The first identified public use of the term is in the October 3, 1936 issue of the Madrid Communist daily "Mundo Obrero". In a front-page article the party propagandist Dolores Ibárruri referred to the same statement as reported by Völckers, but attributed it to general Emilio Mola. On the same day the PCE activist Domingo Girón made a similar claim during a public rally. During the following days Republican papers repeated the story, but with differing detail; some attributed the phrase to general Queipo de Llano. In mid-October media already warned against "famous fifth column".