Ayisha Siddiqa
HONS 2011J
Final Essay
Professor Hernández-Ojeda
Volunteer Bill Susman
The international ideal unites the human race: essay on Bill Susman
Personal Statement
I expected this class to be a series of facts about war, and for us to discuss the events that unfolded prior to WWII in a statistical manner that eliminated the human experience and turned people into numbers. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about such a pivotal event through literature, fiction, poetry and art and for that reason I don’t think I will ever forget the emotions, losses and victories of the people who dedicated their lives to fighting fascism. Their lack of hesitance in standing up for justice will always be awe provoking. Furthermore, focusing on one individual’s story and life’s work as my final project created an even more personal and tangible understanding of the Spanish Civil war for me. Bill Susman was exactly the age I am today when he decided to leave the comfort of his home and stand in the trenches to make sure that hate and oppression did not engulf the world without a fight. It allowed me to see the very particular joy Bill has left behind in the world through his work in the archives, sharing songs of the Spanish Civil war with his family and making activists out of his children.
Introduction
In 1936, General Francisco Franco led a group of Spanish army officers to rebel against the Spanish Republic. Revolts in response to Franco’s fascist politics occurred all over Spain and the Spanish Civil War began. 2,800 Americans formed the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, traveled to Spain to fight against Franco, of them a few dozen were women. Fascism had spread from Italy to Germany with the help of Hitler and Mussolini. The people who joined the brigades went with the hope of stopping Franco and barring the beginning of World War II. Of their ranks joined nurses, female drivers and lab technicians. There was great intersectionality of black men and women, Jewish people, and working-class Americans who understood what it meant to be prejudiced against and felt a responsibility to fight back, Bill Susman was one of them. Bill Susman’s legacy whether talking about his time in Spain, his relationship to his family or the ALBA archives he put together is one of unrelenting camaraderie and service to people.
The War
Bill Susman was engaged in labor movements before he became an active member of the Lincoln Brigade. He participated in organizing ships for the national Maritime Union and then went to Puerto Rico to continue his union work. While there his last task happened was to organize 25 volunteers to fight in the Spanish civil war. Susman arrived to Bruneteon in December of 1937 at the young age of 21. Spain was the very first place people could fight fascism and once Mussolini joined Hitler’s ranks it became obvious that it was an international affair. Contrary to popular belief was clear to all those participating that Hitler had broken the treaty of Versailles and the only way to defend the newly formed democracy in Spain was to fight for it on ground. All the volunteers had was their will and stamina to keep them going because western democracies remained neutral as cities were bombed and people were killed. The Soviet Union was the only government that sent equipment to the battalions, however the U.S maintained its embargo causing Spanish citizens to starve and soldiers to function without artillery which would eventually lead to a Franconian era in Spain.
Bill Susman says he arrived late to the war. His first battle was to participate in the retreats when Franco had cut Spain in half. In his interview with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, he recalls there being thousands of fascist airplanes, trucks, tanks on the Nationalists side while the Brigade had old equipment from World War One. During his first battle, Republican men spent all day fighting and all-night retreating. The next battle, the battle of Jarama began on Feb 6 and lasted until the 27th. During Jarama, Franco and nationalists attempted to break through Republican lines along the Jarama river; they used artillery, tanks, and infantry provided by the German condor legion and with an attacking force of almost 40,000 men (Baxell, 88) Republican forces were initially outnumbered, and were forced to give up some ground, however there were also reinforcements called to action. Bill recalls working with the Washington Brigade (the second set of Americans that arrived in Spain) and were able to secure air power, and soviet tanks (Baxell, 89-90) After days of fighting no breakthrough was achieved and heavy casualties occurred on both sides. (Baxell, 91).
The second battle Bill mentions fighting in was the Battle of Ebro. He recalls that it was one of the most triumphant and impactful displays of fighting. Historically it was one of the longest largest fight the Republicans held with the nationalists. It began on July5th of 1938 and lasted until November (Beevor, 72).It’s longevity and success can be attributed to the strategy embraced by the Republicans. Bill tells us with great pride in the documentary that the fleet brought dozens of fishing boats into the dock at night and attempted to get rest during the day. The mission required precision and secrecy, so the boats were camouflaged, and men trained by running up and down a hill with their arms linked to one other’s shoulders, in attempt to replicate their placements on the boats. Bill tells us that they expected at least 50% of the troops to be casualties as they attempted to cross the river into the city of Gandesa however no more than 3 people died on their way to the other side. And like they had hoped, the enemy was surprised, and as a result left behind equipment, artillery, food and clothing. Bill states he remembers his commanding officer telling men once they successfully infiltrated the land that “now you need shoes and food men” and so for the first time since they’d gotten to Spain the men devoured beer, wine, bread and attained new boots and clothes. Bill says “we looked more like the Italian Army than the Army itself” after the raid (Beevor, 76-79).
Bill; Son, Husband and Father
In the interview with his daughter Sue, I learned that Bill told his mother he was going to Seattle but told his father that he was going to Spain. His parents were divorced which was very unusual at that time, but his father (Charles Susman) was progressive, and his politics were tied to him being a working class as a tailer. Charles used his house as a spot for progressive speakers from New Haven to gather and share ideas. Therefore, he was very supportive of Bill joining the Abraham Lincoln Battalion. Bill didn’t share much about the battlefield and the ins and outs of fighting or the difficulties with his kids however when he was wounded in the hospital, to amuse himself and the other soldiers from immense boredom the men would attempt to sing the “internationale” in as many languages as possible. Bill would sing it in Yiddish and Spanish and English while his comrades would sing it in French and Polish because the Brigades were so international.
In his own words it was ” a terrible experience” because in addition to there being legitimate fear, his comrades and frontline battalions were all wounded at least once, and many three to four times. The weaponry was fickle and when artillery arrived to the brigades, they feared firing it to enemy lines because the repercussions would be ten-fold and men would die indubitably. The Republic couldn’t break into complete offensive, they were able to penetrate, break and damage enemy lines but didn’t have the military power to sustain the damage they were trying to make. They were also deprived of basic resources which affected their performance and health. Sue informed me that the soldiers were constantly covered in lice because they couldn’t bathe or wash their clothes regularly so they would try to shave their entire bodies including their heads, faces, etc. to avoid the lice. They had to learn how to bathe with a bucket of water only, so they would lather themselves with soap first and then proceed to wash their ligaments.
The Beauty and Unity
The Spanish civil war was also the first time Black and white men and women fought side by side. Susman tells us in the interview that at least 90 Black volunteers came to Spain. They had a saying “it’s not Ethiopia, but it’ll do” in reference to Mussolini taking Abyssinia, but also alluding to their duty to fellow Black people and people of Africa against imperialism and fascism. Susman describes the relationships built in the international brigade with quite fondness because there was equality on the battlefield between all races of people. The integration and comradery of the battalions Sue mentions is something that was taken for granted because everyone regardless of their race or class the volunteers were was working as one; getting injured, loosing and feeling small victories together At a time when the U.S Army was still segregated the troops in Spain were integrated.
And unity did not stop there, Bill recalls the impact writers like Hemingway made on the way the Brigade was perceived by Americans. The volunteers were immensely grateful to Hemmingway appearing in papers and interviews all over the world and sharing what was occurring on ground and raising funds and support for the Spanish volunteers. What Hemingway wrote gave the world a perspective of the Republican point of view and in his personal relations with the soldier he was generous with his faculties and possessions. But the writers and celebrities weren’t the only ones cheering the Brigades on, there was tremendous love and gratitude towards the members from the Spanish people to the point that it overwhelmed some men. The Spanish army, like the international Brigade, was composed wholly of volunteers which made the contributions of Americans equally as important.
The topic of mortality is brought up in the Interview and Bill informs the viewers that the men and volunteers all for one reason or another believed in their immortality, that the other people were going to die, but not them. This kind of conviction in life and youth was the driving factor that caused them to sign up to join the war and later the thing that kept them fighting in the war. Unlike WWII, in Spain it was extremely important for the men and women to know what they were fighting for, what their principles were and why they were involved in this mission. Political education was central to the volunteer’s motivation to keep going despite having archaic and non-functioning tools for weaponry. Fascism was not just an abstract construct, the men knew that they were fighting to prevent a world war, and death of innocent people. Soldiers would be gathered together and part of training and laying out the plans for the next attack always included the larger political framework surrounding the cause. Men’s inquiries and questions were taken seriously, and they attained very deep and practical educations while on ground in Spain.
Coming Home
When Bill returned back to the United States he was blacklisted and could not get work because the FBI would show up and blackmail his bosses. So the family traveled a great deal. They went to live in Puerto Rico for some time while Bill worked in a glove factory and the only reason he was able to maintain that job was because the company owner was sympathetic to the Republican cause. He then eventually began working for an advertising company and again because they knew him and supported his struggle in Spain, when the FBI came his boss stood up for Bill and dismissed the FBI immediately. This job helped provide financial security because Bill was able to rise in the company from a gopher to assistant director to eventually becoming vice president of the company. His children were taught never to tell anyone where their father or mother were when they picked up the phone and to inquire who was calling before revealing any information. It was assumed that he was being followed so the family kept their guard up. But there was sense of pride within the family of having done the right deed at the right time. However, the prosecution from the U.S government didn’t stop Susman from being involved in local democratic politics.
Sue says that there was a sense of secrecy about the time her father spent in Spain and she was not allowed to tell people about who he was. However, being surrounded and so inherently connected to the aftermath of the Spanish civil war, Bill’s children, especially Sue became activists. The international, collective and broader perspective was an integral part of the Susman home and pedagogy. Sue would attend demonstrations with her parents while she was still in the carriage and when she was old enough, she began going to protests herself. The idea of standing up against wrong was a part of her upbringing, especially organizing with community and taking part in mutual aid.
Song and music were also souvenirs Bill brought back to his family after the war. His wife was a guitar player and singer, so the family learned and sang the songs of the Spanish Civil War together. This allowed for his children to learn Spanish and also sparked motivation for his daughter Sue to become an immigration lawyer. Music brought joy and feelings of unity among the family, they would sing leftists and political songs during Thanksgivings. These melodies and rhymes Sue informed me have been passed on from generation to generation so that Bill’s memory lives within his great-grand kids as well.
After WWII however, Bill became overtly and passionately against all forms war. However, he maintained proud of his time spent on Spain because of the ideology it represented. It is one of the reasons he formed the Abraham Lincoln Archives with his fellow vets in order to commemorate the struggle. In order to make the archives a reality, they had to reach out to the Soviet Union because the Russians kept an enormous quantity of documents and archives from the war. Getting Moscow to share or even allow the copying of those documents was remarkably difficult. Bill and the vets ultimately worked with the Puffin foundation to get funding to organize this project and the possibility of ALBA. When they finally accessed the documents from Russia it required a great deal of manpower and sorting to determine the authenticity, validity and relevance of the documents. The process took about four to five years but it is to this day one of the best kept records of the men and women who served humanity at a time when most of the world turned it back.
Conclusion
I don’t think the Republican party failed or that the Abraham Lincoln Brigade lost the Spanish civil war although Franco did seize power and the international forces retreated on Sept 28, 1938. Instead, I think quite a remarkable precedent was set for those who have the privilege of living in democracies. Which is: you do not have to have your rights taken away, or experience loss of loved ones, or have your home destroyed to stand up and fight for people who are suffering at the hands of injustice. Yours is a reasonability to all humanity, not just to your own comfort.
The Internationale
Stand up, all victims of oppression
For the tyrants fear your might
Don’t cling so hard to your possessions
For you have nothing, if you have no rights
Let racist ignorance be ended
For respect makes the empires fall
Freedom is merely privilege extended
Unless enjoyed by one and all
So come brothers and sisters
For the struggle carries on
The Internationale
Unites the world in song
So comrades come rally
For this is the time and place
The international ideal
Unites the human race
Let no one build walls to divide us
Walls of hatred nor walls of stone
Come greet the dawn and stand beside us
We’ll live together or we’ll die alone
In our world poisoned by exploitation
Those who have taken, now they must give
And end the vanity of nations
We’ve but one Earth on which to live
So come brothers and sisters
For the struggle carries on
The Internationale
Unites the world in song
So comrades come rally
For this is the time and place
The international ideal
Unites the human race
And so begins the final drama
In the streets and in the fields
We stand unbowed before their armour
We defy their guns and shields
When we fight, provoked by their aggression
Let us be inspired by like and love
For though they offer us concessions
Change will not come from above
So come brothers and sisters
For the struggle carries on
The Internationale
Unites the world in song
So comrades come rally
For this is the time and place
The international ideal
Unites the human race
Works Cited
Baxell, Richard. “Cerca de Madrid, 1937: The Battle of Jarama and ‘the Furnace of Brunete.’” British Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War. Routledge, 2004. 80–100. Web.
Beevor, Antony, and Antony Beevor. The Battle for Spain : the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 . New York: Penguin Books, 2006. Print.
Bill Susman, 1996; Media Entertainment, Inc. Oral History Collection; ALBA 047; 2;3; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Puell de la Villa, Fernando. “The Performance of the Intelligence Services Faced with the Battle of the Ebro.” Rúbrica contemporánea 8.16 (2019): 23–. Web.
Special Thanks to Sue Susman who provided details about Bill Susman’s private and personal life.