APAD: The Fifth Column

 

Meaning:

    Infiltrators or collaborators with the enemy.

    

Background:

 

   In October 1936, in the hostilities of the Spanish Civil War, the nationalist

   General Emilio Mola and his supporters besieged Madrid with four columns of

   troops.

   

   Mola claimed he had additional troops within the city. The claim was reported

   in the New York Times like this:

   

     Police last night began a house-to-house search for Rebels in Madrid...

     Orders for these raids ... apparently were instigated by a recent broadcast

     over the Rebel radio station by General Emilio Mola. He stated he was

     counting on four columns of troops outside Madrid and another column of

     persons hiding within the city who would join the invaders as soon as they

     entered the capital."

     

   Explicit mention of the hidden troops as the `fifth column' was reported in

   the US newspaper the Fitchburg Sentinel newspaper, on 14th October 1936:

   

     "Out of hiding came a few of the phantom `fifth column' - the fascist

     auxiliary force dreaded by the loyalists."

     

   The term has migrated in use over time and is now sometimes used more

   generally, to mean traitor or spy.

   

   Ernest Hemingway wrote a play called `The Fifth Column` in 1937, in which he

   expressed his opposition to the Spanish fascist regime.

   

- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]

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At times of tension, we overseas Chinese found ourselves in an unenviable

position as the potential fifth column in both the adopted country and the

motherland. It's probably totally unrelated, as I told him, but my friend Bill

recently visited his birthplace, a city to the southwest of Beijing. The town

had expanded for decades and looked modern in every way, but three hotels in a

row told him the same thing: ``We are not qualified to take a foreign passport

as ID'' and he had no choice but to check in the only one owned by the

government in his side of the town.

所有跟帖: 

sorry4 Bill:-) The phrase reminds me of "Cambridge Five" -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 08:46:44

& theBook by B Macintyre: "A Spy Among Friends", a veryGood1 -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 08:49:04

Thanks. The library has it. I'll be enjoying. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 09:27:15

there's a 2022 TV show based on It, same name, also good -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 10:23:23

Don't watch TV but thank you. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 10:55:58

Sounds like one episode in Foyle's war. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 09:26:37

国内管这叫涉外酒店,Geneva Convention don't apply 2 5th column -移花接木- 给 移花接木 发送悄悄话 移花接木 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 09:48:36

Any other country has sth similar? Unloved and expendable. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 10:00:07

Russia? (joking?) I rented apartment or AirBnB in Beijing bf -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 10:16:45

all private (never hotels), but that was bf Covid -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 10:19:48

Beijing should be better. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 11:05:35

第五纵队。I don’t have such an issue. Hope situations will change -暖冬cool夏- 给 暖冬cool夏 发送悄悄话 暖冬cool夏 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 11:25:50

You're lucky! Hope so though don't expect. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 11:35:15

When did ur friend visit China?I think the new hotel policy -妖妖灵- 给 妖妖灵 发送悄悄话 妖妖灵 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 13:16:08

is friendly to foreigners~ -妖妖灵- 给 妖妖灵 发送悄悄话 妖妖灵 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 13:16:29

Not 3 months ago:-( -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 14:13:38

正在国内,感同身受。在中国,持外国护照者只能入住昂贵的外国人指定酒店。回到家乡,发现自己被标注为外国人。百味杂陈ing -JoyAnna.- 给 JoyAnna. 发送悄悄话 JoyAnna. 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 13:24:08

My aunt said she‘d adopt me back:-))) -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 14:18:32

hahaha -JoyAnna.- 给 JoyAnna. 发送悄悄话 JoyAnna. 的博客首页 (167 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 05:06:25

It is getting so difficult to go to home town. -天边一片白云- 给 天边一片白云 发送悄悄话 天边一片白云 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 17:43:31

and can not check emails. -天边一片白云- 给 天边一片白云 发送悄悄话 天边一片白云 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 17:44:13

我用的Verizon,用international travel plan. 一条line每天$10,每个月$100。 -妖妖灵- 给 妖妖灵 发送悄悄话 妖妖灵 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 18:46:19

YouTube,email等service都可以用,当然我没有查email~ -妖妖灵- 给 妖妖灵 发送悄悄话 妖妖灵 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 18:47:16

加拿大没有Verizon -天边一片白云- 给 天边一片白云 发送悄悄话 天边一片白云 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 12:54:49

I used a VPN plan when I visited, 但是在那里“翻墙”是犯法,只能偷偷地哈;-)见下: -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (240 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 20:41:34

如果被告发到那里政府网管,内籍人会被罚大银子,外籍人除了银子问题外是否还有其他麻烦呢?别以身试法,还是偷偷地犯法吧,嘿嘿 -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/13/2024 postreply 20:57:39

同意。西岛说的是。翻墙麻烦,我太懒。手机开个国际漫游,很简单的。轻轻松松的。我等懒人之最爱。:)) -JoyAnna.- 给 JoyAnna. 发送悄悄话 JoyAnna. 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 05:03:46

乔安娜晚上好!(我最近才有了第一部手机 ;-)。事实胜于雄辩,不知世上多少地方需要如此网络管制?都是些什么地方呢?唉。。 -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 05:41:20

NotAboutPolitics, butFreedom&"Common sense is not so common" -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 05:56:32

Cannot agree more with this -JoyAnna.- 给 JoyAnna. 发送悄悄话 JoyAnna. 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 06:43:41

西岛早安。您过的是低碳健康生活方式啊。??周末愉快 -JoyAnna.- 给 JoyAnna. 发送悄悄话 JoyAnna. 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 06:44:35

就是麻烦,又冒险。 -天边一片白云- 给 天边一片白云 发送悄悄话 天边一片白云 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 12:56:24

下次也弄个国际漫游。 -天边一片白云- 给 天边一片白云 发送悄悄话 天边一片白云 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 12:57:51

如果是Tmobile,漫游好像是free的,而且微信也可以用。我这次回国就是免费的,网速有点慢就是了 -暖冬cool夏- 给 暖冬cool夏 发送悄悄话 暖冬cool夏 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 12/14/2024 postreply 17:09:56

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