HISPANOCUBANAS RELATIONS DURING THE CIVIL WAR
Cuban independence from Spain in 1898 created a new framework for relations between the two countries but in no case led to animosity towards the English isla.Era in the depth of this culture and the English economy in the recent history of Cuba that produced the onset of civil war in Spain saw a process of polarization in sympathy with the warring parties that developed in a climate of supposed neutrality the Cuban government.
first note as the English emigration to Cuba continued a process of growth in the first years of the century so that between 1902 and 1928 the English arrived to Cuba amounted to an average of 45,000 for what was achieved a number of emigrants around 1,200,000 people but not all were permanent emigrants and many of these performed a migration estacional.La economic crisis of 1929 involved such serious consequences for Cuba's sugar exports had an immediate impact on the employment opportunities, which led to a sharp fall in emigration that between 1928 and 1933 barely exceeded the 20,000 españoles.Esta situation worsened in 1933 with the advent of progressive government that succeeded Machado in which protective measures have been imposed on the labor front, the law known as "50%" implied that at least half the workforce of firms cubana.En 1936 was the English colony resident in Cuba represented about 225,000 people.
Although the decline is overwhelming need to analyze this situation considering that thousands of English chose the Cuban nationality and that thousands of families were formed by individuals from both sides of Atlántico.Al started the war in Spain, the English colony of Cuba enjoyed a significant volume of business, especially the small and medium business and involved one of the engines of development and somehow Cuban, a means to counter the economic penetration of the United States Cuba.Igualmente should be considered a temporary factor since the proclamation of the Republic in Spain occurred in 1931 and fall of Machado and progressive government came Grau San Martin in 1933.Quiere this mean that from the mid-twenties and the early thirties, both Cuba and Spain were immersed in processes of popular unrest erupts paralelos.Cuando civil war in Cuban society overwhelmingly opted for the English Republic with its spearhead in the leftist movements and most of intellectuals from the island as a rebellious side braces, these were very rare and came from industry groups and professionals who were close to right-wing political circles as the "Democratic Republican Party, chaired by General Menocal . This can be explained in that the oligarchy focused their attention on the United States as we shall see later showed a slightly favorable to neutral government of the Republic, but always showed his reservations about the role of communists in the conflict last español.Por , a factor as was the Catholic Church in Cuba had a relative and therefore implementation not acted as a favorable factor for the side support revolt.
The street was breathing unevenly on the English war and mass mobilizations against the left in favor of Republicans, supports the flat side came mainly from the ultra conservative "Diario de la Marina" but afterwards, as no it was a linear behavior because during the English conflict significantly change their discourse.
The attitude of the government of Cuba was formally marked by neutrality throughout the conflict, but along the same varied in their support to one or other bando.Al outbreak of the English war was the Cuban President Miguel Mariano Gomez though man reference of the Government and Fulgencio Batista.Este was finally pressured the Cuban government at the beginning of the English conflict so that even with a neutral screen is favored to some extent the attitude franquista.Esta side may respond to their ideological closeness with elevations and pressures from influential economic sectors with interests in Spain, but in fact, Batista will range in their support for the warring parties on the basis of different arguments as the U.S. position, internal pressures, the position of countries environment and Cuban business interests in Spain.
At the beginning of the war look like since September 1936 the Cuban government blocked the shipment of combatants and aid to the Republic were closed española.Igualmente some Republican and professional associations as most significant incident was immobilized in the port of Havana to the English vessel "Manuel Arnús" in which captain clashed with officers in front of a "Revolutionary Committee" composed of sailors, sparking a dispute over the ownership of neutrality barco.Esta biased culminated with the arrival of Miguel Espeliús, sent by the government Burgos to Cuba with the idea of \u200b\u200bmoving to Spain's diplomatic authorities republicana.Esta situation led to major protests in the media and prompted the Ambassador of Spain legitimate temporarily abandon Cuba to the Cuban Government's position despite not recognize this new English authorities allowed no more.
However, the English problem was part of the daily agenda of the Cuban government by internal destabilization posed by mid-1937 and observed as they took practical steps to change direction from official neutrality now favor the Republican Spain . In October 1937 in a Latin American Cuban representatives unearthed a document that could technically be defined as a proposal arbitration of the countries of Latin America in the conflict español.Mexico joined with reservations to this idea and later both countries will be the most solid core of support available to the Government of Madrid in the area along with Peru, Uruguay and Haiti. Perhaps this change of attitude of Cuba had little to do with U.S. pressure not favoring the Francoist side on the other hand could eventually be a competitor of U.S. interests in the Caribe.Mexico he never had doubts their support to the government of Madrid, with reservations accepted the Cuban proposal as a way to counter the international isolation which was undergoing the English Republic under the excuse of being sovietizada.Tras is making positions, Burgos government agents would never be received in any instance oficial.El Madrid government appointed a new ambassador and its representation in Cuba was fully restituida.Otros external signs of change orientation of the Cuban government was the state grant to the Republican cause 5% of the taxes levied on trade in sugar and snuff and the banning of political organizations that as the Phalanx came to campaign for Franco and his Generales.Este change of attitude was significant political gains for Batista, whose support was extended to nationalist groups who saw in their approach to Mexico anti gesture toward norteamericanos.Esta meddling policy was endorsed again in December 1938 at the Pan American Conference held in Lima.
thus witnessing a complex game of high politics in Cuba with Batista at the head, which from a position of official neutrality policy is developed contradictory facts, first with the tolerance camp and later rebelled repudiation these and the adoption of a mediating position that finds support in Mexico and tolerance in the United States encouraged the positions against the rise of fascism.
But Cuba will play a double game and will not lost the battle for 1926 comercial.En had signed a trade agreement between Cuba and Spain and with the advent of the war, mainly the business sector of the Cuban snuff began to fidget, first by breaking up with half of its customers in Spain and secondly by blockade of the pending bills were blocked by the authorities franquistas.Será in this context that, despite the neutrality favorable to Republicans, are taking the necessary steps to probe the government of Burgos on the possibility that those admitted on send a representative cubano.Finalmente Burgos access and Havana choose a heavyweight foreign policy for unlocking cargo.Además outstanding debt and the normalization trade relations of the Cuban companies in Spain, this designation paves the Cuban double game under the guise of a trade negotiation submitted by Carlos Armesto Cardenas, Cuban delegate to the League of Nations and former Ambassador to deploy all Roma.Armestos negotiating potential but are unable to get the Government of Burgos to rise above their anger after the expulsion of its envoy to Havana Miguel Espeliús.España remained one of the best Cuban snuff customers represented 85% of purchases to Cuba English , however at the start of trade war with the Republican zone was interrupted and the government had blocked the loans Burgos of Cuban tobacco in Spain, using to their advantage in the absence of foreign currency liquidity guerra.El involving the volume of debt that Spain had with Cuban traders amounted to the end of the war to an amount just over one million of dólares.Puede seen therefore as the door remains open to diplomatic normalization
, building bridges to both sides in conflict fructifiquen.Una although these are not always good evidence of this ambiguity is the speech held by the new Cuban representative to the League Nations in Geneva, John Angus, who will spin fine to show their revulsion to war, the English-American arbitration offers proposed by Cuba, but ultimately, it will not track the real position of the Cuban Government
While all this was happening, the Cuban government kept open its diplomatic representation in Madrid since the start of the conflict was headed by Charge d'Affaires Manuel Serafin Pichardo . It is known that the complex situation throughout the war live embassies were kept in a fenced Madrid lived time of real tension with the foreign representations in many cases accused of harboring members of the "Fifth Column" of the rebels, which resulted in his assault, sometimes so uncontrolled by militia groups and others, under its own responsibility of the republican government, that was the case of the delegations of Finland, Peru and Turquía.En this context, the Cuban Embassy conducted intense humanitarian hosting dozens of asylum seekers, a figure that the Cuban authorities as respected shows the delivery of the Cuban State Department in September 1936 who spoke on the right to asylum, citing the agreement that both nations had signed in the diplomatic asylum Habana.El reached unprecedented numbers during the English Civil War with a number higher than 10,000 refugees in at least thirty embassies.
The performance of the Cuban authorities in Madrid was marked at all times by a humanitarian character so that in the first months of the war began harboring dozens of people in their buildings, most of them members or supporters of the rebels but also received requests for asylum by the Republicans meanings the worst moments of the siege of Madrid.La work of these diplomats came in first place for the evacuation of Cubans living in Spain, a situation that precipitated after the decision of the republican authorities Madrid. the evacuation of the first months of war expeditions organized four Cuban citizens who were transported to the ports of Valencia and Alicante and from there moved Marsella.Sin French port, however, this work will be borne in the first stage of the war, the inmates being the main concern of the Cuban legation Madrid.Inicialmente the matter was brought to the republican authorities discretion and did not exert too much pressure on the activities of Cuban diplomats, however an incident at the port of Havana tried situación.Se complicated this case the ship "Manuel Arnús" a ship that at the beginning of the war had been confiscated by the authorities Generalitat de Cataluña Barcelona ship departed toward Mexico and the few hours of sailing attended the contest among a group of sailors against the captain and ship's officers to seize control of mismo.Los sailors formed a "Revolutionary Committee" and took control of barco.En a stopover in Havana, the captain requested the intervention of Cuban authorities following an inspection of the ship decided immobilization ocurido.Lo this to clarify what is certain is that this incident became a fierce battle between Cuban authorities and English with great impact on the Cuban press and the polarization of English colony on the final destination of barco.Esta situation served as leverage to the Cuban legation in Madrid and the future of refugees in it.The incident "Manuel Arnús" war lasted half, no less than seventeen months, whichever finally deliver the boat to the English consul in La Habana.En this decision weighed especially the fate of refugees in the embassy in Madrid.
Meanwhile the situation in the Cuban embassies in Madrid went through moments of tension at the continuing influx of refugees and the lack of conditions for atenderlos.Este picture was considerably alleviated by the exchange of prisoners in Cuban diplomats speaking the which allowed the output of many refugees.
Since March 1937, following the death of Serafin Manuel Pichardo, will Ramón Estalella, who is at the head of Cuban diplomacy Madrid.Estalella part of this representation since 1918 and enjoyed excellent relations with both the rest of the diplomatic corps and with the republican authorities and as we shall see later with the senior ranks of the rebels , which together with its humanitarian spirit and his tireless diplomatic activity made this key person for three long years of siege of Madrid. For volunteers
Cuban nationals imprisoned in the shift in policy that allowed Cuban from Havana would be interested in the situation of mismos.Con dated July 11, 1938, the Cuban Ministry of highly satisfied with the work performed Ramón Estalella regarding exchanges, urged his diplomat to negotiate a swap operation in which they were including forty Cubans imprisoned in the concentration camp that the Franco camp held in San Pedro de Cardena Burgos. Estalella had meetings with the authorities on both sides, went to Barcelona by engaging leaders of the Republican government, primarily Giral, and did so in Irun, whose military commander Sanz Aguero Estalella had been benefited by the exchange of a direct family , and after many difficulties reached a compromise to swap to 40 Cubans and 13 prisoners suizos.Aunque operation was made in installments and there were several incidents in the process, Estalella got Cubans imprisoned in the rebel zone were repatriados.La first difficulty encountered was the government's refusal to Barcelona on these foreign exchanges included only because sought the release of senior figures in Republican Spain, both military and civilians who were prisoners in the franquista.Para This operation was supported by British diplomats offered a boat as a means to transport the exchanged from one port North, however as we are told José María Fernández Souto, one of the survivors when the research study this book in October and November 2005, that was really dramático.Souto was in the concentration camp of San Pedro Franco Cardenas in Burgos where he had been admitted after the fall of the Spaniard in front where he spent half the guerra.Recuerda Souto decided after lengthy negotiations to swap a group of foreign fighters, most of them Cubans in total fifteen, for which they were conducted with a strong escort to the border point at the height of Biarritz, but finally the operation fracasó.No explain Fernández Souto knew what was the cause of this reverse, however, attempt the operation again a few weeks later, this time successfully and it was finally delivered at the border to members of the International Red Cross in turn crossed to the other side with no italianos.Souto prisoners went straight to France since among Cuban diplomacy agreements was impossible to save the reef of the border with the commitment of the Francoist authorities that could be exchanged from one port out of Spain was occupied as well as a few weeks before the end of the war, Fernández Souto next fourteen more Cuban Bilbao was placed on the "Marques de Comillas" in which yes, they had to travel in shackles and in appalling conditions under the control of Italian soldiers that custodiaban.Es just mention the role that this process met Dolores Agüero, Cuban delegate to the International Red Cross who enjoyed considerable prestige and helped to unlock these complex negotiations
's dismissal as president of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Mariano Gomez collided with the interests of Batista and his lobbying led to its being named Federico Laredo Bru, his vice president, who took office on Christmas Day 1936.El Laredo Bru cabinet, gave a new twist to the treatment of Cuban combatants were in Spain so that the Cuban Secretary of State issued instructions to its diplomats in Madrid to intercede in fate of prisoners, many of them subject to severe criminal convictions including the capital, that was the case of Antonio Ricord, a prisoner in jail Bañeza and Herminia Moreno awaiting trial in prison Ceuta.Uno elements pressure for the release of these Cuban citizens was recognized by Cuba's government in June 1939 Franco which somehow facilitated the departure of Cuban troops from prisons and concentration camps English although some cases were particularly complex in resolución.Tal Pelayo is the Lamb, fighter after the war he went to the Cuban Embassy in Madrid and at his own testimony was not atendido.Su withstand subsequent arrest him two years' deprivation of liberty from jail to jail until he finally was paroled in 1945 and this time with the mediation of the Cuban authorities made it out of España.Otro peculiar case in the performance of Cuban diplomats Spain was the fighter who was bagging Benjamin Lafarga in Alicante in the final days of the war until seeing fence came the Cuban consul in that city, Alfonso Fernández Sarrasi, who informed him unable to attend because he was a fighter republicano.Lafarga Consul informed him he would try to threaten the life of Franco that May 3 was scheduled to participate in a military parade in Valencia, this involved a suicide attack with serious consequences as the consul was able to dissuade the grounds that this would lead to tremendous dangers for Cubans imprisoned in franquistas.Finalmente Lafarga was able to leave Spain with a passport issued by the Cuban Consulate in Madrid.Otro case not less difficult for Cuban diplomats was that of Paul Porras Gener was arrested in the port of Alicante in the last minute of the war, remaining year and a half in prison until late , 1940 and was granted probation on condition that he remain inside the Cuban Embassy diplomats cubana.Los with the certainty that his life was in serious danger Portugal organized his escape route.
activity Cuban diplomats did not cease until the release of all imprisoned Cuban Charge d'Affaires in Spain.The Estalella visited several times the area of \u200b\u200bSan Pedro de Cardena and Belchite labor camp, gave small amounts of money prisoners and handed them letters from their families while informing them of the extensive campaign remained in Cuba for the same consolidated retorno.Así an outlet for groups gradually gained freedom, proceeding to the first evacuation via Bilbao railway to where shipped in Marques de Comillas "which many Cubans returned home.
Recognition of the new English government from Havana came he finished the guerra.Previamente, April 18, just two weeks later to end the conflict, the Cuban State Department publicly presented a document entitled " Grey Book "in which an exhibition was credited Cuba's neutrality during the English war. The decisive factor in the normalization of relations came from the pressures of the export sector and evidence that the victors had consolidated their poder.Precisamente this was one of the conditions imposed by the Secretary of the Cuban State Juan Remos to representative government in Havana Miguel Burgos Espeliús he returned to Havana to negotiate the normalization between the two naciones.Fue precisely the normalization of trade, negotiating a payment schedule for outstanding debt to the Cuban companies and Ultimately, the release of Cuban prisoners in espana.com saw earlier that case was solved, more complicated was the payment of debts pendientes.Sin But once accepted a compromise by both parties, 25 May 1939 decided to maintain full relations and both nations give diplomatic acreditado.España and Cuba began the path of normalization on June 12, 1939, however the advent of World War II complicated to list them again, mainly by activity in Cuba of the "Falange Exterior."
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