Dolores Ibárruri shortly after her return to Spain in 1977.  Best regards, JR.

La Pasionaria in later life.

Dolores (originally Isadora) Ibárurri addresses the masses, 1930s.  Born in 1895 into a miner's family (one, however, of rather reactionary politics - Carlist) in Asturias, northern Spain, she seems to have been a bit of a rebel from a very young age, and was writing polemics for Communist-inclined periodicals by her early 20s; it would appear that it was in this context that she first used "Pasionaria" as a pen-name.  By the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Ibarurri was a national figure, and a major force (no other way of putting it) in the Spanish Communist Party.  Her fame was sealed by her series of fiery speeches in support of the Republican government in the course of the war.  Following the Republican defeat she went into exile (much of it spent in the Soviet Union), where she continued to exercise her great talents as a propagandist, notably in her involvement in "Radio Free Spain".  In 1942, she became General Secretary of the Communist Party of Spain in exile, a position she held until succeeded by Santiago Carillo in 1960.

After many years in exile, swimming in the dangerous crocadile swamp of mid- 20th century Communist politics, Dolores returned to Spain in 1977, during the dangerous "post-Franco" transition to democracy.  Her arrival was, in fact, not very comfortable for the "Eurocommunist" leadership of the Party - but what could they do ?  From June 1977 to early 1979, she served as parliamentary deputy for the Oviedo district in her native Asturias.  Thereafter, her increasingly frail health enforced a gentler pace of political activity - although she could still deliver the verbal tabasco when she felt the need.  La Pasionaria died on 12 November, 1989, a month short of her 95th birthday.  Best regards, JR.

Passion Flower.

A Russian-built fighter Polikarpov I-15 of Fuerzas Aéreas de la República Española, the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Civil War. Dubbed “Chato” (snubnose in Spanish) by Republicans pilots and knew by Nationalist pilots, which not knowledge the real entity of this plane and its name, like “Curtiss” because a remote similarity with an America fighter biplane, the I-15 was the principal fighter of the Spanish Republican Air Force before the arrival of monoplane with retractable landing gear Polikarpov I-16. Armed with two 7,62 mm machine gun, this little and agile small biplane fighter characterized by a gulled upper wing was a fierce enemy for the Fiat CR.32s (”Chirri”for the Spanish) of the Nationalist Air Force and the Heinkel He-51 of German Condor Legion. An interesting detail of this photo is in the background: behind the I-15, with the tail hoisted on a dolly, appear the nose of a Fiat CR.32 captured intact. Victor Sierra