some of the tales of the heroism of the Spanish people, of 
how the entire Executive Committee of the Madrid C.P. 
went over the top on the famous night of Nov. 7 when 
Franco was checked at Madrid; about how 200 women of 
Madrid laundered all the clothes of the defenders of Madrid 
from Nov. to Feb. without a cent of pay, plus countless 
other anecdotes and stories with which he illustrated some 
of the most dramatic political history of all time.

Got a swell new automatic this week, a Belgian Browning 
9 mm. The clip holds 8 and you can put another in the 
breech. I shot it today for the first time; it balances fine 
in the hand and is very accurate. Sometimes very nice-
looking guns are not too accurate, so I was well pleased 
when I found I could plink the target with ease. Now the 
problem is getting ammunition for it. 9mm. short is not 
a common calibre in Spain. There is no ammunition sold 
in stores, all must be gotten through the army channels, 
and while they have plenty for the 7.65s, they are very 
chary about dishing out the 9s. Incidentally, a good friend 
of mine (so good a friend he was wearing my boots when 
it happened) shot himself through the foot the other day 
while cleaning his automatic. He is a veteran from the 
Lincoln battalion, a seasoned soldier, and still he did that. 
It was a good lesson for all of us and I assure you that we 
are extra careful now as a result of it.

More good reports about Johnny Gates---some officers 
from his battalion say that not only is he now a Brigade 
Commissar (the highest post held by an American here) 
but further they think he is in line for the job of Division 
Commander. Strange, eh? But Spain is a funny place. 
Some of the best people at home crack up badly here and 
some of the least significant ones from home come through 
with flying colors. You can see men changing before your 
eyes, and they say that up front the changes sometimes come

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