When it comes to the atrocities committed during the Spanish
Civil War, defenders of the Republicans always cite the murder
of poet and dramatist Fredrico Garcia Lorca as an unforgivable
crime. The brutal murder of such a cultured man, we are told,
just shows how evil and philistine the Nationalists really were.
The killing of innocents regardless of who they are is always
wrong, and in killing Lorca, the Nationalists murdered one of
the world's greatest artists. Lorca was not an innocent, though,
he was firmly in the Republican camp and was using his position
to push the new regime's agenda - so he was politically
involved. It is still not a reason to murder the poor man.
Warren Carroll in his book, The Last Crusade maintains that
General Franco did not give the orders to kill Lorca - he was
not even aware of the execution until later, and when he found
out he disciplined the ones responsible. I'm sure historians and
literary critics will argue that one out for years. But Carroll
also points out that as the