Apologies for any cross-posting.

Geoff West
Hispanic
BL London

-----Original Message-----
From: Gayle Williams [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 06 October 2004 14:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Fwd: Fwd: Cela Franquista spy

>>Copyright 2004 Guardian Newspapers Limited
>>The Guardian (London) - Final Edition
>>
>>September 25, 2004
>>
>>SECTION: Guardian Foreign Pages, Pg. 17
>>
>>LENGTH: 806 words
>>
>>HEADLINE: Spanish novelist spied for Franco's regime: Nobel laureate 
>>volunteered information on dissidents
>>
>>BYLINE: Giles Tremlett in Madrid
>>
>>BODY:
>>One of Spain's greatest modern novelists was an informer for Franco's 
>>fascist regime and betrayed fellow intellectuals during the 1960s, 
>>according to recently discovered official records.
>>
>>Camilo Jose Cela, the last Spaniard to win the Nobel prize for 
>>literature, continued to inform against other authors and academics 
>>even when they thought he had joined an emerging front of dissident 
>>writers.
>>
>>The revelations have come from the well-known historian Pere Ysas, who 
>>found papers showing that Cela, who died two years ago, had 
>>volunteered advice to Franco's information ministry and suggested some 
>>dissident writers could be bribed, tamed and "reconverted" by the 
>>generalisimo's regime.
>>
>>The claims will add to the legend of the controversial and flamboyant 
>>Cela, who was accused of stealing ideas, plagiarism and using 
>>ghost-writers during his career.
>>
>>He denied all the allegations, but had a seemingly infinite capacity 
>>for provoking controversy and creating enemies.
>>
>>Mr Ysas's discovery comes at an uncomfortable time for Spain as it 
>>considers how to deal with the legacy of the Franco period. It also 
>>raises the question of which other intellectuals were informers - or 
>>informed upon.
>>
>>The historian said he found an internal report to Spain's then 
>>information minister, Manuel Fraga, who ran the censor's office, based 
>>on ideas volunteered to ministry officials by Cela after a Spanish 
>>writers' conference in 1963.
>>
>>Among other things Cela told the officials that 42 of the 102 
>>signatories of a letter denouncing police violence against striking 
>>miners in the northern region of Asturias were members of the Spanish 
>>Communist party.
>>
>>Cela had signed the letter himself. The writer also claimed that most 
>>of his fellow signatories were "totally recoverable (for the regime), 
>>either through the stimulus of publishing their work or through 
>>bribes," according to the report made to Fraga.
>>
>>Cela suggested that the regime should target Pedro Lain Entralgo, a 
>>leading intellectual, on the basis that he was a weaker character than 
>>other anti-Francoists in the group.
>>
>>The report suggested following Cela's advice and proposed setting 
>>aside a budget of 20m pesetas, worth around £120,000 at the time.
>>
>>There is no evidence, however, that the money was approved or that the 
>>plan was put into action.
>>
>>The revelations about Cela, a maverick whose works were censored by 
>>Franco's regime and who edited a literary magazine considered to be 
>>anti-Francoist, add mystery to an already controversial biography.
>>
>>"Cela is a complex character," said Mr Ysas, a historian at 
>>Barcelona's Autonomous University.
>>
>>"At some stages of his life, it seems he played with all the cards in 
>>the pack."
>>
>>The evidence suggests that Cela, rather than being coerced into 
>>becoming an informer, approached the information ministry himself to 
>>offer his help.
>>
>>"There is nothing that indicates any previous action calling for his 
>>help," said Mr Ysas. "It seems this was something freely done by him."
>>
>>Mr Ysas, who has published his findings in a book, Dissidence and 
>>Subversion, said Cela may have simply been trying to curry favour with 
>>the regime.
>>
>>Fraga has said that, around that time, the writer had been trying to 
>>win some form of public distinction or medal in recognition of his 
>>status as one of the country's leading authors.
>>
>>The revelations come as Spain debates whether it should be doing more 
>>to heal the wounds still remaining from Franco's 36-year rule.
>>
>>The new socialist government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has 
>>recently established a committee of ministers to consider the demands 
>>of those who believe that the suffering of Franco's victims has been 
>>largely forgotten.
>>
>>The democratic transition that followed Franco's death in 1975 
>>included an amnesty for all his officials.
>>
>>Spain did not go through a "truth and reconciliation" process similar 
>>to the one in post-apartheid South Africa, nor has there ever been a 
>>public "naming and shaming" of Franco agents and collaborators as 
>>there was, for example, in some of the eastern bloc countries.
>>
>>Among the petitions being considered by Mr Zapatero's government are 
>>calls to locate and dig up what are believed to be hundreds of mass 
>>graves of those killed by Franco's death squads in the 1930s.
>>
>>Other demands include the creation of a truth commission of 
>>historians; changes to the way the civil war is taught in schools; the 
>>removal of Francoist monuments and street names; and a permanent 
>>exhibition in the huge underground basilica at the Valley of the 
>>Fallen outside Madrid - where Franco is buried - explaining that it 
>>was built with the labour of republican prisoners.
>>
>>There have also been demands for a formal overturning of political 
>>senten-ces, including up to 50,000 death sentences, handed down by his 
>>courts.
>>
>>
>>
>>LOAD-DATE: September 27, 2004


----- End forwarded message -----


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