Memorandum no.1

              November 30th, 1936.
MEMORANDUM No.1.
To the Members of the Spanish Medical Aid Committee :-
The writing of this report has been undertaken with the approval of the majority of the members of the unit - in fact, all of the essential persons - who feel for reasons which will shortly be explained that the committee is not aware of the condition of the unit internally and externally both at Granen and in Barcelona.
Until two nights ago the unit was divided into two camps on issues of policy and conduct which are as follows:-
The administration (i.e. administrator and personal advisors) from the outset have made two fundamental errors:-
1) It has treated the unit as a band of numbskulls.
2) Loutit at the head of the administration has given vent to an obsession for political manoeuvering and intrigue which is totally out of place in a unit such as ours.
2.  As regards the first remark above, from our arrival in Paris until the present time it has been and still is the custom of the administration to stretch or shrink points of truth and untruth in such a way as to present each situation in a light favourable to its purpose. Thus for example:
1) the failure of surgical, medical, food and clothing supplies to arrive until a fortnight ago was attributed to O'Donnell, to Stephen Clark, to the London Committee, etc.
2) the blame for the sending out of a second unit was put onto the London committee.
3) similarly this committee was blamed for the purchase of Renault lorries to equip the second unit when those of the first unit had failed to stand up to the usage required here.
4) The personnel in the form of three doctors, two orderlies and six nurses sent out to bolster the first unit was excessive. The blame was again thrown onto the London Committee.
While the administration may be to some extent justified in its defence, the basic fact remains that as the smooth and efficient working of this unit depends to a large degree upon the cooperation between Granen and London via Barcelona, it was imperative that such coordination be established in the shortest time. This the administration failed to do. and the above faults are at least as much its responsibility as that of the parties accused.
5) The relations between the "Sanidad de Guerra" and ourselves were treated in similar fashion. Thus the estrangement between us was attributed at various times to 
1/ the resentment of the Spanish whom we displaced when we took over this hospital.
2/ to the enmity of Dr. Ramon of Barbastro, a Sanidad official in this district.
3/ to bourgeois doctors in the Sanidad.
4/ to pro-fascist doctors in the Sanidad, etc.