 Historiographic works offer differing perspectives on authorship of the term.Many scholars have no doubt about Mola's role and refer to "fifth column" as to "a term coined in 1936 by General Emilio Mola", though they admit that the exact statement cannot be identified.In some sources Mola is noted as a person who used the term during an impromptu press interview, and different though detailed versions of the exchange are offered.