ACTIVITIES AND OPINIONS OF REPUBLICAN MILITARY MEN IN SPAIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R000300770008-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 17, 1998
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: February 27, 1947
• Content Type: IR

Dooument No. fl '
NoAp 9 94 : 24 : CIA-RDP82-00457R
0 DECLASSIFIED
Class. CHANGED TO: TS S
DDA Memo, 4 Apr 77
Auth: DDA REG. 77/1763
Date: Z 4r1A, ~ ~- By: 0 a I _ :
(O gROL
'U.S. OFFICIALS OILY
ENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP
ITELUGENCE REPORT
ui16-w Spain
~? UJECT
Activitiea rand Opinions of Republican Military
sIo,a in Spain
007700
DATE:
INFO.
DIST. 27 February 1947
PAGES 8
SUPPLEMENT
0W ON fiWim
25X1A2g
Delo?r is information of early to mid-January 1947 on the activities and
opinions of republican military men in Madrid. Apparently, efforts are
being made to achieve agreement among the republican professional mili-
tary men and to place them under a single command, It will be recalled
that during the winter of 1946=46, a group called the Junta Militar vms
established which had as its siren the organizing of republican military
men ;ceder the I)efen,.qe Ministry of the Spanish Republican. Governm d 25X1 A2g
Exil ,, (For previously distributed information on this body, see
So far as is known, efforts to reform the central
comm=a ttee of the Junta Militar, after the arrest of most of its leaders
in M-.srch?1946, were unsuccessful, and the military men formed groups
s ourrd such reran as Lt. Colonel Miguel Palacios and General Manuel
.4atallana Gcmez. Reportedly, Palaoios" group maintains contact with
the .lianza iacional. do Fuerzas Democraticas, and Palacios himself
ahsro8 the opinions of the AN?D leaders who advocate collaboration with
the uonarchists toward the establishment of a transition government.
? Atallona, on the other hand, maintains an intrensigeantly republican
position?, considering that only a republic legally can follow the present
regine. From the information which follows, it would appear that no
a re.ent will be reached in the near future among the military men
`chile the report in this sense may be described as inconclusive, it is
beliE~ved that it will be of interest.
offer of the Interior B~ili'_r to the
Mile Government
In early Jeauary, i'.lacios stated that various outstanding republican
:J.1i',ary men had conferred and had weed to place themselves, from as
:professional and technical viewpoint, at the orders of the Defense
iniNtry of the Spanish Republican Ubvernment=iu-Exile.* Among the
`:fepubiioan Armv men who had agreed to the proposal were Garcia Vallejo,,
comment: since this report was written, Julio Just has
been name M n per of Interior and Defense in the republican exile
government, now headed by Rodolfo Llopis. General Juan Hernandez
Say?abia was Defense Minister in Jose Giral's cabinet.
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C.E1 TRAL INTi;LLIGENCE GROUP
Muniz Prunes,,Gallego Calateyud, Fernando Casado and Major Castello.
Aocolding to Palaoios, the military men recommended that a general staff
be or anized inside Spain with cadres for the different sections. They
bonsidered it most important that an intelligence section be established.
They further recommended that the head of the interior ors~anitation be
appointed by the Defense Minister, from. a list of persong submitted to
him by republican military men of the interior.
Adcorditg to Palaoio3, the consensus was that the most suitable man to
head this military organization in Spain was General Matallana, in view
of his prestige, his rank and his professional ability.*
Opinions of Matallana
3n Source doubted that Matallana would accept the post suggested for him,
since the general has characterized Palacios and his followers as
"Alianeista collaborators" and has not been disposed to have anything
to do with them? despite repeated overtures on the part of Palacios and
Muniz Prunes to secure his cooperation. Source states that, in tfatallana's
opinion,.it is entirely poaeible that in the past Palacios' military group
might even have reached an undorstandin ;:with a high-ranking officer of
thepresent regime, and might be under his orders at present.
4. During late Decembers Muniz Prunes tried to secure Matallana's cooperation
for the formation of republican cadres, but the general was not responsive.
He stated to a reliable informant that he distrusted the military men who
were connected with the AITFD, that he considered the members of the Re-
publican parties who form part of the coalition as deserters, and that he
was skeptical of the republicanism of the Socialists and Cenetistas in
the organization,
5. Matallana also conferred with the Conetista, Cipriano Mera, who during
the Civil `tar was Political Commissar of the Fifth Army Corps, under the
orders of Palacios. Matallana thinks well of i'iera, and hoped to learn
through him the real position of the C?IT. The general urged Nera to do
what he could to keep the CUT in the sphere of absolute republicanism and
added that in his opinion the monarchists were deceiving the C'7T and
exploiting the anti-communist phobia of the Confederation to their own
advantage.
Palacios? Statements on the Monarchists
6. Source states that despite Palacios' decision to offer to place himself
and his group at the disposition of the Spanish Republican Government-in-
Exile in a military sense, he still believes that an understanding must be
')IZVI AG.,
The following notes on General Matallana, while
ragrnen dry, may be of interest. The material was received from a
reliable source in Madrid and is based on the statements of various
subsources: General idatallana attended the Infantry Academy of Toledo.
He also has a law degree, and at present is employed as legal advisor by
a construction company. At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, he
was aide to .general Miaja. Later, he assumed the post left vacant by
ueneral Rojo on the General Staff of the hr-ay of the Center, when Rojo
became Chief of the Central veneral Staff. He took part in the battle
of Brunete and later in the withdrawal of the Army of the Levante. lie
led the battle of Extremadura;. i4hen the Civil tiiar ended, he was Chief
of the irmy of the Levante0 Two informants state that after his trial
by the Nationalists, :.iatallana was saved from execution by the inter-
vention of Franco Salgado, first cousin of the Jeneralissino.
Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000300770008-0
 Approved For Release 1999/0 1 &EDP82-00457R000300770008-0
CMTRAL INT :LIaLTI E GROUP
WS-
reached between the monarohists and the leftists inside Spain. The
following opinions expressed by Yalaoios on the monarchists may be of
interest in that they are indicative of his political thinkinga In
Palaeios' estimation, the monarchists may be divided into three groups:
Those who share the opinions of Sainz Rodriguez, who are o
pportniste
and desirous of regaining the privileges which they enjoyed. previously and
under the monarohy;?the followers hf Al Robles, who are "Vatieanistas"
and are willing to go along with either a,monarehy or a republic; and
those who adhere only to Don Juan, According to Palacios, the first
group has very little strength, the second, represented in Spain by
Jiminienio Carrascal, is losing ground, while the ?chird, headed by Yan uas
;esias and counting among its members many persons of outstanding ability
and prestige, enjoys great esteem?
7 It is the last group, according to Palacios, which is endeavoring to
reach an accord with the Alianza Rational do Fuerzas Uemocraticaso The
A"'FD, as representative of the leftists, looks to this group as a strong
and liberal sector, although the organization considers that the defeat
of the monarchy in a plebiscite is certain. As of 8 January, an agreement
was under discussion, Palacios stated, between the A' FD and this monarchist
groupo Re said that the monarchists:.:dnd leftists think that Martinez
Barrio should appoint a representative of the Republic to sign the pact
when accord has been reached,-and added that a request thttt such designation
be made had been transmitted to -Paris.
S. When source asked him whether or not he considered T'dartinez Barrio as
representative of the continuity of the legitimately established regime,
Palaeios-stated that, in his opinion, it was not clear whether by the
elections of 1931 the people of Spain rejected the monarchy as a form of
governments or merely rejected Alfonso XIII as king;,
SE LT CONTROL
U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000300770008-0