SRA & Lowenstein

To the Editors:

In The New York Review (January 30) in a reply from Hendrik Hertzberg to Richard Cummings re. Allard Lowenstein, Hertzberg writes that Lowenstein arranged modest financial help for anti-Franco student groups “from American liberals and socialists organized in groups like Spanish Refugee Aid.” This is misleading. Whatever dealings Lowenstein may have had on an individual basis with people who happened also to contribute to Spanish Refugee Aid, SRA as such never channeled funds to student groups through Lowenstein or anybody else. We did at one time discuss—with Al, Norman Thomas, UAW representatives, and others—the possibility of helping prisoners of Franco but concluded it would be too difficult to get money to the individuals we wanted to reach. And so SRA continued to concentrate on the needs of the Spanish refugees in France and continues to do so.

Nancy Macdonald

Spanish Refugee Aid

(Now a Division of the

International Rescue Committee)

New York City