'ORE than 75,000 Republican troops today were in frantic flight reach French soil after the collapse of Government resist~ ance in Catalonia.
The escape by plane of Dr. Juan Negrin, the Republican Premier, and his bid for a truce through mediation caused the autonomous Government of Catalonia on Sunday to surrender their territory to the Nationalists, Sr. Luis Companys, President of the Catalan Generalidad, also fled to France. Dr. Negrin and his ministers fled by plane from northern Catalonia across a broad strip of Nationalist territory to the Madi Sr. Manuel Azana, President of the Republican Government, also fled and was en route to He was expected to ask for French mediation in a plan to end the 30-month old civil war-Sr. Azana said that Dr. Negrin had gone to Madrid, Dr. Julio Alvarez del Vayo, Republican Foreign Minister, arrived at the French border town of Lo Perthus and conferred with French and British diplomats on the truce proposal.
Although French officials at the} border denied knowledge of any peace efforts through France as an inter me diary, it was believed that Dr. del Vayo at Lo Perthus forwarded through French and British diplomats fan offer for a truce provided that General Franco agrees to recognize the "integrity of the Spanish Republic."
According (o reports, reaching the French Government "tonight," Sr. Azana, before being to Fronece today, advised Republican teaders in south: em and central Spain to surrender unconditionally. Gen. Jose Minja, commander of the Madrid Defence Junta, was reported to have urged the Republican leaders to transfer the Government to Madrid where he believed he could hold out at least until the possibility of mediation had been thoroughly, explored.
Gen, Franco's. headquarters at. Burgos were jubilant over the end of the war in northern Spain and Matly rejected truce proposals. Only.
complete surrender would be Acceptable by the Nationalists, Gen, Franco's headquarters said "in a formal announcement, meaning the capitulation of Madrid, Valencia and hhine southern provinces still held by the Republicans.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.