Chapter 28 – 1937 – The Heart of Spain Tour

In the fall of 1937 under the auspices of the Committee to Aid Spanish Democracy, Dad (noted as the President of the Calgary League for Peace and Democracy) began a tour of Alberta showing the motion picture ‘The Heart of Spain’ by filmmaker Herbert Kline. Brought to Canada by Dr. Bethune on his return in June 1937, it was described by the United Farmers’ of Alberta’s Vice–President Norman Priestley as “an impressive and terribly realistic picture of the war now going on in Spain” with actual footage of Dr. Bethune at the Spanish Canadian Blood Transfusion Institute collecting blood for use in the field hospitals. Besides presenting the film, Dad also addressed audiences about the urgency of combating fascism and of course, a collection was taken in each town for Dr. Bethune’s work (sometimes also referred to as the Canadian Medical Mission Transfusion Unit). Below is the letter of introduction written for Dad by Norman Priestley.