JF Ptak Science Books Post 2621
The Spanish Secret (Underground) Newspaper “Reconquest of Spain”, which is being Printed in Madrid, Has Arrived in Algiers and Publishes an Appeal of the Supreme Council of the National Union, Which Has Just been Received in Mexico, is a rare offset publication--five leaves long and approximately 1500 words--was which published in December 1943, and which seems to be a general call-to-arms to overthrow the Spanish right-wing leader Francisco Franco (still dead after all of these years). The Spanish Civil war was overwhelmingly over by 1939, though there was still considerable resistance to Franco--much of that at this point (1943) not in Spain. The Spanish government for their part were busy trying to keep their non-neutral neutrality at an optimum price and profit, selling material to the Nazis, and holding out for a more-beneficial payout to themselves from Hitler for joining the Axis outright, which never did happen. The publication refers to an underground secret newspaper called the "reconquest of Spain", which I guess would be simply called the Reconquista, which in recently history would have referred to the fight against Franco from 1936 to 1939, and also ()in the deeper past) the 700-year-long fight to establish a Christian kingdom in Spain free of Islamic occupation (ca. 700-1500). Unfortunately my knowledge of Spain during WWII regarding the Republican fight is extremely limited, and so I can't say anything further about the newspaper--I'm not even sure if this publication below is a reprint of the text of the newspaper (which it seems to be, perhaps) or not. In any event, here's some samples from the publication:
[Provenance: from the estate of Alexander Uhl, Associated Press reporter in Spain during the Revolution. WorldCat/OCLC locates 0 copies.]
“We are uniting to fight, to mobilize the Spanish people in the defense of its very life, to radically extirpate the foreign domination from the soil of Spain…”
“Franco in Power is the death of Spain…”
"This is a wartime call to Spaniards to honor their fatherland and overthrow the Nazis and Franco..."
“Spaniards! In criminal combination with the foreign master, the Cabinet of lackeys is killing Spain. It was promising great riches to the Fatherland and has subjected Spain to vassalage. It had claimed prosperity to the country and the country is in ruins… "
“The nation is groaning, gagged, deprived of liberty…”
“…the execution squads are irrigating with Spanish blood the sacred soil of the fatherland…”
“Over the gloomy background, while the victorious armies of the United Nations are opening for themselves a road to Berlin, a million Spaniards, following the footsteps of death and disgraceful infamy of the Blue Division, can be cast in the hecatomb by the criminal will which Franco has publicly invoked…”
“We are uniting to fight, to mobilize the Spanish people in the defense of its very life, to radically extirpate the foreign domination from the soil of Spain…”
“It is not a fight of internal tendencies, but a united attack of the entire nation in order to recover its independence and its sovereignty…”
“We are inviting publicly, solemnly, the Spaniards who profess other political creeds and most especially the Catholics of the two branches and the army, to participate with us in the Supreme Council of the National Union…to overthrow Franco and the Phalange…”
“No honorable Spaniard can fail the call of his Fatherland…and can honor themselves by taking part in this genuine crusade of liberation which today demands unanimous national effort. No desertion will make us lower the colors…”
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