Half a century has passed since the fratricidal Civil War which swept Spain from 1936 to 1939. Perhaps the most bloody and cruel war of the 20th Century, with some 600,000 killed in a nation of 21 million,1 the Spanish Civil War fired passions around the world. United States scholars have tended to focus on international coverage of the conflict, or they have been rightly concerned with the abrogation of press freedom during the 36-year dictatorship clamped on Spain by the victorious Generalissimo Francisco Franco. But little has been written about the Spanish press itself during the struggle, and what has appeared has concentrated mainly on the Republican side-the legitimate government of Spain after 1931. References to the Nationalist or Franco press during the fighting have been sketchy. One omission has been El Alcazar, a mimeographed newspaper published by Nationalist forces in the Alcazar, a huge Moorish fortress-palace in Toledo, during the Republican siege which lasted for 72 days between July 21 and September 28, 1936. Of interest to journalism and social historians alike, El Alcazar published 63 issues between July 26 and September 27, 1936, for a total of 183 pages. It was not an official publication, however. Put out by officers and men spontaneously, El Alcazar in its first issue asked for volunteers to pitch in with editing the newspaper in the Romero Ortiz museum in Alcazar. This was not unusual. most comprehensive bibliography of the Spanish press during the Civil War shows that at least 395 of the 1,346 publications issued between 1936 and 1939 were military.2 Like them, El Alcazar had to submit to official censorship; each copy of the newspaper bore the imprint, PASSED BY THE CENSOR. Readers Who were the audience? When Republican forces advanced on Toledo after the outbreak of the insurrection by Franco on July 18, 1936, Colonel Jose Moscardo took 1,100 combat forces and others into Alcazar-according to a press release issued after the siege-including 520 women and 50 children.3 Of these civilians, about 100 were hostages taken to protect the defenders of Alcazar as the Republicans neared. only contact with the outside world by the besieged was radio. first issue of El Alcazar printed General Information from Union Radio, and later was also garnered from Radio Club Portugue's, Radio Mila'n, Radio Portugal, Radio Toledo, Radio Italia and Radio Barcelona.4 But though the news was airborne, it was not invulnerable. constant bombing runs-an alleged 30 aerial attacks dropping 500 bombs 5-damaged antennae and drained off personnel needed to put out El Alcazar. description of life inside the fortress depended on which newspaper one read. El Alcazar declared in its first issue of July 26, 1936, five days after the siege started, The spirit [here is] excellent, in spite of the inconveniences inherent in the situation. It is necessary, nonetheless, for that good spirit to be augmented and controlled by everyone... without complaint about the orders of rationing food and water....6 El Alcazar also noted that even though the garrison had run out of tobacco, there was a soccer game in one of the patios of the palace, and in the afternoon songs by youth.7 Republican newspaper Claridad of Madrid, on the other hand, reported on September 11: A priest was allowed to enter [Alcazar for three hours] to say mass, confess many rebels and baptize two children. [He witnessed] bad odors, cadaverous faces, dead men. Colonel Moscardo is opposed to the evacuation of women, children, old people and hostages.8 situation became even more grim. With food supplies running out, the besieged were forced to eat horse meat. tally at the end of the siege showed that only one horse-a prized racehorse-remained out of 97, and only 5 mules out of 27.' Meanwhile, El Alcazar was undergoing a telescoped evolution similar to the historical stages of commercial newspapers. …