to review with the Brigade leadership whether the previous plan was going to be carried out, i.e. Merriman would command the third Battalion or be Marcovics adjutant in the Washingtons or whether Rollin Dart would be brought back from Cordoba to be Marcovics’ adjutant.  No answer is found here, but Merriman does not leave Tarazona.  The “en passant promotion” is indicated by the vehicles they drive, however, since Merriman and Lawrence get a permanent car, a permanent salvo conducto (to allow Lawrence to leave Tarazona and move around), and they go to the auto park to round up other transportation.   We find that Lamotte is now in the auto park and out of Albacete.  George Kaye, who is also in the Auto Park, Ed Bender, Bob Thompson, Lamotte and Merriman have a drink together.

Pappas
Unknown man, Mike Pappas, Ed Bender, ALBA Photo 11 – 1574, July 1938, Tamiment Library, NYU

After gaining a vehicle, Lawrence and Merriman go back to Tarazona to meet with Marcovics and Dallet.   Givney came and Merriman met Mike Pappas.  Pappas will be a fixture in the Lincolns for much of 1937 and 1938.  He was in the Machine gun company, in the cocina, and finally was killed on the Ebro in 1938.   A highly recognizable vet because of his fine features and recognizable mustache, Pappas was spoken of often by later Lincoln leadership, such as Milt Wolff (Wolff would call him Nick Pappas or “Nick the Greek” on ALBA audiotapes made for Art Landis’ book¹). “Galli” is again mentioned and he came over from Pozorubio to Tarazona to help out in organizing the remaining men.  Merriman clearly respected Galli.

Dukes
Larry Dukes, ALBA PHOTO 11-0034 from May 1938, Tamiment Library, NYU

Merriman returned to Albacete at the end of the day and in the car ride, they decided to place Larry Dukes, John Givney, George Brodsky, Abe Harris and Bob Thompson in the new battalion.

Returning up to Bill Lawrence’s room #22 in the hotel, they sent the chauffeur for the commissar (either named Dodge or driving a Dodge) to check on the guard at the Estado Mayor.  We find out that “Kaufman” will be going to Valencia.  This is likely Ruben “Ruby” Kaufman who will be in the Mac-Paps in 1937.   Merriman again meets Andrew Royce who is again drunk.  He  and Pete Hampkins decide that Isidore Schrenzel will go with Kaufman to Valencia.  This could possibly be a payroll run as pay would have to be distributed on June 10.

Merriman explains that they will be having a fiesta for the departing comrades since he needs to buy a goat for the feed.  Art Landis relates that this fiesta was held on June 14, 1937,¹ but the Washington Battalion will move out before that date.  His diary has two additional notations:   “Joe Dallet crossed with Bill Lawrence” and “Bob brought diary which had been read”.   Merriman’s diary was in Pozorubio and was brought into Albacete.  It clearly worried him that someone had opened the diary and read it.

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¹ Landis, Abraham Lincoln Brigade, ibid.

31 Mayo Looking into the workings of the International Brigades

May 31
Robert Merriman’s diary from May 31, 1937

Robert Merriman has intense days in 1937 where he writes a lot and even (like today) needs a continuation page.  This particular diary entry is illuminating for his frankness about the dynamic of the leadership of the XVth Brigade and the Vth Army Corps to which it belonged.  We might pause to review this, this is the organization of the IB’s (also in Thomas¹) about May of 1937:

Vth Army Corps led by General Gall (Janos Galicz); Hans Claus, Chief of Staff

XI Brigade (“Ernst Thaelmann Brigade”)  led by General Kleber (11/36-11/36), Colonel Hans Kahle¹ (11/36-3/37) and Maj Richard Staimer (4/37-12/37) with Ludwin Renn (Chief of Staff)

XII Brigade (“Lukacs Brigade”)  led by General Pavol Lukacs¹ (Mátá Zalka)

XIII Brigade (“Dombrowski Brigade”) led by General Gómez (Wilhelm Zaisser)¹

XIV Brigade (“The Marseillaise Brigade”) led by Colonel Putz¹ (who went to Bilbao in June) and General Walter (Karol Swierczewski)  after June 15 1937

XV Brigade (XVth Brigada Mixta, “English Speaking Brigade”)  led by Vladimir Copic¹ and formed on February 8:

First regiment (English Speaking) May/June 1937 led by George Nathan

16th (later 58th Battalion; “The British Battalion”) led by Fred Copeman in spring-summer 1937

17th (later 58th Battalion; “The Lincoln Battalion”) Led by Merriman then Marty Hourihan and then Oliver Law (4/37-7/37).  Marty Hourihan was promoted to Regimental Staff.

20th (“The Washington Battalion”, 22 May-14 July 1937)  led by Mirko Markovics.  In May the Washingtons were still in training and after the battle of Brunete, the Washington Battalion was combined with the Lincoln Battalion.

The 60th Battalion – Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion – was not formed until after 29 June.  This was “The Third Battalion” in Merriman’s diary initially led by Robert Merriman, later by E Cecil-Smith)

Second Regiment (non-English speaking)

14th Battalion – The Dimitrov Battalion (largely Slavic) lead by Chapaiev who served as the Second Regiments leader as well.

19th (later 14th Brigade; French Sixth of February battalion)  led by Gabriel Fort

24th (“Voluntario 24″ , later absorbed into the 59th Spanish Battalion”) – This battalion which contained many anarchist units was decimated over the summer of 1937.

International Cavalry Squadron

With this review, we see that Merriman rose on the 31st for work and the new uniform goes into the closet and he switches to his work clothes.  After some infantry and machine gun lectures, Merriman meets with the men and provides criticism.   Merriman spells “Snyder” but this is Murray Schneider.  Schneider is dressed down for participating too much and “Avgherinos”  for participating too little.  Jim Carmody caught the fact this this must be Hercules Avgherinos and not Costas Avgherinos who was dead by this point.  From Carmody:

Hercules later became a member of SIM, and was involved in tracking down Anarchists and others who were helping deserters from the IB’s onto ships and out of Spain. He was later based in Barcelona and was part of the IB Delegation there. He was repatriated from Spain in October,1938.²

Irving Morrison, Steve Daduk and Ed Flaherty are released to Albacete where they will be sent back to the US.  Daduk will return on July 2 and Flaherty on July 31 to the US.  Morrison however will not return until 1938.  On June 1, Merriman will include Sterling Rochester in this group and it is possible he mixed up the names.

General Gal (Janusz Galicz) arrives at lunchtime with David Zaret (real name Daniel Abraham Zaretsky  aka Daniel Zorat aka David A. Jarrett) who was Copic’s Chief of Staff.  Gal’s interest was meeting with his countrymen from Hungary but Merriman wanted to show off his new technology (a mirror to be used when firing a machine gun and keeping your head down).  Gal took a turn at the gun.  Meanwhile Merriman got Zaret to reveal details of a high level party meeting between Gal and the leading American CP cadres Harry Haywood , Bill Lawrence and Bob Minor.   This enclave which lasted most of a day clearly got into the details of who would go where in the new reorganized Brigade.   Recall that Merriman blamed Copic for the disaster of the 27th of February and he expected Copic to be removed.   Zaret lets Merriman know that Allan Johnson had been cleared of the accused “desertion to the front” of April 5 and that more responsibility will be given to Johnson and Copic’s removal is under consideration.  Through the lens of time, Zaret must have been in a tough spot with loyalty to the Americans and working for Copic and hearing that Copic is only being warned to “shape up”.  Copic’s political skills were extensive and his support within the Comintern was not negligible.  Merriman’s activitism to have Copic removed will fail here and fail frequently over the next year.

Gal’s thinking is revealed to Merriman and he will be adjutant for Marcovics in Tarazona for the (still to be named) Washington Battalion.  Given a choice between Marcovics and Merriman he is told they are both from “Mexico”, i.e. the Soviet Union.  This would indicate that Merriman is being given credit for his time in Russia, although according to Marion Merriman Wachtel,  he was studying agricultural economics.  Whether this indicates that he was studying more than agriculture or whether Merriman has claimed that his time in Russia gave him status with the CP is not clear.  Zaret says that the conclusion was that Merriman would go back to a line position either as head of the Lincolns or as head of the new Battalion (the Washington).   Since Oliver Law was in charge of the Lincoln and Marcovics believed that the Washington was his, Merriman will have to bump one of them aside.  He says Gal decides he is to go to Tarazona (i.e. go to the Washington Battalion, with Markovics).

Marcovics must have had his informants out because he races over to Pozorubio on a motorcycle and found out what is going on.   Dave Mates who was the Commissar for the new Washington Battalion was viewed as  “weak” so Merriman suggests to Marcovics that he become Marcovics adjutant in the Washington Battalion.  Marcovics is so thrilled with this idea that he asks to see the orders first.  He told Merriman a flat No!   Merriman must have been totally taken aback.  They later go to see Gal to get the word directly and Gal tells Marcovics that as Adjutant, Merriman would “sit on your left”.   Whether this is to be taken literally or not, it does bring to mind Mark 10:37 where James and John asked Jesus:

They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.

If it was a biblical reference, Gal must have had quite the sense of humor.

In the next sentence, Merriman is encouraged to practice his Russian again and he says he will speak to “gegymka”, written is longhand but in print in Russian дедушка , “dedushka” (thanks to Barry McLoughlin and Alex Zaks for the transcription).  A dedushka is Russian for “Grandfather”.   It sounds as if he will be going to a  senior Russian advisor to speak about “weapons, etc.”  but given the prior discussion and train of thought, one must question whether Merriman is now playing power politics to get that Washington Battalion assignment and to get out of Pozorubio.  He says Gal will visit “them” (presumably the Russians) after dinner on the 1st of June.

The shuffling by Gal encouraged Merriman and Marcovics to go together to see Vidal about the new assignments.  But as we see in the following paragraphs, Merriman did not waste time and went into Albacete on the ruse of intervening with Bill Lawrence who had come back from Jarama.  Minor was already gone so Merriman would be trying to pull strings within the CPUSA and Lawrence.   Lawrence confirms what Zaret had already told Merriman. Lawrence confirms that Johnson’s actions of April 5 are repaired and that Johnson is off the hook.  He may end up as Chief of Staff under Copic and that Copic is depressed by the reorganization talk.   Merriman must have asked if Gal knew what happened on February 27th and finds out that Gal is blind about the controversy of February 27 (should read “does not know, not does get know”).  Lawrence tells Merriman that he has Gal’s support and Gal thinks Merriman “knows how to work like a Bolshevik”.   He says “Johnson not”.  Whether this is a criticism of Johnson being soft, Johnson not being a Communist or just not following orders is not known.  Recall that Johnson reorganized the Lincolns at Jarama without Copic’s approval and some appointments were overturned.

Lawrence revealed that in the 7-hour discussion the possibility of Merriman leading the Washingtons and Marcovics being his adjutant was tossed around.  But the Americans decided on a position which is revealed here.  Merriman can only go to the Lincolns with Haywood, Johnson and Hourihan’s approval.  This shows that if Oliver Law is to be removed those three American CP members would have to take the hit back home for how that would look.  That could hardly happen easily.   The Americans agreed that it would be bad to have Merriman and Marcovics in the same battalion and the bad trust shown between the two men indicate that this is a wise position.   In the formation of the 3rd Battalion, they could bring Rollin Dart back from Cordoba and make him Marcovics adjutant and Merriman could take the 3rd Battalion (the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion).

Merriman goes to Albacete to argue for this line and has time with Vidal.  He finds that this path has already been decided by the Brigade.  Merriman will help Marcovics train the Washingtons until they leave and then he will take over Marcovics’ role with the third battalion.  Merriman will not let the 27th drop and he discusses Copic again with Vidal, who throws Merriman a bone by saying Copic might be moved.

Merriman needed more room to finish his report and entered it on the October 15 and 16th diary page.

15 October Continuation

Robert Merriman’s diary from October 15-16 (continuation page from May 31, 1937)

 Merriman returns to the hotel and meets with comrades in Room 22 (this would be Minor and Lawrence’s room).   He says that they will go to Tarazona and check on Dave Mates to see whether he is ok.  Steve Nelson is tagged to be the Lincoln Commissar at this point and will go to Jarama soon.

Merriman reveals that the men who were assigned to the 86th Brigade (20th Battalion) at Cordoba will be coming back to join the XVth.   This will bring about 100 or so more English speaking comrades into Tarazona, many of whom will be battled hardened and available for leadership.  Gates and Dart are notable inclusions.

George Kaye
George Kaye, arrived from Figueras to Albacete. ALBA PHOTO 11-0656, Tamiment Library, NYU

Merriman says that the Captain in charge of training at Figueras came to Albacete to report that some men in Albacete are “demoralized elements”.    It would be interesting to have overheard that discussion.  George Kaye is now in Albacete.  Merriman “bulled” with Joe Dallet in the evening and shared stories about Marion (little did he know the pain she was suffering in Murcia at the time, see the posting of 29-30 Mayo).  Joe Dallet talked about his first (Barbara R. Eisenberg)³ and second (Kitty Puening)  wives.

Merriman gets news that the Ciudad de Barcelona has been torpedoed and that perhaps half of the men on board were Americans for the International Brigades.  Sebastiaan Faber of ALBA wrote an article on the sinking of this ship for the 75th Anniversary in 2012, there is a new website dedicated to the memory of the sinking of the ship,  and some letters and poems from veterans describing their experience are online at the University of Illinois.

After acknowledging that General Gal won a medal from the Spanish Republic, Merriman finishes with the note that Tom Wintringham will soon come to lead the school and we can hear Merriman’s urgency to get out of Pozorubio with “As soon as possible”.

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¹ Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Civil War, ibid., pg 379.

² Marx memorial Library.IB Archive.Box.21/C/1 & IBA.Box.D-7/A/2.
Moscow.545/6/102.P. 48-55.

³ Ancestry.com (accessed May 25, 2014)

29-30 Mayo Marion Merriman goes on a mission

May 29-30
Robert Merriman’s diary for May 29 and 30, 1937

Merriman’s hand gets denser and denser.  He has a lot to remember from these days.  Merriman repeats the comment made at the meeting on 27 May  “Political commissars are civilians and not soldiers and representatives of the popular front government”.  This message is being beaten into the heads of the Brigade staff and the commissars.  Steve Nelson would become one of these commissars and that is not the message he heard:

The idea of political commissars has been around as far back as the Paris Commune, but when I was assigned to serve as one, I didn’t have a good conception of what that meant.  I asked around and got nebulous answers.  I was told a commissar must be one who is trusted by his men, that he must be able to explain every situation, to see that military decisions and objectives are understood and that the mens’ needs, physical and personal are taken care of.  The fellow who had been the Lincoln’s commissar at Jarama {George Brodsky} had been removed.  He didn’t do anything wrong — he just didn’t measure up to the situation.  I asked if I could meet someone who had served as a commissar and was taken to a hospital to talk to a man who had been the commissar for a French battalion until he was wounded at Jarama.  His head was completely bandaged, leaving only slits for the eyes, mouth, and nostrils.  Through my translator, he to me what the others had said: the commissar must be the most devoted and respected man in the unit.  I had come to Spain with the recommendations of the American Party but I knew that I still had to prove myself to the men with whom I would serve.¹

Many books on Spain leave the impression that the Commissars were completely political, Communist party hacks.  In fact, perhaps a quarter of the men who made Commissar in the Lincoln Brigade were not members of the Party and several were totally apolitical according to their exit papers.  The statement made by Merriman reiterated that the Commissars worked for the Popular Front Government, not for the Army.  This would have put many Commissars in a difficult conflict of interest.

Steve Nelson, Horowitz and Morrison stayed the  night at Pozorubio and Morrison would return to Albacete on the 29th. Lectures were given by Nelson and Merriman, Nelson’s was political education from his commissar’s role and Merriman’s was on tactics versus strategy.

Merriman's hat
Robert Merriman’s new hat (taken from Burt Overton). ALBA Photo 11 – 1278, Tamiment Library, NYU

After the training, Merriman returned to Albacete with Nelson and tried to locate Marion.  Instead he had an interview with Bert Overton and detailed the charges against him.  Overton apparently was never entitled to wear the stripes he wore at Jarama.  Overton must have known he was in serious trouble and was drinking heavily at this point.  Overton would be court martialled and convicted.  This was convenient for Merriman since he needed to trick out his garb and now that he had his new uniform, he needed the hat.   Merriman raised a ruckus (or in his terms, a “scandal”) and got his uniform at 6 pm sharp.  He will be talking about this uniform for days.

The order comes through to arrest Overton and Lamotte says he thinks Overton is in jail for drinking.  Merriman and Lamotte go to the jail and do not find Overton.  In fact, they find an empty jail with all the drunks broken out through a hole in the wall.   Merriman raises hell with the guards.  Likely they were drinking as well as Merriman has found French guards on duty drunk twice in the last few weeks.

Mutiny
Mutiny on the Bounty Video cover.

Merriman says that he ate with “Marcy”.   It is unlikely that he would misspell Marty and he was not fond enough of Marcovics to have a nickname for him.  It is not clear who that soldier is (it could easily be Leo Markowitz, shown on the diary description for May 25-26)  although he was political and Merriman talked with him about the European political situation.   Merriman finds Marion and they go to the movies seeing “The Mutiny on the Bounty” (1935) and a Spanish film “El ciento trece”.  The 113 was made in 1935 and released in the US in 1938.

Marion gets news from Arturo Fein that she is to go to Murcia to check out the two British women who are asking questions and are under suspicion.  Arturo Fine shows up in the records of Frederika Martin, a nurse there.  This episode should be told but only in Marion’s own words:

The other incident, which I did not share with Bob, nor with anyone else, was much worse.  …. Bob stayed in town with me that night because I was to be off on the special business the next day.  At eight o’clock in the morning on May 30, I left for Murcia with two pleasant Slav officers.  As we drove through the barren lands, I caught up on my diary, writing entries as we motored along.  We reached Murcia about noon, went on to Orihuela for lunch  then went for a swim, my first in the Mediterranean.  Later I jotted in my diary: “A sandy beach, warm caressing water.  Hold life, hold life so close”.

We had dinner the two officers and I, on a terrace overlooking a sleepy village caught on the arm of a cove.  We marveled at the rosy gray of the sea dotted with slow-moving fishing boats.  And, during dinner, I noted that the atmosphere, the swim, the moonlight, the pure beauty of where we were, seemed to give one of my companions romantic ideas.  In woman-less war, I’d seen the look before.  I dismissed it. 

That evening we checked into the hospital at Socorro Rojo.  Weary from the long, if enjoyable, day.  I fell quickly to sleep.  But, suddenly and sharply, I was wide awake.  The man whose “look” I’d noted at dinner was holding me down, one hand clamped over my mouth.  I fought him, clawing, kicking.  I couldn’t scream.  He raped me.  I kicked him away.  He fled the room.

I was stunned.  I sobbed, terrified.  I climbed from the bed, slowly, and pulled the blankets around me.  I ran down the hall to the bathroom.  There was no warm water.  I filled the bathtub with icy water.  I scrubbed and scrubbed, shivering from the cold and the fright.  Crying, shivering, I scrubbed for hours.  I couldn’t cleanse myself, however hard I tried.  I felt filthy, thoroughly filthy.  I washed and washed, and I cried into the cold, early morning darkness.

The next morning I didn’t know what to do.  What could I do?  Should I try to find a way back to Albacete?  Should I somehow get hold of Bob?  Should I try to reach Ed Bender?  What should I do? I had to calm myself.  This is war, I told myself.  Men are dying and maimed.  This is my burden.  As horrible as the rape was, the worst that could happen would be a pregnancy.  If that happened, I steeled myself, I would go to the hospital’s doctors or to Paris and have an abortion.

But should I tell Bob?  I asked myself, over and over.  I searched and searched for the answer and finally concluded: I must not hurt Bob with this.  If I tell him, I reasoned, Bob might kill the man.  Or one of the other Americans would, for sure.  There would be great trouble.  No this must be my secret burden.  I cannot tell anyone –ever.  What has been done cannot be undone.

I went down to the commissary where the two officers were eating breakfast.  One was, as always, cheerful and friendly.  He seemed confused when I didn’t sit with them.  The rapist was brazen, arrogant.  We continued the mission.  I ignored the rapist, but I could not get the rape off my mind.  But I went on with my work.  I interviewed the Englishwomen.  I memorized impressions and wrote notes.  When we returned to Albacete three days later, I reported to Bob about the Englishwomen’s efforts to distract the Americans.  I said nothing about the rape.  The war filled Bob’s mind.  I could not trouble him further, and I did not.

Nor was I pregnant.²

The man’s name has never been published.

Merriman wanted Marion at the celebration and says “Love in Bloom”  How I wanted you so!   One is left to imagine that this song might have been part of the “stunt” that the officers gave at the Celebration.

Winkler and Becker
Possibly Winkler (left) and Vidal (right) posing in front of a truck. ALBA Photo 177_175028, Tamiment Library, NYU

On the 30th, Merriman woke early and dressed for his “coming out” at Pozorubio and Tarazona in his new uniform and cap.  He showed them off at the 10 o’clock barrack inspection and at 10:30 parade where the Brigade said goodbye to Platone as he would go off to lead the Garabaldi battalion.  It must have been an impressive send off since a Communist Deputy from France came and all the Albacete commissars were mustered up.  Barthel, Winkler, Vidal and Carlos were there.   The photo on the right may be Winkler and Vidal.  Vidal informs Merriman that there will be a reorganization of the XVth Brigade and that he will be moving up.  For now, he will stay with the school until the “end of term” and then move to a command position.    Their entertainment must have gone well.

Merriman says that Steve Nelson, Walter Garland and Marion Greenspan (aka George Marion) came and in the session with “Marcy” or “Morry” they discussed the split between the PSOC and the Anarchists which occurred in the early part of May.  There are several possible Morry’s in the Brigades and this could be one of them.

We will find in the diary entry for May 31 that the Ciudad de Barcelona was sunk off the Catalan coast by a torpedo on May 30, 1937.  More on this in the next exciting installment.

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¹  Steve Nelson James R. Barrett and Rob Ruck, An American Radical, University of Pittsburg Press, Pittsburgh, PA., 1981, pp 203-204.

² Marion Merriman Wachtel and Warren Lerude, American Commander in Spain, ibid, pp 147-149.