ALBA Visit #3

Today I attempted to finish reading George Boehm’s letters to his wife Sylvia, but I only got through the second folder of three. It took a surprisingly long time to read and filter the contents of the 22 letters, spanning from August 1937 to early January 1938. So, George Boehm will be the focus of one more blog entry, to conclude my thoughts and findings.

In my last entry, I guessed correctly that George would write in more detail about the war and his involvement. He completely drops his stance of reluctance to discuss the war, and stops providing rationale for the content of his letters. Naturally, the content gets more graphic, as he begins discussing battles, his training (beginning August 1937), and eventually his involvement in fighting (beginning October 1937) and his reaction to the violence surrounding him. He is clearly under stress (for example, he takes up smoking for the first time), but at the same his resolve is strengthening and his optimism is peaking. But why do George’s resolve and optimism improve? For one thing, he comments on the positive morale fostered by his comrades, an invaluable source of encouragement. He reaches the point where his ideology is being tested under fire, and his pro-republican sentiment remains unwavering. Another factor may be that he is learning Spanish; he enjoys communicating and connecting with the Spanish people, and becomes proficient to the point where he writes an entire letter to Sylvia in Spanish (December 10, 1937). Perhaps the unfettered discussion of war is therapeutic for George. And perhaps he was the type of person who does well under pressure.

However, I used the word “peaking” when referring to George’s optimism because there are still threads of pessimism woven throughout George’s letters, which seem to play a minimal, yet increasing role as time passes. Two points stand out. One, George is distressed by what seems to be the decreasing frequency of mail from Sylvia. He usually notes the dates he receives mail from her, and he is especially happy at these times, but he also mentions the several-week intervals between correspondence, wondering if he is somehow at fault or if mail is being misdirected. The other point George dwells on increasingly is the need for more foreign assistance, especially his desire for intervention by a power like America, England, or France. This realization becomes more and more powerful, and at one point George goes so far as to hint at the impossibility of winning without extra international assistance. So, I wonder if the correspondence from Sylvia grows even less frequent, and I wonder if George’s pessimistic tendencies take the reigns as time wears on.

To be continued…