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ABSTRACT
In October 1924, Paul Scott Mowrer, a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Daily News based in Paris, convinced his employers that an interview with Abd-el-Krim, the leader of the Rifian uprising against the Spanish in northern Morocco, would provide original and interesting copy for American readers. This article deals with Mowrer’s difficult trek from French Morocco into the Rifian heartland, his observations concerning the Rifian environment and Abd-el-Krim’s movement and his two-hour interview with the Rifian leader. Further, it discusses his journey out of the Rif back into French Morocco, his observations concerning French policies in their Protectorate and his general reflections on the Rif War. This essay employs materials from Mowrer’s personal papers, his autobiography, and the twenty-one articles he published in the Chicago Daily News from November 1924 to early January 1925.
Acknowledgement
The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 Sheean (Citation1926), 122. Sheean’s second trip into the Rif and his September 1925 interview with Abd-el-Krim are covered in Sheean (Citation1935), 114–161.
2 Heald (Citation1988), 54. Heald pointed out that Mowrer ‘developed a system for quick, comprehensive information gathering based on statistical data and talks with technicians and political specialists whom he considered more informative than top officials.’ Mowrer’s background prior to 1945 is also covered in his autobiography, Mowrer (Citation1945).
3 Garraty and Carnes (Citation1999), 42–44.
4 Sasse (Citation2006), 305–308.
5 Chicago Daily News (Hereafter CDN), November 11, Citation1924.
6 Paul Scott Mowrer Papers. Newberry Library (Hereafter PSMP/NL). Chicago, IL. ‘The Moroccan Background.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
7 PSMP/NL. ‘France and Spain in Morocco.’ Box 3, Folder 220.
8 CDN, October 22, Citation1924.
9 PSMP/NL. ‘The Moroccan Background.’ Box 3, Folder 218. Despite its sensational title the most useful account of the Anual Disaster is provided by Pando (Citation1999). See also Pennell (Citation2017). The most detailed account of Abd-el-Krim’s life is furnished in de Madariaga (Citation2009).
10 CDN, October 22, Citation1924. It should be noted that Mowrer routinely spelled ‘Rif’ and ‘Rifian’ with a double ‘f.’
11 PSMP/NL.‘France and Spain in Morocco.’ Box 3, Folder 220. This issue is well covered in Sueiro Seoane (Citation1992), 125–155. For casualties resulting from this pullback see Courcelle-Labrousse and Marmie (Citation2008) 128, and Fleming (Citation1991) 194.
12 CDN, December 11, Citation1924.
13 CDN, December 11, Citation1924.
14 CDN, December 12, Citation1924.
15 CDN, December 12, Citation1924. CDN, December 15, Citation1924.
16 Gabrielli (Citation1953), 15–24.
17 CDN, December 15, Citation1924.
18 CDN, December 16, Citation1924.
19 CDN, December 16, Citation1924.
20 CDN, December 16, Citation1924. CDN, December 17, Citation1924.
21 CDN, December 18, Citation1924.
22 CDN, December 19, Citation1924.
23 CDN, December 20, Citation1924.
24 CDN, December 22, Citation1924.
25 Gabrielli (Citation1953), 17.
26 CDN, December 22, Citation1924. These raids were usually carried out by French-made Breguet 14 or Breguet 19 biplanes used as bombers or for reconnaissance.
27 CDN, December 22, Citation1924.
28 CDN, December 22, Citation1924.
29 CDN, December 23, Citation1924.
30 CDN, December 23, Citation1924.
31 CDN, December 23, Citation1924.
32 For a more accurate assessment of Klems’ background see Sasse (Citation2006), 135–154.
33 CDN, December 24, Citation1924. According to Mowrer, Klems tried to interest the Abd-el-Krims in the use of the machine gun but this was rejected as the Rifians preferred individual rifles and considered the machine gun a waste of ammunition. Mowrer also noted that Klems offered to drill and train the Rifian Army but this too was rejected.
34 CDN, December 23, Citation1924.
35 CDN, December 23, Citation1924.
36 CDN, December 23, Citation1924.
37 CDN, December 26, Citation1924.
38 CDN, December 26, Citation1924.
39 CDN, December 26, Citation1924. Concerning Abd-el-Krim’s guerilla tactics see Er (Citation2017).
40 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
41 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
42 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
43 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218. For a fuller discussion of Abd-el-Krim’s family’s association with the Spanish see de Madariaga (Citation1999), 341–384.
44 Mowrer (Citation1945), 477.
45 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
46 This is a curious date as Abd-el-Krim received a general bayͨͨ a of his authority on February 2, 1923. The official title for his political entity was al-dawla al-jumhuriya al-rifiya (The State of the Rifian Republic). Rifians themselves referred to it as al-jibha al-rifiya (Rifian Front), See Pennell (Citation1986), 123 and 133–134.
47 Hart (Citation1976), 377.
48 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
49 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
50 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
51 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218. Abd-el-Krim estimated his regular army to be between 6,000 and 7,000 men.
52 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
53 PSMP/NL. ‘The Sultan Abdelkrim.’ Box 3, Folder 218.
54 The peñón de Alhucemas lies approximately 300 m or 984 feet from the Alhucemas shoreline. It has been used by Spain as a fort and prison since the 17th century. It still remains a Spanish possession.
55 CDN, December 27, Citation1924.
56 CDN, December 27, Citation1924.
57 CDN, December 27, Citation1924.
58 Gabrielli (Citation1953), 21–22.
59 Mowrer (Citation1945), 476.
60 de Madariaga (Citation2009), 400.
61 Mowrer (Citation1945), 490–491.
62 Hoisington (Citation1995), 192. CDN, January 3, 1925.
63 CDN, January 3, Citation1925.
64 CDN, January 5, Citation1925.
65 See Mowrer’s detailed notes in PSMP/NL. ‘Practical Pan-Islamism.’ Box 3, Folder 221.
66 Sheean (Citation1926), 174.
67 CDN, January 5, Citation1925. See also CDN, January 2, Citation1925.
68 Personal correspondence between the late Spanish ‘Africanist,’ Tomás García-Figueras and the author, dated February 19, 1973: ‘Dada la enemistad respecto a Marruecos de españoles y franceses, no creo que Abd-el-Krim pensase nunca en la posibilidad de la colaboración franco-española.’ A good background discussion of these difficulties is provided in La Porte (Citation2001), 135–176.