Guernica, 70 years on
It was long ago, but worth remembering.
On April 27, 1937, German warplanes struck the old Basque town of Guernica. Nazi Germany wanted to help Spanish rightist Catholic strongman Francisco Franco, then engaged in a civil war with the legitimate leftist government of Spain. It was also a perfect opportunity to test out new methods of terror from the air. Guernica was well behind the lines and of little military value. The attack was aimed solely at terrorizing the population.
London Times reporter George Steer was in Guernica when the attack occurred. After confirming it was a German attack--he found the German eagle on some bomb casings--he filed this dispatch by telegram to his editors in London. It is a classic of war reporting, and it also ran in the New York Times. Steer, who was honored posthumously by Guernica last year, did what the best journalists have always done: report on the abuses of the powerful against the weak and helpless.
At a time when extreme ideology and religion are making our world a terrible place, at home and abroad, it is worth re-reading Steer's classic story to remind ourselves what can happen.