Letter

              INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS
9, Avenue d'Orsay, Paris-VIIe
IFTU
TELEGRAMS: INTERFED—PARIS 
TELEPHONE: INVALIDES 45-88
AFFILIATED COUNTRIES: ARGENTINE AUSTRIA BELGIUM CANADA CZECHOSLOVAKIA DANTZIG DENMARK DUTCH EAST INDIES ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GREAT BRITAIN GREECE HOLLAND HUNGARY INDIA LUXEMBURG MEMEL TERRITORY PALESTINE POLAND ROUMANIA SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH-WEST AFRICA SPAIN SWEDEN SWITZERLAND YUGOSLAVIA
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: 
President W. M. Citrine, Great Britain; 
Vice-Presidents: H. Jacobsen, Denmark; L. Jouhaux, France; E. Kupers, Holland; Corn. Mertens, Belgium; R. Tayerle, Czechoslovakia;
General Secretary: W. Schevenels.
Letter
No.
St/H
29th April, 1938.
Mr. Walter M. Citrine,
LONDON .
Dear Comrade Citrine,
In reply to your telephone query of to-day, I should like to give you the following information.
As far as concerns the supplies sent down to Spain by the International Solidarity Fund, the principle has been followed of executing the instructions of the Spanish Committee. As far as possible, we have fallen in with its wishes.
Since the 1st January, 1938, the food situation has at some periods been particularly difficult in Barcelona, for example. There was sometimes not enough bread, and what there was, was of the worst quality, so that people became ill from eating it. The southern districts, Valencia, for example, were rather better off, because they had rice and in extreme cases the food supply could be supplemented by oranges.
In view of its restricted funds, the Solidarity Fund could of course not solve the food question, especially as it is only just recently that our Spanish Committee has again expressed wishes in this direction. On the 25th April, we received the following information from Santiago:
"At the moment, we have nothing more in stock; the shop is completely empty and the need is great. I am receiving applications from all sides, for the settlements and refugee centres, for ham and other food such as cod, haricot beans, etc. Do not fail to send me these articles, because, owing to the transfer of people and the number of persons evacuated to this district, the need is enormous."