Herbert Southworth
Encyclopedia
Herbert Rutledge Southworth (February 6, 1908 – October 30, 1999) was a writer, journalist and historian specializing in the Spanish Civil War
and the subsequent Franco
dictatorship in Spain and whose work led the Francoist ministry of information to set up an entire department just to counter his demolition of the regime's propaganda.
Southworth was born in Canton, Oklahoma
. At Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
) in Lubbock, Texas
, he majored in history, with a minor in Spanish. In 1934, he started work in the document department at the US Library of Congress
in Washington.
He also took a master's degree at Columbia University
, and formed an enduring friendship with the war correspondent Jay Allen
.
Southworth was devastated by the defeat of the Spanish republic
, and he and Allen continued to work for the exiled premier Juan Negrín
.
, Southworth was recruited by the US office of war information. In 1943, he was sent to Algeria
to work for the office of psychological warfare, and later was posted to Morocco
to broadcast to Franco's Spain.
In 1965, Southworth wrote a second book, Antifalange, on how Franco converted the Falange into the single party of his regime.
Guernica! Guernica! A Study of Journalism, Diplomacy, Propaganda and History (1977) deals with the effort by Franco's propagandists and admirers to wipe out the atrocity at Guernica
. Two years before its publication, and on the advice of the French historian, Pierre Vilar
, the manuscript had been successfully presented by Southworth as his doctoral thesis at the Sorbonne
.
In the mid-1970s, Southworth became Regents Professor at the University of California.
A pugnacious polemicist, he regularly took part in literary arguments, most notably with Burnett Bolloten
and Hugh Thomas
.
In 1970 he sold his collection of documents to the University of California
, where it remains the world's most important library on the Spanish civil war.
Only three days before his death, he delivered the manuscript of Conspiracy and the Spanish Civil War: The Brainwashing of Francisco Franco, published by Routledge
.
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and the subsequent Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
dictatorship in Spain and whose work led the Francoist ministry of information to set up an entire department just to counter his demolition of the regime's propaganda.
Southworth was born in Canton, Oklahoma
Canton, Oklahoma
Canton is a town in Blaine County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 625 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Canton is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
. At Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
) in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, he majored in history, with a minor in Spanish. In 1934, he started work in the document department at the US Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in Washington.
Spanish Civil War
When the Spanish civil war broke out, Southworth reviewed books on the conflict for the Washington Post, his articles bringing him to the notice of the Spanish republic's ambassador, who asked him to work for the Spanish information bureau.He also took a master's degree at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and formed an enduring friendship with the war correspondent Jay Allen
Jay Allen
-Career:Between 1925 and 1934, he was a correspondent for the Chicago Tribune in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Poland and the Balkans. In 1930 he met important leaders of the Spanish Socialist Party : Juan Negrín, Luis Araquistáin, Julio Álvarez del Vayo, Rodolfo Llopis in Spain...
.
Southworth was devastated by the defeat of the Spanish republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, and he and Allen continued to work for the exiled premier Juan Negrín
Juan Negrín
Juan Negrín y López was a Spanish politician and physician.-Early years:Born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Negrín came from a religious middle-class family...
.
World War II
Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Southworth was recruited by the US office of war information. In 1943, he was sent to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
to work for the office of psychological warfare, and later was posted to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
to broadcast to Franco's Spain.
Propaganda
Southworth wrote a series of books which obliged the Franco regime to change its falsified version of its own past. The most celebrated was an exposé of rightwing propaganda, The Myth of Franco's Crusade, which was published in Spanish and French by José Martínez, of Ruedo Ibérico, the leading anti-Franco exiled publishing house based in Paris. Sold clandestinely in Spain, its impact obliged the then information minister, Manuel Fraga, to set up a department dedicated to modernising the regime's historiography. Its director, Ricardo de la Cierva, later Spain's minister of culture (1980-1981), went on to write 80 books in defence of the Franco dictatorship.In 1965, Southworth wrote a second book, Antifalange, on how Franco converted the Falange into the single party of his regime.
Guernica! Guernica! A Study of Journalism, Diplomacy, Propaganda and History (1977) deals with the effort by Franco's propagandists and admirers to wipe out the atrocity at Guernica
Bombing of Guernica
The bombing of Guernica was an aerial attack on the Basque town of Guernica, Spain, causing widespread destruction and civilian deaths, during the Spanish Civil War...
. Two years before its publication, and on the advice of the French historian, Pierre Vilar
Pierre Vilar
Pierre Vilar was a French historian specialized in the history of Catalonia and hispanism. He is considered one of the most authoritative 20th century historians for the history of Spain, for both the Ancien Régime and modern history...
, the manuscript had been successfully presented by Southworth as his doctoral thesis at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
.
In the mid-1970s, Southworth became Regents Professor at the University of California.
A pugnacious polemicist, he regularly took part in literary arguments, most notably with Burnett Bolloten
Burnett Bolloten
Burnett Bolloten was a writer and scholar of the Spanish Civil War.-Biography:Son of a Liverpool jeweler, he was born in the UK. Not wishing to follow his father's career, he began to travel around the Mediterranean...
and Hugh Thomas
Hugh Thomas
Hugh Thomas , is a British historian and life peer.Hugh Thomas may also refer to:* Hugh Thomas , American choral conductor, pianist and educator* Hugh Thomas , Australian rules football coach...
.
In 1970 he sold his collection of documents to the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, where it remains the world's most important library on the Spanish civil war.
Only three days before his death, he delivered the manuscript of Conspiracy and the Spanish Civil War: The Brainwashing of Francisco Franco, published by Routledge
Routledge
Routledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
.