PROPAGANDA ACTIVITIES OF SPANISH CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R000800160001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 10, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 8, 1947
• Content Type: IR

Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP 25X1A2g
INTELLIGENCE REPORT
DATE 25X1A6a
_` ------ . _. 9NFO.
Propaganda Activities of Spanish Cultural M1e,r ,e, J -y InA"
SUBJECT
COUNTRY Spain
ORIGIN
LtOCIJIIIlf'-t 1a hureF,..
CON rcy~aaec 'n ?AGLS 4
25X1 A6a 1AL to accordance w:th t )e
Letter of obey 1978 from thn SUPPLEMENT- 25X1 A2g
25X1X6
Archivist of the Unite to the
1. Of the official organisations which are most active in distributing propa-
ganda outside Spain for support of the present regime, an organisation
subordinate to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Institute of Hiepanio
Culture, is the moat effective. It is extremely active in extending
invitations to foreign politicians, journalists and professional persons,
especially those connected with Pax Romans and Action Catolica, to visit
Spain. Every step taken by these persons from the time of their arrival
in Spain is supervised by some member of the Institute, who is careful
to appear at every public demonstration as if "by chance,". and ostensibly
because of his cultural duties:.
2. The relations of the Institute of Hispanic Culture with Latin America are
carried on primarily through the Pax Romans-sponsored Aooeiaeion do
Cultura Ibero-Americana (ACIA - Ibero-American Cultural Association),,
which was created at the Congress held in El Escorial in 1940, and whose
Spanish delegation has offioos at the Pax Romana headquarters. Although
stress is laid on the apolitical nature of the Spanish delegation of
Pax Romano, its most important personalities are also the leaders of
the Institute, which is openly a part of the Goverxaaent0
3. The Institute of Hispania Qiilture is the successor of the now defunct
Consejo de Is Rispanidad, which was created by a law promulgated on
November 1940. The Falange, which was then at the height of its
power, entertained grandiose ideas of Empire. The entire Falangist
press took up the campaign for Hispanicism, and Franco frequently
addressed thepeople of Latin America on the subject. However, the Latin
Americans made it clear that their feeling of kinship with Spain did
not extend to an enthusiasm for what was interpreted by most South
Americans to mean the expansion of the Fascist-Falangist Spanish regime.
It bceame, necessary to redirect the propaganda to indicate that the
"Empire" that the Falangists were trying to establish was merely one of
a spiritual nature, The Consejo de la .spanidad was not very active
'.until 1942, when Juan Carlos Goyeneche Silvela, leader of a group of
CLASSIFICATION
No C
gDECLASS
Class. CHA
DDA
Auth: ,.
Date:
9/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800160001-9
 Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000000160001-9
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP
-2a
Argentine youths of a nationalist-Falangist tendency, arrived in Spain,
With the help of various favors from the Spanish government, Goyeneche
attained academic honors, meanwhile taking a prominent part in the ac-
L3
of several organizations, including the Instituto de Estudios
Politicos and the Consejo de la Hispanidad. The latter organization,
into which Goyeneche breathed some life, existed on the somewhat meager
bounty of the Minister of Foreign Affaira until the appointment of
Martin Artajo to that ministry. With his aid, the Consejo de la His-
panidad came out of the oblivion into which it had sunk after the fall
of Germany and Italy, to a powerful rebirth in the institute of Hispanic
Culture, created by a law promulgated on 31 )December 1945. The flourishing
condition of the Institute as an adjunct of the Ministry of. Foreign Affairs
is reflected in the budget if that ministry for 1947, which allots 7,801,302
pesetas to the Institute. Even that generous amount is not expected to be
sufficient to finance the Institute, since the expenses of the Americans
who come to Spain at its invitation are paid out of these funds. However,
Martin ertajo, whose Foreign Ministry budget includes over nineteen million
pesetas for " other remuneration" (i.e., other than salaries of the Ministry),
can be counted on to allot sufficient funds to the Institute for it to
carry on its work,
4. The rebirth of the Consejo de la Hispanidad in the Institute of Hispanic
Culture was largely due to the activities of Joaquin Ruiz Jimenez, who
was appointed director of the Institute in August 1946. Ruiz Jimenez
had been President of Pax Romana since 1939 and had made frequent tripe
to a?nerica in that caiacity. Pax Romans was supposed to be an inter-
national federation of Catholic university students' organizations
united in the eomon interest of rostoring the influence of-homan Catho-
lic doctrine on the leaders of society through the intellectual classes.
There was nothing in its constitution concerning, )olitical questions.
Ruiz Jimenez, however, had his own understanding, of his role as repre-
sentative of the Spanish students, and used his post as president for
purposes far removed from his duties. His propaganda activities in favor
of the Franco regime have been reported in-the press of the countries
which he visited.
Ruiz Jimenez has been aided in his propaganda activities by his lieutenant,
Alfredo Sanchez Bella, who was Secretary to the Presidency of Pax Ronsna0
One of their enterprises is ESPESA (Ediciones y Publieaciones Espanolas
S.A. - Spanish Editing a*?d Publishing Corporation), of which Ruiz Jimenez
is President and Sanchez Bella a member of the Board of Directors. Sanchez
Bella comes from a middle-class family in Valencia, and is the son of the
owner of a small print shop. He studied in Valencia for his bachelor's
degree and for his Licentiate of Philosophy and Letters in the field of
History, Jose Ibanez =*Iartin, now Minister of Education, was a professor
there and became Sanchez Bella.'s sponsor, obtaining posts and honors for
hi:a which were greatly beyond his desserts by reason of age or t agents,
Sanchez Bella, who had bolon ^ed to the propa;;anda machine which travelled
along the fronts during the Civil '''aar making radio broadcasts against
the "Reds;' arrived in iuadrid at the end of the war and succeeded in ob-
taining a place in the Students' Residence. with the help of Ibanez
Martin, who meanwhile had become a minister, he was able to obtain the
post of Secretary of the Residence. Its Director, Pedro Lain Entralgo,
who was one of the pxinoi.pal theorists of the Falange, had little to do
with the Residence and 6"achez Belle was free to do as he pleased and to
cultivate assiduously every type of contact which would he help"ul to
him. When he was only twenty-nfive or twerty-six years old, he became
Assistant Secretary of the newly created Consejo Superior de Investigaciones
Cientificas. At that tine lie was a nember of the then : de la
Hispanidad and had an additional source o' income 6 C retaryship
Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800160001-9
 Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800160001-9
25X1A2g
CENTRAL INTELLI?..ENCE JROUP
_Zm
of the Students' Residence, which in 1942 was converted in-:.o the Colegio
Mayor "Jimenez de Cisneros" of the Universidad Central. Sanchez Bellia
saw in the manipulation of Hispanicism a way to achieve prominence. At
gatherings of Jovenes Inquietos, and also through his ccntr.ots with South
Americans like uoyenoche, he assiduously spread the doctrine of Hispenioismo
6o Another lieutenant of Ruiz Jimenez who is active in promoti:ag visits by
foreigners to Spain is Francisco Sinter Obrador, in charge of the Department
of Cultural Exchange of' the Institute. Sintes, who is Seorcetary of the
Consejo Superior de Hombres of 1ocion Catolioa and Spain's rupresentativs
in the new branch of Pax Romans for graduates which has recently been
organized in Rome, headed the committee on arrangements for the Pax
Romano Congress at Salamanca and hl Escorial. He is an engineer by
profession.
On 30 March 1947 the Official State Bulletin )ublished an order of the
Ministry of Forei,;n Affairs dated 25 March, announcince, the names of the
administrative personnel, in technical and auxiliary capacities, of the
Institute of Hispanic Culture. On the Register of Administrative Personnel
on the Technical Level, a well-known writer, Wenoeslao Fernandez-Florez,
appears as Chief or Administration. Almost his only appearances at the
Institute are for the purpose of sif;ning the payroll. He has little or
nothing to do withx Romana but he has a so-called assistant who really
is in charge of the Department of Publications. The latter is Manuel
Jimenez Quilez, Editor-in-Chief of the bulletin of Pax Romana, Oficins
de Information Ems anoolla, correspondent of the Agencia Logos, Editor or of
no, irector of We_ridiano, Editor of Ya, and connected with other
publications. Subordinate to Jimenez 4tullez are listed other members
of Pax Romana such as Manuel Benitez Y Sanchez Cortex, who was chief
of the Press z+ection of the committee on arrangements for the Pax
Romana Congress and is the editor of Latrella del Mar, editor of the
Bulletin.of Information of the Institute of Hispanic Culture, and
Editor-in-Chief of Cuadernos del Mundo liis giie a new publication to
be issued by the Institue. ernando Maria-Cstiella y thaiz is one of
the most influential personalities. in the Institute of Hispanic Culture,
from which he receives compensation although he at present heads the
Instituto de "studios Politicos. Alfredo Sanchez belle is listed in
the Official Bulletin as chief of the Seminario de Problemas Aotuales..
Subordinate to Sinter in the Department of Cultural isxehange are listed
two members of Pax Romana, Luis hergueta sarcia de Uuudiana, a lawyer,
treasurer of Pax Romuna and brother-in-law of Minister Martin Artajo,
and Bernardino i'elayo, an employee of the Gerieral Cocmissiariat of
Supply who is a protege of Ruiz Jimenez and who during the past Congress
was in eharge'of providin; the food for those attending the Congress in
Salamanca and in El Escorial. In late May the Institute was being re-
organized and Pelayo was to be in a new department to be called "Distribution."
Pelayo, formerly a follower of Gil Robles, to whom he continues to be
united in spirit, plans the settin- up a complete file of personalities
and groups connected with the Institute, and he will be responsible for
sending then all of its publications and notices.
8. The department of relii;ious affairs has been entrusted to the man who
was Secretary General of the Pax Romans, Congress, Jose Maria Riaza
Ballesteros, the holder of several posts in various divisions of
Acoion Catolica. He is a lawyer and is employed in the Rules and
Re;ulations Section of the Ministry of Laboro
9a The recently founded Cole;gio Mayor Nuestra Senora do Guadalupe serves
as a bteae in Madrid for Latin American students and-graduates. Angel
Alvarez Miranda, Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters, and Assistant
Professor of Greek on the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters was appointed
Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800160001-9
 Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R000800160001-9
25X1A2g
C .NTRAL INTElLIGINCE urROUP
0
director. He is an intimate friend of Sanchez Bella, who had hilt ape
pointed librarian in the Colegio Mayor Jimenez Cisneros, Under thirty,
his chief claim to distinction is his friendship with Sanchez Bella and
Ruiz Jimenez. He has been selected to mana;e a "colep;io mayor" which
is to be the model and standard for others. In addition, the directing
forces of the Institute have appointed a Secretary or Assistant Director
of the college whose position is on a par with that of Alvarez ;.3iranda.
`the post is held by another Pax Romans member,. Antonio Cano Santayana Y
13atros, a lawyer belonging to the Luisan Congregation of Madrid. He was
a special envoy with Sanchez Bella to Latin America to urge attendance
at tote Pax Romana Congresso
10,. In late May, Francisco de Luis, the director of Editorial Catolioap 'old
source that the trip to the Americas undertaken at the behest of the
Institute of Hispanic Culture by Fernando Maria Castiella, Alfredo
Sanchez Bella and Daniel Jimenez Quilez, was of a "purely informative"
nature. According to de Luis, they were to gather information in various
Latin American republics as to.trade possibilities and receptivity to
propaganda intended to draw those countries closer to Spain. Their
findings were to be made the basis of a report to the Ministry of
Foreis;n !Affairs,
11g. One of the principal supporters of the Institute of uispanio Culture is
the Jesuit priest -angel Carrillo de Alborn.oz, director of the Luisen
ConGre ration of Madrid, a chaplain of the Lea ;ion during the Civil War
and at one time the chaplain of the concentration co-rip of Santona. He,
is an intimate friend of Ruiz Jimenez, who makes use of his great
influence amonruniversity students and especially among the Llarian
brotherhoods or Spain and abroad. Ruiz Jimenez alao can call on
another vary influential Jesuit, I17iacio Errandonea, Director of
Raton, a former confessor of Franco. Carrillo has great influence
over tthe Jesuit priest Estanislao Ilundain Arreguip who is National
Director of the Marian brotherhoods. :' "hese two, together with
Errandonea and the Italian Jesuit priest t~rpa,i:re the principal de.
fenders of the con tress held in Spain in the report which was sent to
the Pope in explanation of the Spanish attitude. The influence of the
publications controlled by these men, as well as their control over the
members of their groups, is an iinportar.t bolster to Ruiz Jimenez.
document contains
nformatson
,
affect national detbibse of the
U'.ited State in the imea~-ing of
the Espionage Act dS t 31 and
a2 as smended> Y t?
ts. cr
the revelation of its cant, y
n
r t
e
o asp rmathor3,Ee~ ) p rsn
prohibited by 1 r 7,v,, 1
Approved For Release 1999/09/24: CIA-RDP82-00457R0008001' 0001-9