Metadata: Francisco Franco Foundation Archive
Collection
- Country:
- Spain
- Holding institution:
- Historical Memory Documentary Centre
- Holding institution (official language):
- Centro documental de la memoria historica
- Postal address:
- Calle Gibraltar 2. 37008 - Salamanca
- Phone number:
- +34 923 212 845
- Email:
- cdmh@cultura.gob.es
- Reference number:
- ES.37274.CDMH/-2.6
- Title:
- Francisco Franco Foundation Archive
- Title (official language):
- Archivo de la Fundacion Nacional Francisco Franco
- Creator/accumulator:
- Francisco Franco (1892-1975); Francisco Franco Foundation
- Date(s):
- 1936/1975
- Language:
- Spanish; Castilian
- Extent:
- 30 microfilm rolls; 27,357 documents
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- Good
- Scope and content:
-
This collection is made up of copies of documents kept at the Francisco Franco Foundation Archive. It is comprised of 27,357 documents written during the Francoist Dictatorship (1939-1975) and deals with several subjects regarding national and international policy. The documentation consists mostly of correspondence with foreign organizations and Spanish institutions abroad (Embassies and Consulates).
The documentation concerning Jews can be divided into several areas:
The situation of Jews during World War II and international policy towards them: Jewish detention camps in the area of Poland anexed by Russia (1940); treatment of Jews in Poland (1941); a law prohibiting Jews to hold public office in France (1941); policies and measures against Jews followed by the Vichy Regime in France (1943); the report of the Spanish Ambassador in the Holy See that 3,000 Jews have been detained (1943); the report of the Spanish Embassy in Berlin on the war and on the mass liquidation of Jews (1943); the explanation of the Secretary of the Spanish Embassy in Budapest that the Pope has met representatives from neutral countries to address the issue of the massacre of Jews (1944); granting visas to Jews despite not having Sephardic origins (1944); initiatives by Angel Sanz Briz towards Jews, for instance, liberation of Jews who have been in a concentration camp near Budapest (1944); an American Rabbi's request to the Spanish Embassy in Washington to intervene in favor of a group of 16,000 Jews evacuated from Lithuania (1944).
Jews and Spain: the Spanish Ambassador to Washington informing the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the New York Times and other American newspapers report on the gratitude expressed by the World Jewish Congress regarding the Spanish policy in favor of the Sephardic Jews and the Jews in Hungary (1944); the report of the Spanish Ambassador to London that despite the measures taken by Spain in favor of Jews, the Francoist government is being attacked in the Jewish media (1944); a letter published by the World Jewish Congress in the New York Times thanking the Spanish government for the protection of Jews (1948); a telegram sent by the President of the Jewish Community in Spain, Ignacio Bauer, to the UN as a reminder that many Sephardic Jews from Greece had their lives saved thanks to the protection of Spain (1949); conversations with Israeli Ministers wishing to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries (1950); journalist Zevi Kolitz, from HaBoker newspaper, wanting to interview Franco (1951); a meeting between a representative of the Spanish Delegation in Mexico and the Israeli Plenipotentiary Minister regarding the resumption of conversations interrupted due to the Suez campaign (1956); thanks from the Israeli diplomat for the performance of the Spanish Embassy in Cairo in defense of the Jews (1957); Label Katz, president of B’nai B’rith, a Jewish organization, wishing to meet Franco (1963).
Jews in Spain: debates in the Spanish Cortes (bicameral legislative chambers) about the establishment of Jews in Spain (1946); The New York Times reporting on Franco's decision to allow the descendants of Spanish Jews to settle in Spain again (1949); President Truman being informed that Jews and Protestants are free to practice their religion in Spain (1950); Nandor Goldstein’s letter to Franco requesting that Jews be allowed to celebrate religious ceremonies in the Samuel HaLevi synagogue in Toledo (1965).
Jewish establishment in Palestine (the Yishuv): the heading of more than 15,000 Jewish refugees to Palestine from Turkey (1947); attacks by the “Irgun” (1947).
Arab-Israeli conflict: Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein, King of Jordan, wanting to be the protector of Palestine, including Arabs and Jews (1947); the British government informing about the continuing problems between Arabs and Jews (1947); the partition of Palestine and the mediation of Egypt (1947); international diplomatic mediation between Arabs and Jews (1947); Spain accused of being pro-Arab (1949); the Spanish Ambassador to Cairo saying that the Arabs complain of the difficulty of reaching a peace agreement due to the support of the United States and the United Kingdom to Israel (1950); the French representative to Tel Aviv reporting that Marshal Tito is expected to achieve an agreement between Arabs and Jews (1955); the Spanish Consul in Jerusalem reporting on military activity in Gaza after the UN ceasefire order (1955); a report addressed to Franco about the impact of the conflict in Morocco (1967); a letter addressed to the Spanish Ambassador to Baghdad to facilitate the evacuation of Jews from Iraq (1969).
The Holy Places: the Holy See not openly taking a position regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, although it considers that the Arabs are more respectful of Holy Places (1948); news about a possible agreement between Arabs and Jews regarding the Holy Places as well as the division of Jerusalem (1949); and cooperation of Catholic countries to declare the internationalization of the Holy Places (1949).
- Archival history:
- In 2001, the Francisco Franco Foundation signed an agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture whereby the documents from the private secretary of Francisco Franco were inventoried and microfilmed. In 2009, the Documentary Center of Historical Memory received a microfilm copy of the collection and an inventory with a summary description of the documents and five indexes in order to facilitate its location. The documents contained in the inventory are enumerated from 1 to 27,490. In the Documentary Center of Memorial History, there are only copies up to 27,357 (included).
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Francisco Franco Foundation is a private institution established in 1976 with the aim of publicizing the person and work of Francisco Franco and of preserving a large documentary fonds. Franco was a Spanish general and politician who ruled over Spain as head of state and dictator from 1939, after the Nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War, until his death in 1975.
- Subject terms:
- Antisemitism
- Antisemitism--Antisemitic legislation
- Antisemitism--Antisemitic measures
- Arab-Israeli conflict
- Correspondence
- Holocaust
- Holocaust--Concentration camps
- Holocaust--Rescue and resistance
- Internment
- Jewish community
- Passports and visas
- Refugees
- Sephardi Jews
- State of Israel
- World War II
- Access, restrictions:
- Access to this documentary fonds is restricted. A huge part of the documentation was produced by the Defense High Command, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Government’s Presidency” (Prime Minister’s office), and the Spanish Ministry of Government (Ministry of Interior), and due to that, access to the collection depends on the Spanish legislation on Official Secrets Act. The documentation to consult should be previously reviewed by the staff of the Documentary Center of Historical Memory according to the Article 27 of Royal Decree 1708/2011 (November 18).
- Finding aids:
- In the archive there is an inventory available of the collection, and there are five indexes. Data on the collection are also available at the website of the Spanish National Archives (PARES).
- Links to finding aids:
- https://pares.culturaydeporte.gob.es/inicio.html
- Yerusha Network member:
- Spanish National Research Council
- Author of the description:
- Marina Girona Berenguer; ILC, CSIC; November 2019
