Supporting the theocracy

A note to my previous post.

Beevor is still of the opinion that, in view of the poor quality of French equipment and the obsolete nature of what Britain could supply, 'probably the only country capable of satisfying [the needs of the Republic], apart from the Soviet Union, was the United States.' (2006, P430;1982, P414) Foreign visitors to Spain were asked how it was possible that in a democracy like America, where the majority of the population supported the Republic, the government refused it arms for self-defence. (1982, P251)

But the Catholic lobby got to work. A young Irishwoman, Aileen O'Brien 'spoke on the telephone to every Catholic bishop in the United States and begged them to request their parish priests to ask all members of their congregations to telegraph in protest to President Roosevelt.' As a result, more than a million telegrams were received at the White House and a shipment of munitions to the Republic was stopped.

Congressmen who depended on the Catholic vote were frightened into opposing the repeal of the arms ban. This was in spite of the fact that only 40 per cent of Catholics supported the Nationalists. (P253; Luis Bolín)